The Charles County Board of Education 100th Anniversary Lecture Series kicked off Sept. 2 with the first of three events — “Education in the County — Then and Now” — held at the historic Port Tobacco Courthouse.
Abigail Wearmouth, a Maurice J. McDonough High School graduate and early childhood education major at Frostburg University, portrayed a 1916-era teacher for the presentation.
Wearmouth wasn’t the only one to dress for the occasion.
Charles County Board of Education member Barbara Palko was in costume as a 1950s-era teacher and Joyce Edelen, a member of the Society for the Restoration of Port Tobacco, portrayed Miss Mary Olivia Keech, a one-room schoolteacher of the past.
If Edelen knew a lot about the goings-on of a school room from yesteryear, she had good reason. Keech was Edelen’s mother-in-law.
Before the lessons started, Wearmouth went over the strict rules — which stretched beyond the classroom — teachers followed a century ago. She and McDonough teacher Karen Rowledge showed an audience, with assistance from four Dr. James Craik Elementary School students, classroom lessons from 100 years ago and today.
The second presentation in the lecture series is Sept. 16 and 17 at the McConchie One-room Schoolhouse on the Charles County Fairgrounds. Segregation and desegregation of schools will be discussed by people who lived through it as students and educators.
A third presentation — “When Disaster Strikes, We’re Ready,” is 6:30 p.m. Oct. 1 at the James E. Richmond Science Center at St. Charles High School. The fulldome production will look at how the school system has handled natural and man-made disasters. The event also will include STEM activities and refreshments.
Visit http://www.ccboe.com/100years/ for more information about the lecture series and other 100 years celebration activities.
