Breakfast with Santa, Little America. Select days throughout November and December. 7-11 a.m.
As students file into their 4th grade class at Sechrist Elementary, a photo of molten lava is streaming out of a volcano. “Volcanoes are Awesome!” is written across the top. There is a presenter at the front of the class that the kids aren’t familiar with, but that cool photo with hot lava catches their attention! Today, volcano expert, Greg Vaughan, is speaking to the class today about his work.
“What is a volcano?” he asks. Hands across the room shoot up. “Yes,” says Greg pointing to a student. “A mountain with lava inside;” “A mountain that was formed by tectonic plates and the magma has erupted.” He asks them what comes out of volcanoes and students guess ash, lava, smoke. Greg passes around ashes and a “volcano bomb” and each student can touch and hold items that were once inside of volcanoes!
President José Luis Cruz Rivera and Vice President for Native American Initiatives Ann Marie Chischilly announced Monday that NAU’s popular Access2Excellence program, which provides a tuition-free education for Arizona students from households with an annual income of $65,000/year or less, will now be expanded to first-time undergraduate students who are members of Arizona’s federally recognized Native American tribes. The program, which goes into effect in Fall 2023, reflects the university’s longstanding commitment to Native American and Indigenous students.
Memories of 2022
Coconino County Parks and Recreation supports the community year-round. Have you enjoyed Coconino County arks and natural areas this year? Did you attend a program, like one of the archery clinics or a standup paddleboard class? Did you enjoy events like Pickin’ in the Pines or the Coconino County Fair? Have you enjoyed hiking, wildlife watching, or other recreational activities? We would love to see your memories! Submit your favorite Coconino County parks and natural areas photos for a chance to be featured in our newsletter and social media! Email your photos to cdonaldson@coconino.az.gov.
Whether you enjoyed the summer sun, captured wildlife sightings, watched the autumn leaves, or attended a program or event, we want to celebrate memories of Coconino County Parks and Recreation!
Spanish language and English learning students at Coconino High School celebrated el Día de los Muertos with an inaugural shoebox ofrenda competition with the winners selected on Friday, Nov. 4.
The 2022 winners are:
First place: Olivia Hernandez and Ciara Kitterman
Second place: Alexandra Villareal and Abigail Lopez
Third place: Aris Lerma
The students were allowed to pick any family member, celebrity, or notable person for their entry, and were required to write up the information in Spanish or English and their home language. Entries from English learners included Chinese and Ukrainian as well.
The competition, which was displayed at the CHS library, with students using QR codes to vote for the winners, also featured students from the classes of English Learner Teacher Erin Fagan and Spanish Teacher Olaya “Lizett’ Castruita, who has created a full-size ofrenda in her classroom for many years.
As preparations begin for the 20th annual Celebraciones de la Gente at the Museum of Northern Arizona in October 2023, local media interviewed and photographed members of partner organization Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces, museum officials, performers and participants during the recent celebration held on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 29, 30 at the museum. See links to coverage below.
The event was preceded by a “Celebraciones” concert, held on Oct. 28, presented by the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, the Museum of Northern Arizona and in partnership with Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces.
Coconino County’s Administrative Offices at 219 E. Cherry Ave. and the County Attorney’s Office at 110 E. Cherry Ave. will be closed in observance of the Veterans Day holiday Friday, November 11, 2022. Offices will return to regular operation on Monday.
By an official, unanimous proclamation of the Coconino County Board of Supervisors, 15 buildings and facilities throughout Coconino County will be illuminated with green lights from November 7 through 13 as part of Operation Green Light. The buildings will include the County Courthouse Clock Tower and Administrative buildings in downtown Flagstaff, the Justice Center in Williams, the Public Library in Tuba City, the Justice Court in Fredonia, and many more.
Operation Green Light is a new national initiative of the National Association of Counties (NACo) to recognize U.S. military veterans, as well as raise awareness about the unique challenges faced by many veterans and the resources available at the county, state, and federal level to assist veterans and their families.
Residents and businesses are encouraged to participate by simply changing one light bulb in their house to a green bulb. This can be an exterior light that neighbors and passersby see, or an interior light that sparks a conversation with friends.
The blue and white building stood tall and impressive. The signature emblem “H” hung over the glass doors. The front entrance was lined with new Honda models; shiny and ready to hit the road. General Manager Jacob Lundie and his newest hire Daniel Rojas a towering young man with the biggest smile stand in the grand foyer of the auto dealership on Flagstaff’s east side.
