This gravestone cleaning workshop provides instruction in the safe, ethical, and preservation-approved care of historic markers. Participants will learn why proper cleaning matters, what methods and materials are appropriate, and which practices should be avoided to prevent permanent damage. The workshop emphasizes respect for historic cemeteries while protecting fragile stone.
The session covers identifying common gravestone materials, assessing condition and stability, and using gentle, non-invasive cleaning techniques recommended by preservation professionals. Demonstrations allow participants to gain confidence while following nationally recognized conservation guidelines.
Designed for volunteers, cemetery stewards, genealogists, and local history enthusiasts, the workshop helps ensure that gravestones remain readable and preserved for future generations. No prior experience is required, and all work is conducted with care, documentation, and respect for the individuals memorialized.
Jean E. Jonker is an experienced educator, consultant, and leader in Massachusetts public education with more than four decades of service spanning classroom teaching, state-level oversight, and higher education. She served most recently as a Program Consultant in the Massachusetts Department of Education’s Problem Resolution System Office (2018–2025), following an earlier distinguished career at the Department from 1997–2012, where she retired as an Education Specialist. Her work focused on program quality assurance, compliance monitoring, civil rights, special education, educator licensure, and district technical assistance, with responsibilities that included supervising monitoring teams, managing complaints, mentoring staff, and leading statewide professional development initiatives.
Prior to and alongside her state service, Ms. Jonker had a long and impactful career as a secondary English teacher in Holyoke, Massachusetts, teaching grades 9–12 for 26 years at Holyoke High School and Wm. J. Dean Technical High School. She was a leader in curriculum development, particularly in vocational-technical and applied English instruction, integrating academic and technical competencies and technology into instruction. From 2014–2018, she also served Merrimack College as an Adjunct Instructor, Lecturer, and Field Experience Program Supervisor, preparing and supervising educator licensure candidates and delivering subject-matter and MTEL preparation seminars.
Ms. Jonker, licensed as an English educator in English (grades 5–9 and 9–12) and as an Vocational Technical Supervisor/Director (grades 9-14), she is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Outstanding Teacher from the University of Chicago, Massachusetts Department of Education Pride in Performance Award and multiple national “Who’s Who” recognitions. Deeply committed to civic engagement and historic preservation, she serves in leadership roles and on boards with organizations such as the Holyoke Preservation Trust, the Polish Museum of Discovery and Learning, and Pulaski Heights, and is a co-founder of Friends of Holyoke City Hall and Friends of Holyoke’s Historic Cemeteries and Monuments. She is also a member of the Polish Genealogical Society of Connecticut and the Northeast, Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society as well as other numerous genealogical organizations.