PROGRAMS
My approach to developing educational programs for cultural organizations is informed by my experiences as a program creator, facilitator, and participant. What are the unique stories, activities, and collections of the organization? How can visitors be invited to actively explore these resources? What will make for memorable hands-on learning opportunities for children and adults? From field trips, after school programs, and summer camps to volunteer events, lecture series, and oral storytelling campaigns, I've created meaningful and enjoyable programs that foster community engagement.
Excavate History
Presidio of San Francisco
Field Trip Program
As the Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Presidio Trust, I developed a series of programs for the park’s Archaeology Lab including the field trip, Excavate History. This signature program challenged fourth grade students to explore San Francisco’s colonial history from multiple perspectives. By making adobe bricks, navigating through a life-size map of El Presidio, and cataloging real ceramic artifacts, students uncovered forgotten voices of Native Ohlone and Spanish families and discovered how archaeology can reveal a more complete story of the past.
Experimental Archaeology
Presidio of San Francisco
YMCA Summer Camp
To expand the reach of the Archaeology Lab’s school year programs, I forged a collaborative partnership with the Presidio Community YMCA to offer specialty camps including Experimental Archaeology Camp, Ceramics Camp, and Curatorship Camp. These interdisciplinary camps introduced children to the Presidio’s multi-layered history through hands-on making and inquiry activities. Campers examined artifacts used by Native Ohlone and Spanish colonists; participated in workshops with archaeologists, botanists, ceramic artists, historians, and Ohlone descendants; experimented with making replicas; and curated an exhibit case to be utilized during school year field trip programs.
People, Plants, & Pixels
Presidio of San Francisco
YMCA After School Program
Responding to an outreach effort from the public media organization, KQED, to collect digital stories and explorations of Bay Area outdoor spaces and parks, I leveraged the Archaeology’s Lab partnership with the Presidio Community YMCA to launch the after school program: People, Plants, and Pixels. Over the course of ten weeks, students investigated the ethnobotanical uses of native plants through hands-on skills workshops and created a Google map guiding future visitors on an exploration of the Ecology Trail. Their digital stories identified local plants and explained the exceptional skills of Native Californians who used them for food, shelter, tools, medicine, and more.
El Polín Community Dig
Presidio of San Francisco
Volunteer Program
In addition to developing field trips and summer camps for school children, I also coordinated programs for the general public including a community dig at El Polín Spring. Volunteers participated in a supervised excavation of a cobblestone channel built by the Works Progress Administration. Working alongside park archaeologists, volunteers learned about the history of El Polín and the process of field work by sifting through dirt, identifying material types, and documenting the site. Programs such as this supported the Archaeology Lab’s goals to spark curiosity about the past, broaden understanding about history, and promote stewardship into the future by connecting community members to the park, its past, and our shared cultural heritage.
