JUNIOR DOCENTS 2017 Colorado Springs Pioneers Musuem is in its 7th year of the Junior Docent program. This summer 24 6th-12th grade students representing five school districts, a private charter, a private school, a public charter and a homeschool co-op were selected to participate. More than half of the students returned after participating in the program last summer. This program has evolved through the years and each summer we learn more about the program’s impact on the junior docents, museum guests and our programmatic and interpretive efforts. At its core, the program allows for museum guests to interact with “Sensing History” stations on a daily basis. Different types of learners use their five senses to explore the past. Junior Docents are trained to share information and facilitate conversation to develop meaningful connections with local history. In addition, Junior Docents are trained to lead ten minute programs for small groups of daycare and summer camp children. Kids smell lime as they learn about the history of Vallejo’s Family Restaurant and their delicious salsa, they feel buffalo hide and beaver skin as they imagine trade in the American west and build a tray of food representing the average diet of a Tuberculosis patient in treatment at a sanatorium. Mike Pritts and the Junior Docents Each year CSPM receives a flood of stories and feedback from guests, students and their families. We consistently hear how impressed guests are to see young people in action, sharing interesting and important history. Junior Docents often reference their interactions with families they would never have met outside of the museum. Nathan, a returning Junior Docent, shared that “there was a Spanish speaking family from South America, and since I had been in a Spanish immersion program, I was able to talk to them about my station. It was really cool because it was the first time I was able to do that.” Parents share the dramatic growth in their children after a summer at the museum. Whether it is better eye contact, the ability to present in front of classmates or a newly instilled sense of pride and confidence, the changes in the young people are evident. One of the 6th grade mothers noticed a new sense of responsibility in her daughter, “She takes it very seriously and considers it to be a job. For morning shifts, she comes into work with me around 8am and keeps herself busy until it’s time to walk over. I’m typically in meetings so she is totally responsible for minding the time and making sure she’s not late. She always comes home with stories about her day, the people she works with and the groups who came through the museum that day. For her, it’s an opportunity to participate in a professional world and it is such a source of pride and confidence for her.” This special program would not be possible without the support of our incredible museum staff, volunteers and donors! We were fortunate to work with Mike Pritts, an intern from the Colorado College Master of Arts in Education program. Pritts, along with our Education Assistant, Jessica Green, were integral to the program’s development and facilitation. In addition to daily shifts, Junior Docents also support our many summer programs like Children’s History Hour, Weekend Warm-Up and the Colo-rado Grown Family Fun Day. Pritts and Green worked to keep everyone on task. He also took advan-tage of a unique opportunity! Pritts’ summer assignment was to assist with the development of a new field trip for middle and high school students, centered on the Story of Us exhibit. He was able to test the program and receive helpful feedback from the Junior Docents. This summer the Junior Docents clocked-in over 892 hours! Their contribution to CSPM and our mission to share local history cannot be understated. We look forward to many more summers of this program and are excited to see how the program evolves and continues to impact our museum and the community! MUSELETTER AUGUST 2017 | PG 3
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