The Superior Court in Coconino County was honored to co-host and participate in the first annual Arizona Legal Futures event with the Arizona Judicial Branch’s Commission on Diversity, Equality, and Justice (CODEJ).
FREE Event AWWE Presents: A Bird Walk
Join wildlife experts in this season’s first bird walk! We will meet at Rogers Lake County Natural Area (7 miles SW of Flagstaff on Woody Mountain Road / Forest Road 231, at the first Rogers Lake entrance sign as you arrive at the County Natural Area). Bring your binoculars, sturdy shoes, a sunhat, a notebook and pencil, and perhaps your camera! This event is free, but registration will be required.
Notes: We will hike up to 3 miles. Bring whatever you want for hiking, and dress appropriately for the weather. Bring binoculars and bird guide if you have them – we will have some binoculars for those that don’t.
Coconino County Health and Human Services and the Coconino County Workforce Development Board are offering Youthworks, a 2023 summer work experience program for teens.
This program provides a unique opportunity for teens aged 15 to 18 to explore career pathways, make connections, and earn a wage.
Youthworks internships run from May 30 to August 1, 2023. The internship is designed to help teens discover what they might want to do in their future career. Participants will earn a wage of $16.80 per hour and work up to 40 hours per week.
At their regular meeting on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve fee changes for the Coconino County Fair, effective starting with the 2023 fair.
The Coconino County Fair ticket prices have not increased since 2008, and the changes reflect growth, increasing costs, and staffing needs.
Senior Trevor Geiger is a passionate animal lover who has fostered four dogs through High Country Humane Society. Despite challenges, he persevered with patience and empathy, successfully helping dogs find furever homes while pursuing his studies in biology and chemistry. He finds joy in seeing the progress and transformation of dogs in his care, and his heartwarming experiences with fostering have brought him happiness even when it meant later nights and earlier mornings. For National Pet Foster Care Month, learn more about Geiger’s dedication to animals and his future strengthening the human-animal bond as a veterinarian.
In Dance Nation, an army of competitive dancers navigates ambition, friendship and desire as they plot to take over the world. Our pre-teen heroines, played by a multi-generational cast of women, know that every plié is a step toward finding themselves and unleashing their power. This show, by Clare Barron, was a 2019 Pulitzer Prize Finalist.
Tusayan’s first annual Cinco de Mayo celebration will take place on Friday, May 5 at the Squire Resort. The fiesta takes place from 3 to 7 p.m., is family-friendly, free, and open to the community.
There will also be lawn games, piñatas, a Mariachi band and a variety of authentic Mexican foods for guests to enjoy. The drive-in movie, Coco, will be begin at 5:30 p.m.
The Cinco de Mayo event is new this year and reflects the town’s goal of offering more activities and recreational opportunities for visitors and residents alike. A full flyer with more details on the event is available here.
You’re Invited to the
10th Annual STEM Celebration!
Saturday, April 29, 2023
1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Fort Tuthill Fairgrounds
STEM City and its partners are pleased to sponsor
this community-wide event to
celebrate Flagstaff’s designation as
“America’s First STEM Community.”
Hands-on activities and demonstrations
engage children and adults in the broad range of
STEM opportunities throughout northern Arizona.
Tami-Shae Brooks is a student at Coconino Community College who moved from Jamaica to the United States as a teenager. She faces challenges such as immigration issues, financial difficulties, and demanding courses, but she also finds support and community at her school. She works hard to balance her academic and personal life, and enjoys hobbies such as mindfulness exercises, yoga, and hiking. She hopes to achieve her career goal of becoming a software engineer.
Tami-Shae Brooks was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, a place that has and will always be a home to her. But when she turned 15, her family made the difficult decision to move to the United States. It was a big change for her, and she felt culture shock in her new life in California.
“The transition was very exciting because many people outside of America think of it as the land of opportunity” she said, “however, it was still stressful to adjust.”
