• Image of the reconstructed stockade at Fort Vancouver and Pearson Air Museum looking northeast from the Land Bridge.

    Fort Vancouver

    National Historic Site OR,WA

Costumed Interpretation

Two boys from the Young Engage School.

NPS photo

Two boys from the Young Engagé School salute.

 

Fort Vancouver offers two tracks that train youth in historic interpretation, providing cultural demonstrations, and in speaking to the public. Both training pathways are modeled after historic schools and other ways in which youth learned and developed skills at Fort Vancouver in the 1840s. The goals of the schools today are for students to:

 

 

  • Acquire knowledge about Fort Vancouver National Historic Site history, archaeology, and museum collections.
  • Learn what was required for maintaining a household on the 19th century frontier.
  • Learn 19th century social behavior and life skills.
  • Train in costumed and basic interpretation (public speaking/information sharing).
  • Gain practical experience in cultural demonstrations, programs, events, and offsite presentations.

Check out these links to learn more!

History of the Schools

Dame School Curriculum

Young Engagé School Curriculum

Second Year School Curriculum

Advanced Youth Interpreters

Are You a Candidate?

Application Timeline

Apply Now!

School Schedule

Did You Know?

Image of Spode ceramics from the park's collections

Did you know that Fort Vancouver National Historic Site curates the world’s largest archaeological collection of Spode ceramics? More...