ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Albemarle High School students are learning about their home beyond history class. They're doing it through county geography.

Chris Bunin teaches geography and geo-spatial technologies at AHS. His students used drones to study and map Albemarle County.

Their final projects were PSAs called "This is Albemarle."

It was part of a $50,000 grant from the National Geographic Society.

Bunin said learning history through spatial science adds another layer to the idea of "sense of place."

"Space is meaningful on a both personal and collective level. But space is also an area for cooperation and conflict," he said.

The drone class paired with an African American studies class.

They went on a field trip to Montpelier to learn about those enslaved there.

The students said learning about the land and buildings gave them a better perspective.

"The homes, they were like really small. And the roof, the roof was low. So, it's just, I took a lot away from it because I would have never though they actually had to live like that for years," 10th grader Taymarri Scott said.

Students from the drone class and the African-American history class say they think students should have these learning experiences if they get the chance.