In just a few weeks, I’ll walk out of the offices at 1515 E. Cedar Ave. in Flagstaff for the last time as the President and CEO of United Way of Northern Arizona, my professional home for the past 24 years.
While I’m looking forward to retirement and am excited about the plans I’m making with my husband for this next chapter in our lives, the truth is it’s hard to say goodbye.
Being part of this organization for almost a quarter of a century has been an incredibly meaningful part of my life and walking away from something like that is never easy.
Free admission for all Coconino County residents! 12 p.m. Saturday, April 29 at Lowell Observatory
Did Mars capture an asteroid in its orbit and turn it into a moon? Or does Deimos have a different origin story? Planetary scientist Christopher Edwards is part of an international team examining the two Martian moons as part of the New Emirates Mars Mission; findings announced this week in Vienna, Austria, from the far side of the moon, which previously has not been investigated, tell a new story about Deimos.
Art Classes & Workshops Coming Soon at Sedona Arts Center
Sedona is surrounded by a magical landscape of red rock formations and high desert hills with beautiful Oak Creek meandering through it all. Come experience the Shangri-La of the Southwest, a beautiful learning environment with Art Colony roots going back nearly 100 years. Click here to see all of our classes and workshops
Coconino County Superintendent of Schools Cheryl Mango-Paget is pleased to announce the winner of the 2023 Coconino County Teacher of the Year award is Emily Fisher of Marshall Magnet School.
The winner of the 2023 Coconino County Rookie Teacher of the Year award is Josie Teegardin of Mount Elden Middle School. The recipient of the 2023 Lifetime Achievement award is Brad Houston of Grand Canyon School.
The winners were announced at the 10th Annual Coconino County Teacher of the Year Awards Ceremony on Thursday, April 20, 2023, at the Doubletree by Hilton.
Every year, hundreds of undergraduate students in all disciplines become researchers—either joining a professor’s lab or creating their own research project, including getting their own funding. That work culminates at the Undergrad Symposium, a daylong event in which students present their research to the NAU and Flagstaff communities. Experience the 15th annual symposium on Friday at the High Country Conference Center. All events are free and open to the public.
This is National Volunteer Week, a time to appreciate and celebrate the people who invest their time and talent to better their communities.
United Way of Northern Arizona (UWNA) is blessed to have many individuals who work tirelessly to improve early childhood development, promote positive youth development, and assist neighbors in times of crisis.
Their work ranges from leading our Board of Directors, to serving on Community Investment Teams that evaluate grant requests, to filling sandbags before monsoon season.
One of the most remarkable volunteers to ever lend his talents to UWNA and numerous other organizations was Eugene Marvin Munger Jr., who we lost last month at the age of 88.
When he received the Arizona Daily Sun Citizen of the Year Award in 2013, Gene was asked why volunteering was important.
“Volunteering is important because it gives everyone the opportunity to give back,” he replied.
California Condor Update
Free-flying California condors in Arizona continue to be confirmed with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
As of April 17, 2023, 20 condors have died in the Arizona-Utah flock; HPAI has been confirmed for 10 of those condors. Eight birds were captured and brought in for supportive care. Four of those condors died shortly thereafter and are included in the total of 20 deceased birds. Four condors are still receiving supportive care and have shown improvement.
Report bird mortalities to NPS wildlife immediately so that bird die-offs can be investigated and tested for avian influenza. Report dead wild birds to Grand Canyon Dispatch at 928-638-7805 and they will call the on-call wildlife specialist to assist.
“I didn’t see anyone doing it, so I felt like it needed to happen,” said Colin Denny, who provided a sign language performance at this year’s Superbowl. “We need someone to take the reins to make changes in a positive way and give back to the community.”
Denny is referring to the preservation of North American Indian Sign Language, which was the topic of a presentation at Coconino Community College in Flagstaff on March 24. More than 40 people attended the presentation.
A resilient forest needs a little less tension
We know how hard winter was for us. How was it for the trees? How do our forests and their complicated, interconnected, life-giving ecosystems react to the sun, the wind, the drought, the rain, the cold? For Earth Day, creative writing professor Nicole Walker, who authored Sustainability: A Love Story and dozens of articles and essays on nature, reflects on the complicated relationships that exist in a forest ecosystem and how the smallest processes and organisms keep the largest trees—and all the rest of us—alive.
COCONINO COUNTY —
In recognition of April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, the Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth — in partnership with Fredonia Elementary School, Puente de Hozho in Flagstaff and the Page Unified School District — is presenting the series “Community Healing Change — Training, Meal & Discussion” in recognition of April as Child Abuse Prevention Month.
You can register to attend the live viewing parties where food, discussion and prizes are available.
A dozen parents and community members attended the Fredonia training on April 17, with a second training session held on April 18 at Puente de Hozho in Flagstaff.
The Page training will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 26 at the PUSD boardroom, 500 S. Navajo Drive, Page. Register with Penni Case at pcase@pageud.org
Read More
The National Park Service (NPS) has scheduled meetings to provide information to the public and respond to questions about multiple construction activities at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
The meetings will include a presentation by NPS staff featuring the Transcanyon Waterline (TCWL), Bright Angel Substation and the substation access road projects with a question-and-answer period. These meetings will be an opportunity for community members to learn about construction updates and anticipated impacts to park operations, residents, and visitors. Questions are being accepted in advance at: https://forms.office.com/g/RM8ZVq7X4t.
This morning is your last chance to bid on unique experiences through the MNA Virtual Auction. The auction closes today (Wednesday, 4/19) at 12 pm (MST).
We are grateful to the many individuals and businesses who have generously donated their time and services to benefit MNA, and we are grateful to you for your enthusiastic bidding!
The experiences below are just a few of the many items you can bid on before noon. Happy bidding!
The City of Flagstaff Sustainability Office invites you celebrate Earth Day on Saturday, April 22 by putting your waste in the right place at the Drop Off Event at the Flagstaff Police Department, and then join us for live music, food, workshops, and more at Bushmaster Park.
FLAGSTAFF — CCC Arts Fundraiser
The public is invited to enjoy an evening of fine art, fine food and entertainment which will feature a culinary style competition with 10 restaurants live art demonstrations, and live and silent art auctions. Time to dress up and enjoy an evening of epicurean delights
Tickets can be purchased through www.coconino.edu/foundation
Location: Coconino Community College, 2800 S Lone Tree Road, Flagstaff
Prepare to be engulfed in a larger-than-life choral sound when NAU Shrine of the Ages Choir, directed by Timothy Westerhaus, joins the FSO to perform Haydn’s hopeful Missa in Angustiis (Mass in Troubled Times), also known as the “Lord Nelson” mass.
It is always a joy showing off all that northern Arizona has to offer – and what new things are on the horizon – to visitors who appreciate the power of economic development in keeping a community vibrant.
So it was with great pleasure that ECoNA recently hosted the business development team from the Arizona Commerce Authority on a whirlwind two-day tour of our region.
We packed a lot into those 48 hours, and our guests could not have been more positive and engaged as they learned more about the strides we are making to improve economic vitality in Flagstaff, Winslow, Sedona, and Camp Verde.
Growing up in a mostly white community, Cate Cameron was almost a teenager before she truly felt curious about her Chinese heritage; not until she was around people with similar backgrounds did she feel comfortable exploring her roots as an adopted Chinese American. That journey continued in Flagstaff; during her four years at NAU, she found a community and learned more about her birth culture. In honor of Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which NAU celebrates in April, Cameron talks about how she first explored and then embraced her Chinese heritage through Chinese language classes, the Chinese Culture Club at NAU and spending a year studying abroad in Hong Kong.
Friday, April 14
Star Party, High Country Motor Lodge
Explore the universe with astronomers from Lowell Observatory. 7:30 p.m.
