A crowd gathered in the University Center’s Chandler Ballroom Monday evening for the presentation of City as Text™.

Members of the UMW and Fredericksburg communities gathered in the University Center’s Chandler Ballroom Monday night to see and hear the results of this year’s City as Text™ project. Developed for the National Collegiate Honors Council, City as Text™ is an experiential learning experience for UMW Honors students.

UMW’s Honors Program is led by Professor of Chemistry Kelli Slunt and Professor of English Mara Scanlon.

Since August, students have toured local museums and battlefields, heard from experts about diverse aspects of the city’s history and identity, and learned about the historical development of the urban area and its buildings, ethnographic research and respectful communication. For the culminating experience of the eight-week program, Honors students divide into groups and explore various areas of Fredericksburg.

Monday evening, each of the 15 teams presented their findings – both visually and orally – to a packed Chandler Ballroom, providing opportunities for reflection to city officials and all who attended the event.

Areas of Fredericksburg the students explored included: