Colonial NHP Weeks 2/3

For the past 2 weeks I’ve been shadowing employees in the interpretation & education division as well as the administration division.  It was eye-opening learning how much goes into everyone’s individual role, and how much work they personally take on in both divisions.  One of the most significant things I took away from interpretation & education is that they are two separate entities.  Interpretation is the opportunity to engage the visitor in our resources and make them more curious in the time they are here.  Education wants a certain outcome at the end for a group, and there are specific objectives.  They may use similar methods to obtain their goals, but they do not have the same goal in mind.  One of more valuable things I took away from administration, which was reiterated through the many people I shadowed, was that not all divisions always affect each other, but administration affects everyone in the park.  As a division, in a very broad context, they are responsible for payroll, managing the parks budget, making sure divisions have their projects in on time for contracting, IT, coordinating volunteers and the list goes on.  

Getting to shadow both divisions helped give me a new appreciation for the work they do from a different perspective, rather than just as an outsider.   

During special occasions, like the 

L'hermione, Colonial has live firing artillery 

events using cannons and different living

 historians such as the 

Royal Artillery. 

The Fifes & Drums of York Town are boys

and girls between 10 and 18 years old and 

perform regularly around the park.       

            

A Park Ranger guided tour of Historic Jamestown's 
New Towne (shown) and Old Towne, and explains the 
history of the first permanent English settlement.