WHAT: The Center for Environmental and Historical Research on the Lower Eastern Shore will allow students to explore the past while conducting research into the lives of former residents of Pemberton Hall, an 18th-century plantation. Students entering grades 5-7 will conduct historical research to get insights into the daily lives of real people who lived in our area. Grades 4-8 will conduct environmental research to investigate plants and animals of the Wicomico River and assess the local impact on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed area.

The 2009 Maryland Summer Centers Program is sponsored by the Maryland State Department of Education and funded by the Maryland General Assembly. The Maryland Summer Centers Program, in partnership with public and nonpublic agencies, provides Maryland’s diverse gifted and talented student population with advanced, rigorous, experiential learning opportunities that nurture these students’ talents and abilities within unique learning environments.

WHO: Gifted and Talented Maryland students, entering grades 5 - 7, will re-create colonial crafts, interact with local experts on archaeology and slavery, analyze data to present research, by way of interpretation, on 18th-century life along the Wicomico River. Those entering grades 4 – 8 will investigate a real-world problem and conduct original research at various sites along the Wicomico River to create a “Diary of a River.”

WHEN: Section A: June 29 – July 3, 2009 / 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
            Entering Grades: 5-7

              Section B: July 6 - 17, 2009 / 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
            Entering Grades: 4-8