CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. -- A middle-school teacher from Maryland and a high school teacher from Connecticut have been awarded the 2005 Barringer Research Fellowships for Teachers of American History.

K. Wise Whitehead, who teaches ancient, world and American history at West Baltimore Middle School in Baltimore, and Peter Vermilyea, who teaches American history, geography and ancient and medieval culture at Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village, Conn., will each spend two weeks this summer doing research at Monticello's Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies.

The fellowship program is designed for teachers to work on projects -- such as lesson plans, curricular units, and resource packets -- related to Thomas Jefferson's life and times that will enrich their classroom teaching. While in residence, the teachers have access to the collections of the Jefferson Library and other Monticello resources.

Wise and Vermilyea, who were selected on a competitive basis, will each receive a stipend, travel expenses, accommodation expenses, and a meals allowance.

The Barringer Research Fellowships for Teachers of American History, which were first awarded in 2004, are funded by a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Paul B. Barringer II of Weldon, N.C.