The Jake Menghini Museum in Norway has partnered with Norway High School to provide an incentive program for student volunteers. Norway High School sophomores Tori Trudeau, Gabe Boivin and Jenna Lamlow, along with Museum Partners member Monica McElroy Denisen, learn about the history of the Asselin Creamery from Jake Menghini Museum director Mark Sertich. (Iron Mountain Daily News photo)
NORWAY — The Jake Menghini Museum in Norway is partnering with Norway High School to provide hands-on learning experiences this summer.
Six Norway High School students will be working as volunteer guides at a local history museum, earning partial credits based on the number of hours they put in.
The students will also receive a $150 BP gas card as a gift from the museum, according to museum director Mark Sertich.
The program is an idea Sertich has been working on since joining the museum in April 2023.
“Our volunteer numbers are declining and we’re getting older,” Sertich said. “We need new, younger people to get involved.”
Sertich, along with Museum Partners member Jo Ann Sternhagen, first met with NHS Principal Joe Tinti and Youth Advisory Board and Leo Club Advisor Tami Slagle to discuss the possibility of offering some sort of incentive for students to volunteer over the summer.
“They really liked the idea,” Sertich said.
“We partnered with the Norwegian Museum in a similar way to the work-based learning program we offer to students,” Tinti says, “… students gain presentation and interpersonal skills along with knowledge of local history.”
Before the school year ended, Sertich and Sternhagen gave a presentation about the program to five English classes, ranging from freshmen to seniors.
Sertich noted that the museum decided not to target seniors because older people go on to college or get jobs.
They were pleased with the response as 17 students expressed interest.
They decided to hire only six people in the first year. From that list, they narrowed it down to eight people to interview.
Students selected include rising sophomores Tori Trudeau, Jenna Lamlow, Marisa Pipp, Deanna Cruz and Gabe Boivin, as well as rising junior Lauren Adams.
“We felt these students were a good fit,” Sertich added.
The students began their assignment on June 5th and so far it has been going well.
“It’s going very well and most participants already have a good general knowledge of local history,” Sertich said.
Their focus now is to learn enough about Norwegian history and the museum’s artefacts and exhibits to be able to lead tours without anyone’s help.
“They’re training to be guides,” he said.
While the museum is quiet, students keep busy by studying exhibits, reading documents and working in the vaults.
Volunteer daily schedules also vary throughout the summer: “Some days it’s just one day, some days it’s three days,” Sertich said, adding that students can choose the number of days and total hours themselves, as long as they meet the minimum requirements for the program.
Volunteer Boivin plans to spend at least 48 hours at the museum this summer.
“I’m really enjoying it,” Boivin said. “It’s really fun to look around. There’s a lot to see here.”
Boivin said he was surprised to learn that convenience stores in Norway were once neighborhood meeting places and that giant milk containers were kept at local dairy farms.
“I think it’s worth taking the time to learn about the place you live in,” he said.
“It’s great, the people here are so nice and everyone is always willing to help and answer any questions,” Lamlow said of her first stint as a volunteer at the museum.
Ramlow said he was surprised to learn how small the Norway region was a few years ago.
Trudeau also enjoyed her first few weeks at the museum. “The first five minutes when I got here on the first day, I was on a tour,” she said with a laugh. “I didn’t know much about it then, but it was fun.”
Her favorite thing to do during the museum’s off-season is look at old photographs.
“It’s really interesting and I would encourage local people who haven’t seen the museum to come,” she said.
Trudeau said he’s also interested to see how much out-of-town visitors value local history.
All three young people agreed to participate in the program again next year and would recommend it to their classmates.
“We have received nothing but positive feedback about this program from students and museum staff alike,” Tinti said. “Students are able to learn about local history and then share that knowledge with museum visitors.”
Monica McElroy Denisen, a regular visitor to the museum, believes it’s important to engage people of all ages with local history.
“Offering this program is a way to connect young people with the town beyond just a place to go get pizza,” McElroy Denisen said. “It helps us incorporate a new generation and their specific needs and desires and write a new history.”
“We are pleased that the museum is an asset to the community,” McElroy Denisen added.
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