At The Hermitage, docents (from the Latin word docere, to teach) are trained educators who help to further the public’s understanding of the rich cultural and historical collections of The Hermitage. Currently The Hermitage has two high school students who volunteer as docents, Joseph Mazzariello (Waldwick) and Adam Kaiser (Ridgewood). The two students independently approached The Hermitage with an interest in becoming docents late last spring. Their initiative and their passionate interest in history convinced the education department of the museum to create a new program for training high school students as interpreters of the historic house.

After spending the summer studying the history of the Rosencrantz family in depth, and practicing their presentation skills, Joe and Adam were added to the organization’s list of docents. Each student now volunteers to give tours of The Hermitage for the public on a regular basis. Many visitors have commented on the high quality of their tours, and on their ability to connect the story of The Hermitage with important issues in local and American history.

Docent training for students is flexible and can be presented after school, during school breaks or during the summer. As part of the 10-hour training program, docents will observe and then team-teach tours of the historic house. To find out how you can become a docent, contact Sarah Morgan at The Hermitage: 201.445/8311, or smorgan@thehermitage.org.