JEFFERSON & ADAMS TAKE TO THE AIRWAVES
Poplar Forest Newsletter, Spring 2002

Poplar Forest launched an innovative, interactive educational project last fall to give Virginia students an opportunity to think about democracy, stimulated by a discussion with American founders Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.

The project, titled “Shaping the World: Conversations on Democracy,” harnessed television and the Internet to broaden the educational reach of Poplar Forest.

In the pilot program, two eminent historical interpreters portraying Jefferson and Adams talked about the founding of America with fifth graders and seniors from two Roanoke schools in the studio of WBRA, the Roanoke affiliate for Blue Ridge Public Television.

The audience of students and teachers hailed the conversation program enthusiastically.

“You could actually hear them talking instead of just reading it,” fifth grader Ryan Kirtley said.

“It really kinds of gives you a mindset of what they went through,” said senior Matt Russo. “It really covers the information well. I think it really reaches out.”

Blue Ridge Public Television broadcast the program Oct. 19, and the Virginia Satellite Educational Network – a division of the state Department of Education – rebroadcast it Nov. 1 directly to schools throughout the state.

In this first venture into electronic learning, Poplar Forest provided two opportunities for students immediately following the broadcast. They could “talk” with Poplar Forest historians via e-mail, or engage in classroom discussion with their teachers using extensive supporting instructional material from Poplar Forest’s web site.

“With the experience we have gained from this pilot project we are excited about the prospect of expanding the interactivity so that students far from Poplar Forest can have even greater opportunities to participate,” said Octavia Starbuck, director of interpretation and education.

Designed to develop critical thinking skills, the pilot project focused on four themes: America’s fight for independence, democracy and the presidential election of 1800, political leadership, and the revolutionary’s vision of America in 2001. The program provided teachers with substantial material for covering many of Virginian’s Standards of Learning requirements in history, civics, and economics.

Executive Director Lynn A. Beebe said the project represents the future direction of programming at Poplar Forest. “Our long-range plan calls for Poplar Forest to serve as a catalyst for the mind. In addition to helping everyone look back in time at Thomas Jefferson, we want to offer people opportunities to think about what is relevant to them as they tackle current and future challenges. Jefferson offers us all so many ideas to think about. He also offers us a model for a mindset – a way to look at the present and future with curiosity and creativity.”

In the pilot project, Bill Barker portrayed Jefferson courtesy of Colonial Williamsburg. Historian Steve Perlman of the Independence National Park in Philadelphia portrayed Adams.