Lundie and Rojas met on September 7, 2022, at the Coconino Community College Student’s First Celebration. The event, put on by the CCC Foundation, serves as an opportunity for scholarship donors to meet and celebrate scholarship recipients. Rojas, a student speaker at the event, accepted the Distinguished Service Scholarship, given each year in honor of the Distinguished Service Award recipient, which was awarded to Robby Findlay of the Findlay Automotive Group.
Lundie said, “Daniel gave his speech and I just remember thinking how great it was to see him get out of his comfort zone and deliver a speech to all of his peers and faculty at his new school.” Lundie was so impressed he offered Rojas a job with Findlay.
Research has shown that people often have stereotypical views of what a scientist looks like and what they do. For many people, especially young people this view is of a “mad scientist” with wild eyes, white hair sticking up all over their heads, wearing a lab coat, and holding bubbling flasks. This person is also almost always male. In recent years projects like “I Am a Scientist” (https://www.iamascientist.info/) have been working to broaden people’s conceptions not only of what scientists look like, but also what they do.
Honoring our NPS Veterans
Through legislation passed 68 years ago on June 1, 1954, November 11 became Veterans Day—a day to honor American veterans of all wars.
At Grand Canyon, we deeply appreciate our veterans for their military service and their continued service as NPS employees. We are thankful for their sense of comradery, mission focus, and can-do attitude, and we are proud to work beside every veteran on our team. Grand Canyon National Park employs 65 veterans with a combined 294 years of creditable military service.
Many of our veterans have seen multiple deployments and have made countless sacrifices throughout their military service.
Coconino Community College has joined the ranks of becoming an affiliate of the Bee Campus USA program. The program helps gather the strengths of educational campuses like CCC for the benefit of pollinators, and the college joins other cities and campuses across the country to improve their landscapes for pollinators.
“CCC’s students, faculty and staff are champions for sustainable environmental practices,” said Dr. Christal Albrecht, Interim President. “Becoming a Bee Campus USA affiliate is a natural fit for our college located in beautiful northern Arizona.”
The purpose of United Way is to do big and bold things.
Taking on the large issues – early childhood education, positive youth development, eliminating the gaps in our social safety net – requires the support of a whole community. Every donation, every volunteer hour, every bit of advocacy is important.
However, we also want to acknowledge that there are people who have an outsized impact because of their unique generosity. They are the members of our Summit Society – individuals and couples who contribute $500 or more annually.
Why do they make this investment in UWNA? Check out what they have to say in this video:
Former Marine finds a new calling
Tyler Derzay had a plan for his life. It didn’t involve math classes and final exams, and it definitely never included a graduate degree in engineering. Yet, this former Marine, who will graduate next month as the standard-bearer for the College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences before beginning grad school, found a journey worth taking. As a Lumberjack, he made connections with professors and at the Veterans Success Center, met his wife and found a new life path that honored his family history as much as his military career did.
Sunday-Monday, November 13-14
Breakfast with Santa, Little America. Select days throughout November and December. Book your tickets today. 7-11 a.m.
In This Issue
Hello from Supervisor Horstman
Forest Restoration Update
West-Side Corridor Meeting – Flood Mitigation
East-Side Flood Mitigation Projects
Winter is Coming! 180 Corridor
Fort Valley Community Meeting
16th Biennial Conference of Science and Management on the Colorado Plateau
2022 Western Interstate Region Business Meeting
Downtown Mile
Board Expands Pumphouse Wetlands Area
Habitat for Humanity Expands Housing
Wood For Life
Coconino Coalition for Children and Youth 50th Anniversary
NAU 123rd Homecoming
Welcome CCC President, Dr. Eric Heiser
Health Services Updates and Resources
Upcoming Events
District 1 Celebrating Halloween
Contact Us
Hello everyone. Thank you so much for attending our recent 50th anniversary celebration.
We have heard about so many excellent times, as well as, seen many fabulous pictures!! We greatly enjoyed seeing you — it was amazing!!
Thank you to all of you who became members that night and the following days (you can see the full list of our members and sponsors here https://coconinokids.org/supporters).
If you have not had the chance to become a member yet, please, please do so here https://coconinokids.org/contribute/.
Your support is greatly needed to help ensure the success of the Coalition, our partners and help aid local families this holiday season and beyond.
As mentioned at the 50th anniversary celebration, it is just not just the funding — which is a tremendous help —it is also adding your name to the mission for change. Please make sure to do so today individual, family, and/or organization!!