Learn More
COCONINO COUNTY — The City of Flagstaff proclaimed April 2023 as Child Abuse Prevention Month on during an official ceremony attended by members of the Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth on April 4 at the Flagstaff City Council chambers.
The proclamation was presented by Mayor Becky Daggett to CCC&Y Board members Heather Marcy, Deputy Director, Northland Family Help Center; Laura Rosensweet, M.Ed, Community Impact Manager, Education Forward AZ; Jacelyn Salabye, MSW, Native Americans for Community Action; with CCC&Y Executive Director Virginia Watahomigie attending via Zoom.
Read More
At their regular meeting on April 11, 2023, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors (Board) unanimously approved a proclamation designating April 2023 as Earth Month in Coconino County.
“Coconino County affirms that all that inhabit the Earth have a right to a healthy, sustainable environment,” the proclamation reads. “… as humans we are caretakers of the planet, and have an obligation to change human behaviors that contribute to climate change and environmental degradation and work to preserve the Earth’s beauty and its resources.”
President José Luis Cruz Rivera recognized and honored outstanding students at NAU with the President’s Prize, Gold Axe and Distinguished Senior awards. The ceremony, held on April 10, celebrated the hard work and accomplishments of students selected from a pool of applicants representing different colleges. NAU honored 50 Gold Axe winners, including five President’s Prize winners—the highest honor awarded to undergraduate students. Additionally, nine students were honored as Distinguished Seniors of their colleges.
Starting April 22nd and meeting one Saturday evening a month through August, we invite you to “pro-vision” ways to shape robust community life.
Pro-visioning is the intentional practice of planning for the future, preparing for its challenges and possibilities, and providing for generations to come. It is a practice of care, foresight, and positive action.
In the tradition of salon gatherings where cutting-edge conversations encouraged friendship and creativity, we’ll share a meal and learn how to re-frame our thinking, write our own public narratives, and understand how to leverage our power for social change.
Most of all, we’ll inspire each other to initiate the changes we’ll need in the years ahead.
In this Edition…
Message from Jeronimo
Preparation, Prevention, and Information: Our Surrounding
Environment
District 2 Highlights
Special Spotlight: Areina Contreras
Service Positions & Job Listings
Services and Programs
Community Events & Resources
And more!
The North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park will open on Friday, June 2 at 6 a.m. to mark the official start of the 2023 season. Following a record-setting snow season, this delayed opening is necessary to ensure the safe plowing of State Route 67 and allow staff to reopen visitor facilities on the North Rim.
“We appreciate the patience and cooperation of our neighbors and visitors with this delay as our partners and park staff work to open the North Rim roads, trails, and facilities safely,” said Superintendent Ed Keable.
Key changes this 2023 season include:
Fair Book
The digital Fair Book is here!
The 2023 Fair Book is now available online!
It’s time to start prepping your exhibits for this year’s Coconino County Fair!
Printed books will be available at the Fairgrounds and distributed around the County early this month.
First Friday ArtWalk, Downtown Flagstaff
Join us in Downtown Flagstaff on the First Friday of each month for art and music! 5 p.m.
Learn More
There needs to be a word to refer to the vibrant cultural community we are part of, in the same way we can refer to an ecosystem. Like organisms in an ecosystem, the many arts organizations in Flagstaff interact and create a stronger, more vibrant place for us all to thrive. That’s why this month’s Museum News includes upcoming events put on by the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestraand Theatrikos Theatre Company. We often work together with these and other arts organizations and decided to reach out to our mailing lists together. Strengthening existing partnerships and broadening our engagement with the community is all part of MNA’s Strategic Plan.
Art Classes & Workshops at Sedona Arts Center
Sedona is surrounded by a magical landscape of red rock formations and high desert hills with beautiful Oak Creek meandering through it all. Come experience the Shangri-La of the Southwest, a beautiful learning environment with Art Colony roots going back nearly 100 years. Click here to see all of our classes and workshops
COCONINO COUNTY —
The Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth was one of four organizations in Arizona to be selected this year for the Vitalyst Health Foundation’s System Change Grant.
