University of Mary Washington

News

Hope for area rivers flows from Fredericksburg film festival

By Mike Salmon
All proceeds from the event went to the Friends of the Rappahannock group. [Photo: Mike Salmon]

Fredericksburg and the Rappahannock River have a rich history, and this bond was prominent at the recent Wild & Scenic Film Festival at the University of Mary Washington. River enthusiasts and filmmakers highlighted the positive effects that rivers bring to an area.

Ten films were selected to show the needs of various rivers, and each approached an environmental theme or message. Amongst the first films viewed, a theme surrounded the idea that the well-being of a fish upstream could predict the well-being of other fish hundreds of miles away downstream. The brook trout and the striped bass were used as one example. “As those fish go, so go our stripers down in Kent Island,” said a Maryland fisherman in a film called “A Journey Upstream.” Water quality is an issue here, too. “The biggest threat to the Chesapeake Bay is water quality,” said one of the narrators.

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Features

High-tech hunt for Mary Ball Washington’s grave

By Mike Salmon
Dr. Katherine Parker, a professor with the Department of Historic Preservation at the University of Mary Washington. [Photo: Mike Salmon]

George Washington’s mother, Mary Ball Washington, died in 1789 and was buried in Fredericksburg near a monument that resembles the Washington Monument but on a lesser scale.

The exact location of the actual grave remains unknown though, so in steps the GSSI Ground Penetrating Radar apparatus manned by historians from Washington Heritage Museums and a professor from Mary Washington University to investigate this colonial mystery.

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News

Fredericksburg Civil Rights Trail joins prestigious U.S. collection

By Uriah Kiser
[Photo: University of Mary Washington]

Fredericksburg and the University of Mary Washington jointly announced on Thursday, Feb. 8, a significant milestone: the inclusion of the Fredericksburg Civil Rights Trail into the esteemed U.S. Civil Rights Trail, joining a collection of landmarks spanning 15 states.

Named “Freedom, A Work in Progress,” the Fredericksburg Civil Rights Trail stands out as the sole addition this year that comprises a series of interconnected stops, totaling 21 locations that enrich the national narrative of the Civil Rights Movement.

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Schools

UMW gift box drive helps preschool students

By Amelia Breeden
Four-year-old Jaylyn (center) checks out a set of colorful toothbrushes inside the gift box he received from UMW’s COAR. For its annual gift box effort, the group filled more than 300 wrapped boxes with useful and fun items for kids. Photos by Karen Pearlman.

University of Mary Washington: “The COAR (Community Outreach and Resources) staff – and the entire UMW community – spent months filling gift-wrapped shoeboxes with winter hats, school supplies and toys for preschool students.”

“The annual effort produced more than 300 packages specifically for youngsters in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County schools, including students in the Head Start Program, which provides education and resources for eligible children ages 3 to 5.”

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Features

‘The String Queens’ perform Friday at Mary Washington’s Dodd Auditorium

By Uriah Kiser

University of Mary Washington: “A blend of violin, viola and cello, the Washington, D.C.-based trio The String Queens also blend together their careers, as educators by day and concert performers by night.”

“The ensemble will bring its signature sound to the University of Mary Washington’s Dodd Auditorium in George Washington Hall on Friday, Dec. 1, at 7:30 p.m. The concert is free and open to the community. Registration is required.”

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News

Fredericksburg seeks more sporting tourism events

By Amelia Breeden
Fredericksburg City Hall

City of Fredericksburg: “The City of Fredericksburg, the Fredericksburg Economic Development Authority (EDA) and the University of Mary Washington’s (UMW) Athletics Department are partnering to bring in more sports tourism events and drive room nights to city hotels.”

“Fredericksburg City Council in this fiscal year’s budget allocated $100,000 to the Fredericksburg EDA to be used for sports tourism development. Some of those funds have been put toward a new agreement with UMW that is expected to boost sports tourism-related revenue for the City. For every hotel room booked in the City of Fredericksburg due to a UMW athletics event, UMW Athletics will receive $10 per room, per night from the EDA. The agreement also includes a $5,000 sponsorship that will allow the City of Fredericksburg’s tourism office to have more visibility with incoming athletic groups, and provide other marketing opportunities.”

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Schools

UMW announces 2024 ‘Great Lives’ series

By Uriah Kiser

University of Mary Washington: “Some subjects of the 21st William B. Crawley Great Lives Lecture Series are universally known – William Shakespeare, Martin Luther King Jr. and Elizabeth Taylor, for example. Others, including liberator and visionary Mary Lumpkin and spymaster Wild Bill Donovan, are less familiar.”

“But all are intriguing characters whose stories are bound to enlighten audiences of the University of Mary Washington’s hugely popular Great Lives series. Lectures will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from January through March 2024. All are open to the public free of charge and begin at 7:30 p.m. in Dodd Auditorium of George Washington Hall.”

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News

Board of Education approves lab schools at Germanna Community College, University of Mary Washington

By Uriah Kiser

Virginia Governor’s Office: “The Virginia Board of Education today approved two new lab schools, Germanna Community College’s Future Educators Academy and University of Mary Washington’s Academy of Technology and Innovation. With three approved lab schools among 20 lab school applicants across the Commonwealth, Virginia is becoming a top national leader in lab school development.”

“The Board unanimously approved of Germanna Community College’s Future Educators Academy. FEA is an innovative model in collaboration with Germanna Community College, Laurel Ridge Community College, and James Madison University focused on an acceleration track for the next generation of high-quality teachers in the region. This lab school reinvigorates the current teacher cadre with innovative opportunities through observations and hands-on practicums and streamlines the pathway to teacher licensure by prioritizing an associate’s degree in high school and allowing students to complete their Bachelor’s degree in as little as two years after high school graduation.”

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