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May 2022 Newsletter


Cooper Center at the Environmental Summit
In April, as part of Earth Day and Earth Week at the University of Arizona, the Cooper Center participated in the Environmental Summit, organized by Students for Sustainability. The event featured several environmentally-minded guest speakers and organizations to promote the ideals of Earth Day – care for our planet and sustainable living. UArizona students, faculty, and staff learned about many initiatives both on and off campus to help individuals and groups establish simple, common sense practices to help sustain and protect our planet.
Cooper Center Marketing Specialist Kyle Mirzaian at the Environmental Summit
Director Colin Waite and Marketing Specialist Kyle Mirzaian shared information about Cooper Center’s programs and opportunities for students to participate in internships and volunteer work at Camp Cooper. They spoke with many students passionate about making a difference.

Thank you to the UArizona Students for Sustainability for including us! This fall, we’ll return the favor. Stay tuned for details on a UArizona Open House event at Camp Cooper!
April’s Amazing Teacher Workshops
It's been a busy Spring! Along with a full schedule of field trips, we also continue to provide professional development for current and prospective educators, with workshops that focus on instructional practice and a variety of topics related to the wonders of the natural world.
In early April, Cooper Center intern and College of Education graduate student Andrea Bennett Gutierrez conducted a workshop on utilizing multiliteracy in the classroom. Teachers explored and discussed strategies for making education accessible and inclusive for students no matter their primary language. Andrea worked with Cooper Center this year as part of the Paul Lindsey Internship program and will return to Cooper next school year for Independent Study.
Andrea conducting the Multiliteracy In Education Professional Development
Caryl Crowell leading the Moon Journal workshop
At the end of April, Partners for Equitable Science Instruction members and retired classroom teachers Caryl Crowell and Esther Witt led a workshop on using moon journals to inspire students through science, literacy, art, and more. Each participant kept their own moon journal in the weeks leading up to the workshop, and the session itself included writing, painting, lunar science, legendary astronomy educator Dr. Larry Lebofsky, and an evening of stargazing with our partners from Tucson Amateur Astronomers.

Special thanks to the Davis Memorial Scholarship Fund for their continued support of teacher professional development at Camp Cooper! Be on the lookout for a new slate of workshops this fall.
Ben's Bells Kindness Wall
at Camp Cooper Dedication Ceremony
In honor of College of Education Dean Bruce Johnson stepping down from the role and returning to his environmental learning and earth education research, the College’s Advisory Board and Johnson’s family, friends, and colleagues sponsored Camp Cooper as a Ben’s Bells Kind Campus. Our friends at Natural Building Works erected a gorgeous rammed-earth wall along our entrance trail, and Ben’s Bells kindness tiles were added to create a large saguaro in bloom.

This new feature at Camp Cooper was unveiled during a May 6th event to celebrate Dean Johnson’s contributions to the College of Education and its work in the community, including the Cooper Center.
Dean Johnson and College of Education Staff in front of the Kindness Wall at Camp Cooper
Cooper Center has always considered Kindness as a key element of its programs. As a newly established Kind Campus, Camp Cooper is excited to work with Ben’s Bells to further this work with all the people it engages with, from children to university students and adults. We’re planning teacher workshops and activities for students before, during, and after their field trips that focus on kindness to each other and kindness to the environment. For more information on Ben’s Bells and their Kindness programs, visit: https://bensbells.org/education/kind-campus/
An Earnest 'Thank You' to Teachers
With the 2021-2022 field trip season at a close, we want to take a moment to give a heartfelt THANK YOU to every teacher who brought their students to Camp Cooper this year! This was our return to in-person field trips and we want to acknowledge what a tough but worthwhile year it has been for teachers, parents, and students. Thank you, educators everywhere for what you do!
 
We are working hard this summer to ensure that the Fall 2022 school season will be even more incredible and rewarding for teachers and their students! Want to make sure your classes have the opportunity of a lifetime by visiting the Cooper Center next Fall? Be sure to complete our Field Trip Interest Form HERE!
Construction Update
As many of you know, our plan had been to break ground on our new bathrooms and showers this month. Unfortunately, construction costs here in Tucson have continued to rise drastically, and we were shocked last week to hear that the bid for our project was now $2.1 million, more than double what it was last year and more than double the funds we’ve raised.

The reasons for such a high bid are labor - too many jobs and not enough workers - and the cost and availability of materials. We’re currently exploring our options for the completion of a smaller scale project this summer and will share updates as they become available.

Thank you for your continued support during these challenging times.
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