Bob Rodrigues is a big believer in the power of the senses when it comes to teaching history at Chartiers Valley High School. And not just the ones expected in the typical classroom, such as hearing and sight.

The most effective learning experiences, said the veteran social studies teacher, are those that give students the feeling of "being there" by allowing them also to touch, taste and smell.

That means going to the places where history was made.

"It almost sounds spiritual, but when you're on site, you can feel the presence of the people that were living the lives we study and learn from," explained Mr. Rodrigues, a teacher in the district for more than 30 years.

A prime example is the Whiskey Rebellion field study immersion -- also called the "Past as a Prologue to the Future" program -- he initiated in 1993.

Now in its 15th year, this interdisciplinary study takes the entire freshman class to four key sites involved in the 1794 rebellion against an excise tax on distilled spirits: the Bradford House in Washington, Oliver Miller Homestead in South Park, the Neville House in Collier and Old St. Luke's Church in Scott.

That's followed a few weeks later with self-directed student projects ranging from creating cookbooks to videos.

The uprising enjoys a particular significance in the history of Chartiers Valley -- which includes Bridgeville, Heidelberg, Collier and Scott -- because so many of the farmers who rebelled against the tax hailed from this area. It was the burning of a local tax collector's home that led George Washington to mobilize troops.

So Mr. Rodrigues said it was important to create a lesson that would "stick."

This year, the district's 276 or so ninth-graders recently made the journey back in time.

To prepare for the field study, freshmen spend the first two months of the school year researching 18th-century lifestyles and examining the conflicts in the country's early years. This interdisciplinary approach not only gets students excited, but puts the rebellion in context, said Mr. Rodrigues.

Each of the sites tells its own particular story, but the visit to the weathered stone church on Old Washington Pike, just a mile down the road from the high school, is a perennial favorite.

While there's plenty to see in a house museum, there's not a lot to do in a church, "and these pews are pretty hard," the Rev. Richard Davies, director of Old St. Luke's, said with a chuckle.

So to make his presentation more engaging, he decided in 1995 to write a play that explores what Gen. John Neville, who was enlisted by Washington to collect the unpopular tax, might have done after insurgents burned down his home at Bower Hill. The play is performed by a cast of 10 upperclassmen, which adds to the student interest.

In setting the stage for the 20-minute performance, the Rev. Davies noted how most historians believe Neville, who was a member of St. Luke, fled into the wilderness after leaving his house.

"But I think he would have come here," he declared.

The church, he told the students, has always been a place of safety and sanctuary and so it stands to reason Neville would have sought refuge there on a "very difficult day," July 17, 1794.

The farmers, the Rev. Davies said, all considered Neville, who himself distilled whiskey, a traitor. But there are those -- the Rev. Davies included -- who consider the man something entirely different.

"He's a patriot here," he said. Indeed, a large plaque to the right of the church door commemorates Neville with those very words.

Even if the teens don't catch every word, the history of the day is packed in, along with all the little nuances, ensuring students get the "flavor," the Rev. Davies said.

Students agreed that the play helps them better understand the events of the day.

Kian McCollum, 16, who portrayed John Neville, said the audience "seemed to have fun with it. I know the play made it more interesting. It really helped us [as freshmen]."

"It was definitely better than reading about it in a book," agreed audience member Matt Henny, 14.

The individual projects the program generates continue the real-world learning experience, said Mr. Rodrigues. Along with videos and cookbooks, students have made artwork, written poetry and -- noticing the weathered gravestones outside the church -- even studied the effects of acid rain on sandstone and granite. One year, a student used higher-order math to explain how Neville could have communicated with others on Bower Hill with mirrors.

"These kids become inspired and motivated by their experiences with immersion because it transcends history," said Mr. Rodrigues.

Some go on to become junior docents at the Neville House.

It might seem the project has been successful because of Chartiers Valley's history. Yet Mr. Rodrigues maintains that every community has a story to tell; all one needs to do is "reach in and find it, and let the kids experience that story."

Mr. Rodrigues' passion for teaching hasn't gone unnoticed. Among his awards are National Social Studies Teacher of the Year in 1997, Pennsylvania Social Studies Teacher of the Year Award in 2005 and one of 12 finalists for the Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year Award last year.

But while accolades are nice, the true measure Mr. Rodrigues and his colleagues are on the right track is that the program continues to excite both teachers and students.

When a medical leave meant Mr. Rodrigues wouldn't be able to fully participate in the program this year, fellow social studies teacher Jennifer Heffley stepped in.

Many students remember the field immersion long after high school.

"When I think about its legacy, it's just awesome," said Mr. Rodrigues, who expects to be back in the classroom before Thanksgiving.

"This is a discernible ingredient in a kid's life. And gosh. There's nothing more you could hope for as an educator."