St. Mary's County Times December 06, 2018 | Page 12
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In Our Community
The County Times
Thursday, December 6, 2018
Long-Term Volunteers a Necessity for
Anthropology Department at St. Mary’s College
(L-R) Isabel Tonkavitch and Sara Fisher cleaning and cataloging artifacts in the anthropology
lab at St. Mary’s College
For the anthropology department at
St. Mary’s College of Maryland, finding
permanent, qualified individuals to as-
sist with highly-detailed archeological
documentation on a long-term basis can
be difficult. Because the professors in the
anthropology department are often on
work sites or focused on larger aspects
of the projects, having volunteers to help
with organization of artifacts in the lab is
a necessity. The department relies on its
volunteers to help with the labor-intensive
work required to fully process the arti-
facts found on different sites. Students
often take on these roles, assisting with
the cleaning and cataloguing of artifacts.
The experience helps them gain a deeper
understanding of the work they’re doing
and provides them with valuable experi-
ence for life after they graduate.
However, as Professor of Anthropology
Julie King explains, “students move on;
classes end, they graduate. Volunteers are
here for the long haul, developing skills
including labeling and artifact identifica-
tion that just can’t be taught in a semester.”
Sara Fisher and Isabel Tonkavitch are
two long-time volunteers in the anthro-
pology lab at St. Mary’s College who of-
fer an invaluable resource to the program.
Fisher has been working with the school
for nearly six years, coming in regularly
to help clean and label catalogued arti-
facts. Tonkavitch began volunteering with
anthropology in 2011 while still working
full time as a federal employee. After re-
tiring, she completed and graduated from
the Certified Archeology Technician pro-
gram under the Archeological Society of
Virginia, which she says opened doors for
her to volunteer for programs like the one
found at St. Mary’s College. Both women
highlight how incredible it is to work un-
der King and Scott Strickland, adjunct
instructor of anthropology, and how their
passion for the work inspires them to con-
tinue working at the college.
For Fisher, working as a volunteer in
the lab sets her imagination free. She said,
“It’s not just touching something or look-
ing at something, sometimes you have to
listen to the sound something makes when
it’s tapped on the table and see if you can
hear what the substance is like from that.”
It is an opportunity to continue to learn
each time she comes in and a chance to
see and work with artifacts that no other
person has worked with before.
Tonkavitch had a similar experience. “I
learn something new every time I come
here,” she said. Not only that, but she un-
derstands that the results of what they are
doing will remain long after they them-
selves are gone. She says that working
around King and Strickland’s enthusiasm
keeps her excited about the work they are
doing.
King explained having volunteers like
Fisher and Tonkavitch “provides a great
balance to our work. And it’s good for our
students to see the productivity of life af-
ter retirement.”
Written by Zoe Smedley ’19, English
major and PFP student for the Office of
Integrated Marketing
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