STODDERT ELEMENTARY 5th GRADERS PRESENT TUDOR PLACE STORIES

Press Contact:
Director of Communications
Heather Bartlow, hbartlow@tudorplace.org
202.965.0400
Website: www.tudorplace.org
Tudor Place Historic House and Garden
1644 31st Street NW
Washington, DC 2007

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 18, 2010

AN EXHIBITION AND PLAY ABOUT TUDOR PLACE

Washington, D.C. – May 18, 2010 — Stoddert Elementary School’s 5th grade class, in partnership with Tudor Place Historic House and Garden, will be presenting Tudor Place Stories an exhibition about the history of Tudor Place and a series of short plays written by the students and performed on the historic grounds of Tudor Place on Thursday, May 27 at 6:00 p.m. (Rain date: Friday, May 28)

Tudor Place Stories is the culmination of an innovative year long school program entitled Presenting the Past. This program was piloted in September 2008 and was designed to build a close working relationship with Tudor Place and Stoddert Elementary School to utilize the wide variety of historic and natural resources available at Tudor Place “Tudor Place provides students with a unique opportunity to experience the lives of people who lived in the past, and see how daily life changed in Washington from the founding of the capital city to modern day.” says Education Director, Talia Mosconi.

Stoddert students participated in eight field trips and in-class presentations to actually experience life in the 1800’s including dressing in period clothing, learning proper etiquette and manners, singing songs from the period and learning traditional dances. Students also became history detectives as they investigated artifacts, documents, paintings, and photographs to learn about daily life in Washington from 1816 to 1983. Students then used their newly acquired knowledge from primary sources in a series of exhibit design and play-writing workshops led by the Education Staff at Tudor Place. “The process has been fantastic!” says Stoddert teacher Steve Dingledine.

Located in Georgetown’s Historic District, this National Historic Landmark is a house museum distinguished for its neoclassical architecture, decorative arts collection, and five-and-a-half acre garden. Built in 1816, it was home to Thomas Peter and his wife, Martha Custis Peter, granddaughter of Martha Washington. It housed six generations of the Peter family over the course of 180 years. Now, open to the public, the historic home is one of our nation’s hidden gems. For details visit www.tudorplace.org