We will receive $175,000 over three years to develop, in conjunction with the City of Flagstaff and Coconino County, a mental model change ensuring trauma-informed and resilience information is understood at City and County levels and enacted as policy change. The goal is to improve patient engagement, treatment adherence, health outcomes and provider and staff wellness.
At their regular meeting on April 4, 2023, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a proclamation designating April 2023 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month in Coconino County.
April 2023 is the 22nd year that Sexual Assault Awareness Month has been nationally recognized, but its history goes back to the fight against race- and gender-based violence of the mid-20th century. This social activism increased awareness for sexual assault and directed public focus toward supporting survivors. It also culminated in survivor-focused legislation like the Violence Against Women Act, passed in 1993.
David Cassidy, a student at Coconino Community College, is one of 20 college students named to the prestigious All-USA Academic Team and will receive a $5,000 scholarship. More than 2,400 students were nominated nationwide for the award.
“It is an honor, a profound honor, and it was very unexpected,” said Cassidy, who also is one of CCC’s two All-Arizona Academic Team scholarship awardees who were honored during a ceremony in Phoenix last month. “It means that I have the opportunity to receive an education and to pursue a career that will enable me to contribute as meaningfully as possible.”
All-USA Academic Team members were selected for their outstanding intellectual achievement, leadership, community and campus engagement, according to information from the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, which recognizes the academic achievement of students at two-year colleges like CCC.
“There are so many reasons to support the arts and Sedona Arts Center on AZ Gives Day and every day! First and foremost, the arts enrich our lives and help define our cultures. They help us build bridges and open dialog and create understanding. They contribute to better health and wellness, heal trauma and allow us to age more gracefully. They alleviate stress and that alone has saved lives. The arts are an incredible economic driver and contribute billions to our economy nationwide.
FLAGSTAFF — Coconino Community College student Justin Martinez has family members who have suffered from depression their entire lives.
“I really want to help people,” he said. “Particularly men who don’t normally ask for help.”
So, Martinez, a first-generation college student, decided to study Psychology at CCC, and as a CCC2NAU student, he plans to continue his studies at NAU to become a licensed therapist.
Originally from New Mexico, Martinez moved as a child with his family to the Phoenix area. While he attended Thunderbird High School as a teen, he became interested in the idea of college.
“I wanted to gain skills, so I decided to explore my options with community college,” he said, adding that he really didn’t know what he wanted to do at the time, and because community college was more affordable, he felt it would be a better place for him to begin to explore what he might want to do for a career.
He chose CCC.
FLAGSTAFF — The pandemic dashed her family’s plans for a post-graduation trip to Europe, but she remains undeterred in her desire to travel the world.
Now CCC study abroad trip will give Kat Williams the chance. The trip, organized by faculty member Katie Schwartz, will focus on culture, meaning no language prerequisite is required. Students will have the chance to visit several iconic destinations, including the capital of Mexico, La Ciudad de Mexico or Mexico City, the Teotihuacan Pyramids, the capital of the Aztec Empire Xochimilco, and the Frida Kahlo Museum.
Williams said, “I heard about the study abroad trip to Mexico from my Spanish teacher, Katie Schwartz, and others in the class seemed eager too.”
Fundamentals Program returns to Albright Training Center
A redesigned NPS Fundamentals Program has relaunched! The staff of Horace M. Albright Training Center (HOAL), a National Park Service employee development facility located within the park, are excited for the return of NPS’s keystone Learning and Development program: NPS Fundamentals. The NPS Fundamentals Program has been redesigned into a three-part training opportunity for new permanent employees in agency. The program serves as the foundation for all careers in the NPS. The program’s mission is to invest in new employees, deepen their understanding of the NPS mission and operations, and build their commitment to the NPS core values.
This unique exhibit features specially chosen works bridging 40 years of Jan’s career as an artist and features a wide-variety of media.
