Schedule
Day 1
Located at the Heinz History Center, 5th Floor, Mueller Center.
| 5 p.m. | Washington and the West Introductory Lecture Lloyd Black |
| 5:40 p.m. | Resources from George Washington's Mount Vernon Melissa Dowches |
| 6 p.m. | Dinnertime and Discussion Questions Roy Fischer |
| 7 p.m. | Primary Source and Analysis Activity Roy Fischer and Lloyd Black |
| 7:30 p.m. | Exhibition Tour Roy Fischer and Lloyd Black |
Day 2
| 10 a.m. | Optional Transit to Meadowcroft Rockshelter & Historic Village |
| 11 a.m. | 1700s Trading Post Interpretation |
| 11:30 a.m. | Historic Cooking Demonstation |
| 12 p.m. | Lunch |
| 12:30 p.m. | Tomahawk Throwing Activity |
| 1 p.m. | Trading Game |
Meet at the Heinz History Center at 10 a.m. for optional transit.
Registration Requirements
Who can register?
- Teachers MUST teach in a formal K-12 classroom or school setting.
- The program is limited to 20 teachers.
- A waitlist will be available if registration meets full capacity.
- Participants should be able to attend both dates.
Questions? Please contact [email protected]
- Transportation will be provided from The Heinz History Center to Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historical Village and back on Day 2.
- Pennsylvania Act 48 credits will be provided to Pennsylvania educators upon completion of the program.
Meet the Speakers
Lloyd Black
Lloyd Black is a museum educator at the Senator John Heinz History Center and has worked as a tour guide at the Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village.
He is passionate about conveying the history of Western Pennsylvania through artifact analysis and big-picture storytelling. He has a BA from the University of Virginia and MSc degrees from the universities of Durham and Aberdeen in the United Kingdom.
Roy Fischer
Roy Fischer was a classroom teacher for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade social studies for 8 years before becoming a museum educator at the Senator John Heinz History Center. He works closely with teachers and students for tours, school programs, and professional developments. Roy excels at developing and facilitating engaging learning activities and lessons.
Andrew Donovan
Andrew Donovan received his bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in Anthropology from Arizona State University. After eight years in the desert, he moved back to his native western Pennsylvania to once again enjoy its deciduous forests and four seasons.
Mr. Donovan joined the Meadowcroft staff in 2010 as the Blacksmith Interpreter and has served in the role of Education and Program Manager since 2013; developing and overseeing the museum’s public and educational programming.
He has worked with Meadowcroft’s Principal Investigator, Dr. James Adovasio, since 2016 to organize the Rockshelter collection for long term accessibility, publication, and curriculum development. He served as a field-tech on the recent excavations; excavating and processing samples while maintaining the inventory of all materials associated with the project.
Meet the Educator
Melissa Dowches
Melissa Dowches teaches 5th grade at Spring Garden Elementary School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She received her BA in Elementary and Early Childhood Education from Kutztown University and M.Ed. in Reading from East Stroudsburg University.
Since holding her current teaching position for the past 11 years, Melissa has taken a huge interest in U.S. History, particularly the American Revolution, which is a major unit she teaches each year.
Melissa is a two-time alumna of The George Washington Teacher Institute and is currently working as a Lead Ambassador in the Northeast Region for GWTI 250 Regional Teacher Programming.
Upcoming Educational Events
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