Ms. Ida Wills, a longtime Charles County native, left, participated in a panel session at the Eyewitness to History event held Friday, February 27 at Thomas Stone High School, with Mary Louise Webb, vice president of the African American Heritage Society, center, and Charles County attorney Kenneth Talley, right. Guest speakers were invited to speak to students about the history of Charles County. (Submitted photo)
LA PLATA, Md. (March 6, 2009)—Thomas Stone High School in Waldorf and the minority affairs committee hosted the sixth annual "Eyewitness to History" event on Friday, Feb. 27. More than 20 guest speakers were invited to participate in the event, which included six panel sessions for students to learn about past history, education, economics and social conditions.
Participants included Mary Louise Webb, vice president of the African-American Heritage Society, Gil Ingles, a former Charles County Public Schools student and native of Angola who learned to speak English by watching American television, Board of Education member Roberta S. Wise and Ida Wills, a longtime Charles County native.
Students were also encouraged to ask guests questions about historical events that occurred during their time in Charles County. More than 200 students selected through their history classes rotated through three panel sessions to hear from a variety of guests.