Jan Sitts, a well known artist-painter and teacher has influenced people all over the country with her unique style she created many years ago. After moving to Sedona, Arizona in 1986 she continued her style of layering painting then moving into abstraction. She has an impressive art background, along with studying at the Kansas City Art Institute and B.A, degree at Western Colorado University. She has been teaching art for decades and will be teaching again this May and November at Sedona Art Center. She has authored two books “Its in the Detail* and “Textured, Color, Feeling.”
We all remember the empty shelves that marked the early days of the pandemic and the high fuel prices that accompanied the war in Ukraine. Access to food, water, energy and other supply chains is critical for the U.S. economy and the well-being of the American people, yet the infrastructure that keeps the supply chain moving is at risk—not only from world events but also from hackers or terrorists. NAU is building on its FEW-Viewtechnology, a groundbreaking project that maps the entire U.S. supply chain, to reduce these risks through data science and technology.
Thursday-Saturday, March 30-April 2
The Northern Arizona Book Festival, Flagstaff
A festival of literary art, culture, and community on the Colorado Plateau.
Learn More
Here are two statistics that should make you proud to be a United Way of Northern Arizona supporter, courtesy of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library (DPIL).
Last month, the Imagination Library passed a remarkable milestone with 200 million books gifted to children since its inception in 1995!
Then there’s this fun factoid – 1 in 10 children under the age of five in the United States receives Imagination Library books. That’s a lot of Little Engines that Could and Llama Llamas in Red Pajamas.
Mom, mental-health advocate, and self-described vintage curator, Callee Torrey is no stranger to the art of juggling. This mama can now add marathon runner to her title. Even more impressive, running the 26.2 miles for the first time all the while having to balance breastfeeding her baby. She literally stopped at mile 13.1 to breastfeed her baby and still managed a respectable time of (6:02) hours. She is unstoppable. This month’s HERstory is a celebration of motherhood and a testament to the strength and resilience of women.
COCONINO COUNTY —
The Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth provides a variety of free online training programs for parents, caregivers and all community members.
Our free Thriving Families webinar is a great starting place for parents, caregivers and community members brand new to the topics such as brain development, adverse childhood experiences, resilience and mindfulness. It is a great jumping off place to go deeper in knowledge and support through the rest of our library of webinars.
With thousands of views across our various topics, we are sure there is something for all community members and professionals. Whether you are seeking the best info for your family, your community or a program you work for, get a taste for our research supported prevention and community work.
This summer Sedona Arts Center is launching Gallery 928, a unique art apprenticeship program for teens ages 15 to 18. Based on Chicago’s infamous Gallery 37 summer public art program started in the 1980s, students will be hired to apprentice with master artist Leonardo Beltran to create a public art mural for Sedona Arts Center.
This job opportunity is open to 12 artistic teens interested in expanding their skills and knowledge in the public art field as well as learning other art mediums and techniques. In partnership with Yavapai College, the students chosen to participate in the program will receive 4 free college credits. Students will also be paid a stipend of $500 from Sedona Arts Center for their participation. Gallery 928 is designed to provide participants with the knowledge and desire to consider a future as a professional artist.
Stress Management
Monday, April 3 and 17
4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Join a discussion about the neuroscience of trauma- and stressor- related disorders, and adaptive interventions. Zoom option available.
Stress Management – Learn more and register!
LAST CALL FOR ARTISTS
APPLICATION DEADLINE IS APRIL1!
19th Annual
Sedona Plein Air Festival
Festival Dates: October 20 – 28, 2023
Creating inclusive spaces: policing and education at NAU
Luis A. Fernandez, professor and chair of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, is also the Hispanic-Serving Institution Advisor to the Provost at NAU currently researching the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement on policing and how to create a more balanced approach to community safety while working to support Latinx students and increase their access to education. Fernandez aims to create inclusive spaces that promote safety, inclusivity and opportunity for all students.
