Quincy High School’s Museum Docent Program
Mission & History
Just over a quarter century ago (1985) Quincy’s student docent program was created by Quincy High School Social Studies teacher Linda Day. The program was developed to promote self-esteem, increase exposure to the arts and cultural institutions and to expand the use of primary sources in the social studies curriculum. In October of 2009 the Gallery Instructors who help coordinate our program were asked to present at The Conference for North American Gallery Instructors in Toronto as a potential program for other Museums to emulate. Upon her retirement Linda became a Gallery Instructor and is now one of the GIs helping to coordinate the program. The program also had the distinction of being awarded the Community Recognition Award from the MFA in November of 2009.
What is it?
Every year over 500 students from the Quincy Public schools have the privilege of making one of the greatest cultural institutions in the world, a part of their education. 25 students receive training from qualified MFA Gallery Instructors on a theme determined by the gallery instructors and the high school faculty advisors to complement the high school history curriculum.
Why?
Over a quarter a century ago this program was created in the wake of proposition 2 ½ which lead to the slashing of school budgets—arts programs being the first to go. The past decade has also been difficult on public funding, culminating in the stock market crash of ‘08. There has been no funding for substitutes for any field trips in the district since 08. In addition, all uncontracted teacher stipends for extra curriculars have been cut entirely. Participating in this program gives student docents the confidence needed to be a success in whatever field they choose and encourages the hundreds of student visitors to become museum goers for life. Quincy is an urban middle class community with an increasingly diverse population. While Quincy High is not technically a Title 1 school it is not too far from being one. Below is an updated chart from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Just over a quarter century ago (1985) Quincy’s student docent program was created by Quincy High School Social Studies teacher Linda Day. The program was developed to promote self-esteem, increase exposure to the arts and cultural institutions and to expand the use of primary sources in the social studies curriculum. In October of 2009 the Gallery Instructors who help coordinate our program were asked to present at The Conference for North American Gallery Instructors in Toronto as a potential program for other Museums to emulate. Upon her retirement Linda became a Gallery Instructor and is now one of the GIs helping to coordinate the program. The program also had the distinction of being awarded the Community Recognition Award from the MFA in November of 2009.
What is it?
Every year over 500 students from the Quincy Public schools have the privilege of making one of the greatest cultural institutions in the world, a part of their education. 25 students receive training from qualified MFA Gallery Instructors on a theme determined by the gallery instructors and the high school faculty advisors to complement the high school history curriculum.
Why?
Over a quarter a century ago this program was created in the wake of proposition 2 ½ which lead to the slashing of school budgets—arts programs being the first to go. The past decade has also been difficult on public funding, culminating in the stock market crash of ‘08. There has been no funding for substitutes for any field trips in the district since 08. In addition, all uncontracted teacher stipends for extra curriculars have been cut entirely. Participating in this program gives student docents the confidence needed to be a success in whatever field they choose and encourages the hundreds of student visitors to become museum goers for life. Quincy is an urban middle class community with an increasingly diverse population. While Quincy High is not technically a Title 1 school it is not too far from being one. Below is an updated chart from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
When does it happen?
Quincy students visit the MFA 10 times over the course of each academic year. 6 trips are student docent guided field trips for 60 students from history classes of both North and Quincy High Schools. There are 3 different themes being presented on any given year by 3 sets of student docents. Some of the themes in the past have been: Influences of Classicism, Art of Africa & the Americas, People of the Book, Asian Art, American Art. Each set of docents presents on 2 of the aforementioned tours and sophomores receive a 4 day training over the course of 3 months so that they are ready to present in the spring. In addition to complementing the history curriculum we have included interdisciplinary projects to supplement our training in the museum such as: creating coiled pottery with the QHS art department as a part of our Art of Africa & the Americas training and reproducing a 5000 year old vase on a 3D printer with the engineering and art departments at QHS. Other disciplines have also been able to take advantage of our tours from French and Art classes to special education and English Language Learners.
Where?
Students take the MBTA to the museum from Quincy Center. It is a great way for students to learn how close and accessible Boston with all of its cultural institutions. After spending approximately an hour and a half at the MFA, we then walk along Huntington Avenue past Symphony Hall and the Christian Science Center to Prudential Center for lunch. Many students have never taken the train into Boston and this literally opens up a whole new world to them. After lunch we take the train back to Quincy Center from Prudential.
Who is involved?
This program is for High School Students from both Quincy and North Quincy High Schools. Sophomore docents are chosen through a careful selection process that includes a writing sample, interview, and presentation. If chosen they undergo a 4 day training and will present their piece of art 6 times over the course of 3 years. The students who will see these presentations are predominantly freshman history students. This year we are hoping to bring some 8th grade students from area middle schools and high school ELL History students who learn similar curriculum in early US History.
How Much?
There are many costs associated with the program. The costs include pay for substitute teachers, museum admission & processing fees, MBTA transportation fees. Substitute pay cost $1800 per school year. Museum fees are approximately $1432 and T fare with recent fare hike adds up to $834. Before 2008 the Faculty Advisor received a stipend of $500. The district cut the funding for these stipends and asked us to charge students a user’s fee. The museum docents were never charged a user’s fee.
North Quincy High has received funding from State Street Corporation. QHS has received some funding from Putnam investments (not sure when or for how much). The district covered the $1800 substitute fee from 2005-2007 and the program was fully funded between 2008-2011 by a generous donation from Kevin Sharer. As a result of our dire need, the museum waived our fees since 2012. The total cost for a fully funded program as it stands today is $4538.50
The Future?
