VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH JESSICA LEACH, Junior Docent Each summer the CSPM selects 30 middle and high school students to volunteer as Junior Docents. These bright and enthusiastic young people support our educational programming and interpret regional history for visitors. Jessica Leach is in her third summer with the museum, and set a new record clocking in over 96 volunteer hours this June and July alone! Meg Poole, the museum’s Program Coordinator, has the privilege of supervising the Junior Docents along with Makaela Worden, CSPM Education Assistant. “We have seen so much growth in Jessica over the years. She has become a leader in the program, and never hesitates to support her fellow volunteers and make new students feel welcome. She is a natural presenter and educator, and we are fortunate to have her as part of the team!” Meg shared. The museum was so impressed with Jessica that she was invited to provide the opening remarks at the annual Gift of History Breakfast in August. We asked Jessica why she enjoys volunteering and she shared, “I volunteer for the museum to feed my inner history nerd, make some new friends and I love to learn and help others learn as well.” She also reflected on some of her favorite memories in her time with the museum, “One of my favorite memories is the first time I gave a tour. I was so nervous to actually give a tour and I remember feeling amazing by the end and then coming away from that and reflecting and going over what I did that was good and what I could improve for the next time.” Her favorite place to take visitors on her tours is the Helen Hunt Jackson house, “she has such a unique story that is so different from anything I’ve ever heard about. She suffered so much loss and Jessica in Division 1 Courtroom Jessica with Mom, Lisa at Gift of History Breakfast she was able to keep going and she found a cause and she stuck to it until she died.” When not spending time at CSPM, Jessica leads a busy life as a teenager, “My life outside of the museum is AP and honors classes at school, reading, playing the violin, writing, and helping my mom out with her classroom.” Jessica also enjoys volunteering for Link Crew and Peer Mediators, and is learning about the biomedical field after three years with the PLTW Biomedical course. She shared that she is always “counting down the days until I get to go to the museum again because CSPM is such a big part of my life.” Jessica with group visit in Story of Us exhibit Thank you for your dedicated service, Jessica! MUSELETTER SEPTEMBER 2019| PG 8
9 Publizr Home