To those who donate to CCC&Y instead of becoming members or in addition to becoming members-thank you so very much!!
Your support is greatly noticed!!
Remember, CCC&Y is a non-profit organization with a 501(c)(3) status-so your contributions are tax deductible eligible. Please consult your tax professional.
View this email as a webpage. Nov. 8, 2022 LumberSNAPS: Homecoming 2022 From the student carnival and dedicatee banquet to the Saturday morning parade and a hard-fought football game, Lumberjacks from near and far celebrated a week of Homecoming at…
Ship Rock is an impressive 7,177-feet-high peak situated in the Navajo Nation, an autonomous territory of 28,000 square miles encompassing parts of New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah, in the United States of America. Due to the peak’s resemblance to a 19th-century clipper ships it was originally called Ship Rock, Ship Rock Peak, and Shiprock, but the name in Navajo is Tsé Bitʼaʼí, which means “rock with wings” or “winged rock”.
The annual Stuff the Bus event returns to Flagstaff on Saturday and Sunday, November 12 and 13, 2022. This collection event has long been a partnership between the City of Flagstaff, Coconino County, and the Mountain Line Transit System.
“The Mountain Line team looks forward to this event each year, and we are honored to work with our partners to fill a bus with good to help our neighbors in need,” said Mountain Line CEO & General Manager Heather Dalmolin.
Art Classes and Workshops
at Sedona Arts Center
In-Person Classes and Workshops at the Sedona Arts Center offer an intensive experience that will provide inspiration and information to distill and practice for months and even years afterwards. Instructors are experts in their field – experienced teachers with national recognition.
November is Native American Heritage Month — a time to learn about, honor, and celebrate the people who have lived here since time immemorial. A great way to do that is with a visit to MNA, where the ten tribes of the Colorado Plateau have shared their cultures and art in their own words. We are proud to help tell their story not just for a day or a month, but all year round. This November we have the honor to welcome the Pueblo of Acoma Enchantment Dancers for a special presentation on November 26. They will share their buffalo dance and talk about aspects of their culture.
Mariachi performers strolling in the courtyard, stopping off to pay their respects to families attending the lighted ofrendas / altars, folkloric dancers with faces adorned with Día de los Muertos-styled make-up, traditional food and cultural lectures — all combined to 19th Annual Celebraciones de la Gente / Día de los Muertos at the Museum of Northern Arizon.
Presented by the museum and Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces, the event drew hundreds of visitors on a cool but welcoming weekend in Flagstaff.
The museum’s Jaime Golightly Courtyard was transformed into a candle-lit setting, with intricately cut papel picado (pierced paper) and ofrendas (altars) to welcome past loved ones to the party.
As I write this letter, we have just recently finished celebrating another Hispanic Heritage Month
Of course, in our world, we celebrate and promote Hispanic culture every month of the year––and this issue of the Consular Newsletter will give you many reasons to celebrate.
One big reason to celebrate is the announcement that Mónica S. Villalobos, president and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, will receive the prestigious Ohtli Award at the Ambassadors‘ Ball on Nov. 19 in Phoenix (p.8).
The Coconino County Recorder’s Office will have three emergency early voting locations open on Monday, November 7. Voters that have an unforeseen emergency that will keep them from going to their polling place or a vote center on Election Day, November 8, qualify to vote at one of the county’s four emergency early voting locations.
Voters taking advantage of emergency early voting do not need to disclose the specifics of their emergency but will be required to sign an emergency early voting affidavit.
The City of Flagstaff and Coconino County would like to provide information on when election results will be available following the November 8 election.
The first batch of results will be released by Coconino County on Election Day after 8 p.m. These results will reflect early ballots processed and counted by Election Day. Following this first release of results, additional results are uploaded periodically through the night as Election Day ballots are delivered for counting.
The search for the next head of United Way of Northern Arizona is entering its final stage, with the Board of Directors opening up the application process to replace current President & CEO Carol Dykes.
The Board has spent the past few months meeting and surveying key community stakeholders to gain their insights about the future direction of UWNA and the qualities they would like to see in the next head of the organization.
“We felt that input was vital, because – let’s face it – Carol will not be easy to replace,” said Board Vice Chair Armando Ruiz (Coconino County).
Ruiz was appointed by Board Chair Mike Kelly (W.L. Gore & Associates) to head up the Search Committee.
Flagstaff Mayor Paul Deasy proclaimed November 2022 as Native American heritage Month and encourages members of the community to learn about an appreciate the history, heritage and contributions of Native American and Indigenous peoples of this great land.