In the brief period that we were fully funded some of those funds were used to buy books to help the student docent research their pieces. It would be wonderful to be able to continue to build this library. The costs of interdisciplinary projects with the art and engineering departments were somehow covered by those departments. I would like to continue to be able to participate in these types of projects. Lastly, I have spent the past 6 years documenting the program through photography and have been trying to find student photographers to assist me. I have used my own equipment which has added up to several thousand dollars over the course of the past 6 years. This year I have a student photographer who is excellent and thankfully has his own camera. I would like to be able to purchase a DSLR camera exclusively for the program.
Faculty Advisor, Erin Twomey
I'm a product of the Quincy Public Schools up until my junior year when I attended and graduated from Phillips Academy, Andover (1991). I received a degree in philosophy at Boston College(1995). I have always been involved in culture promoting activities. I was the president of both the Irish Society of Boston College and the University Chorale of Boston College. I received my Masters of Arts in Teaching from Boston University in 1998. I did my student teaching at North Quincy High School and Atlantic Middle School in Quincy. I taught in Hull, Northborough/ Southborough and Ipswich and finally made my way back to Quincy High School in Sept. 2001. I'm in my 13th year at QHS. In my tenure here I've been advisor to the International Club and coordinated several cultural fairs and cultural show. In addition to being the faculty advisor for the Museum Docent Program, I started the National History Bee & Bowl team. Our team has qualified for Nationals and traveled to Washington, D.C. to compete for the past 3 years. I've also been involved in coaching both on the volunteer and official level in basketball, tennis, softball and sailing. I currently teach US History to English Language Learners and Advanced level 9th grade World History. I'm the webmaster for Quincy High and when my camera is working I love to take pictures of the students at many school events.
Quincy students visit the MFA 10 times over the course of each academic year. 6 trips are student docent guided field trips for 60 students from history classes of both North and Quincy High Schools. There are 3 different themes being presented on any given year by 3 sets of student docents. Some of the themes in the past have been: Influences of Classicism, Art of Africa & the Americas, People of the Book, Asian Art, American Art. Each set of docents presents on 2 of the aforementioned tours and sophomores receive a 4 day training over the course of 3 months so that they are ready to present in the spring. In addition to complementing the history curriculum we have included interdisciplinary projects to supplement our training in the museum such as: creating coiled pottery with the QHS art department as a part of our Art of Africa & the Americas training and reproducing a 5000 year old vase on a 3D printer with the engineering and art departments at QHS. Other disciplines have also been able to take advantage of our tours from French and Art classes to special education and English Language Learners.
Where?
Students take the MBTA to the museum from Quincy Center. It is a great way for students to learn how close and accessible Boston with all of its cultural institutions. After spending approximately an hour and a half at the MFA, we then walk along Huntington Avenue past Symphony Hall and the Christian Science Center to Prudential Center for lunch. Many students have never taken the train into Boston and this literally opens up a whole new world to them. After lunch we take the train back to Quincy Center from Prudential.
Who is involved?
This program is for High School Students from both Quincy and North Quincy High Schools. Sophomore docents are chosen through a careful selection process that includes a writing sample, interview, and presentation. If chosen they undergo a 4 day training and will present their piece of art 6 times over the course of 3 years. The students who will see these presentations are predominantly freshman history students. This year we are hoping to bring some 8th grade students from area middle schools and high school ELL History students who learn similar curriculum in early US History.
How Much?
There are many costs associated with the program. The costs include pay for substitute teachers, museum admission & processing fees, MBTA transportation fees. Substitute pay cost $1800 per school year. Museum fees are approximately $1432 and T fare with recent fare hike adds up to $834. Before 2008 the Faculty Advisor received a stipend of $500. The district cut the funding for these stipends and asked us to charge students a user’s fee. The museum docents were never charged a user’s fee.
North Quincy High has received funding from State Street Corporation. QHS has received some funding from Putnam investments (not sure when or for how much). The district covered the $1800 substitute fee from 2005-2007 and the program was fully funded between 2008-2011 by a generous donation from Kevin Sharer. As a result of our dire need, the museum waived our fees since 2012. The total cost for a fully funded program as it stands today is $4538.50
The Future?
In the brief period that we were fully funded some of those funds were used to buy books to help the student docent research their pieces. It would be wonderful to be able to continue to build this library. The costs of interdisciplinary projects with the art and engineering departments were somehow covered by those departments. I would like to continue to be able to participate in these types of projects. Lastly, I have spent the past 6 years documenting the program through photography and have been trying to find student photographers to assist me. I have used my own equipment which has added up to several thousand dollars over the course of the past 6 years. This year I have a student photographer who is excellent and thankfully has his own camera. I would like to be able to purchase a DSLR camera exclusively for the program.
Faculty Advisor, Erin Twomey
I'm a product of the Quincy Public Schools up until my junior year when I attended and graduated from Phillips Academy, Andover (1991). I received a degree in philosophy at Boston College(1995). I have always been involved in culture promoting activities. I was the president of both the Irish Society of Boston College and the University Chorale of Boston College. I received my Masters of Arts in Teaching from Boston University in 1998. I did my student teaching at North Quincy High School and Atlantic Middle School in Quincy. I taught in Hull, Northborough/ Southborough and Ipswich and finally made my way back to Quincy High School in Sept. 2001. I'm in my 13th year at QHS. In my tenure here I've been advisor to the International Club and coordinated several cultural fairs and cultural show. In addition to being the faculty advisor for the Museum Docent Program, I started the National History Bee & Bowl team. Our team has qualified for Nationals and traveled to Washington, D.C. to compete for the past 3 years. I've also been involved in coaching both on the volunteer and official level in basketball, tennis, softball and sailing. I currently teach US History to English Language Learners and Advanced level 9th grade World History. I'm the webmaster for Quincy High and when my camera is working I love to take pictures of the students at many school events.