We need your input to make Flagstaff more affordable

The City of Flagstaff’s 10 Year Housing Plan is underway and the Housing Section is asking all members of the community to participate by taking the City of Flagstaff Housing Survey.

The goal of the survey is to garner the most responses and to gather statistically valid housing data from a fair sampling of people.

Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth — Creativity Takes Courage. Next CCC&Y Youth Expression event on May 2

Adolescence is a complex and emotional transition from childhood to adulthood. It’s a time of establishing an identity and taking new (hopefully healthy) risks to expand your sense of self and capabilities. It’s a time when peers are of utmost importance, and we crave belonging.

Creativity Calling meets all of these critical needs from expression to connection! The arts are an opportunity to express yourself and interact with the world. Art expression allows us the chance to access our deepest and most authentic selves and reflect. The arts help us regulate our emotions. The arts can be a nurturing social experience. Most significantly, the arts can connect us with our sense of purpose.

STEM City will host virtual STEM nights beginning May 3

STEM City will be hosting virtual STEM nights beginning on Monday, May 3rd with community partner organizations via the groups’ Facebook page, FlagstaffSTEMCity.  Participating organizations are creating science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematic video presentations highlighting their work in the greater Flagstaff community.  The resources will also be made available to area educators as classroom materials to enhance learning opportunities in area schools.

“Unfortunately, we will not be hosting this event in-person this year,” shared STEM City President Mike Thomas.  “We are excited to continue forward with the spirit of this event in a different format, continuing to celebrate STEM in this community, and offer learning opportunities to all that participate.”

Announcing the 2021 Festival of Science ‘Stories in Stone’ from Sept. 17-26

The 2021 Flagstaff Festival of Science will explore “Stories in Stone” on September 17-26 in Flagstaff, Arizona. Dr. Jaime Awe of Northern Arizona University, will kick off the free, 10-day adventure as he shares his passion and important research of the Belize River Valley. Dr. Awe will delight audiences with his vast knowledge of Mesoamerican Cave societies and the collapse of the Maya civilization.

“This year’s Festival of Science, whose theme is Stories in Stone, is a wonderful opportunity for me to share results of my long and ongoing research on Maya civilization, and on the significant information that is encoded in the monuments of the ancient Maya,” says Dr. Awe.  Maya monuments encode important information on how this fascinating civilization viewed their universe, and how they interacted socially, politically, and ritually with their gods and peers. 

Sedona Arts Center’s Online Learning

Online learning opportunities are perfect for students who are interested in taking one of our educational opportunities, but prefer to work at home. These learning opportunities provide a well-rounded experience in various visual art mediums.

Our workshops are live online learning experiences with one-on-one interaction between student and instructor. Click here to see all our online learning opportunities

Maine Consolidated Governing Board Vacancies

Applicants sought for the Maine Consolidated School District #10, by Coconino County, for Governing Board Seats for Appointment

Coconino County Superintendent of Schools Cheryl Mango-Paget is seeking applicants for appointment for Maine Consolidated School District #10.

Applicants must be Arizona registered voters and residents of the school district for at least one year prior to the date of appointment.  Applicants or their spouses cannot be an employee of the district.

HECHO April Newsletter

We hope that you’re enjoying the spring weather and the blossom that often follows! From my vantage point, I can finally see our beloved backyard tree regaining its bright green leaves. It serves as a reminder to me that growth is possible with a little bit of sunshine, time, and patience.

At HECHO, we’re excited to share that a (virtual) seed we planted is also in bloom. We’ve worked hard over the past several months to revamp and reorganize our website, and it is LIVE! We hope that you’ll take the time to explore our new pages, and find the stories that inspire you to continue to advocate for the protection of our prized public lands. On our website, you’ll also be able to read about the recognition HECHO received this month in New Mexico and Colorado, honoring the work we do to ensure that Hispanic culture and perspectives are part of the conservation of our lands and waters.

Latino Outdoors — Yo Cuento: Mapping Migraciones

“Mapping Migraciones” es un proyecto narrativo único de un año de duración de Audubon California con la Sociedad Nacional Audubon y Latino Outdoors que celebra la latinidad, la migración y las historias que nos conectan en las Américas.

Mire nuestro mapa interactivo que utiliza datos de aves migratorias e historias de personas como usted para darnos una imagen completa de cómo las aves y las personas están conectadas a través de la geografía y la cultura. Durante el año, este mapa crecerá para incluir más aves, patrones de migración e historias en todo el continente americano.

Coconino County Teacher of the Year and the Rookie Teacher of the Year Nominations Open

After previously having cancelled, Coconino County Superintendent of Schools, Cheryl Mango-Paget, is pleased to announce the reinstatement of the 9th Annual Teacher of the Year and the 4th Annual Rookie Teacher of the Year Awards.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented multiple challenges for teachers and students over the last year. We have witnessed the strength and ingenuity of Coconino County teachers through these difficult times and would like to acknowledge those who have been exceptionally outstanding in developing inventive curriculum and strategies for supporting student learning during the 2020/2021 school year.

City of Flagstaff drills first water well in 12 years

The city of Flagstaff will soon add a new well to their inventory. Drilling of a second groundwater well at Fort Tuthill County Park began February 22, 2021.

Drilling this well is part of the city’s mid-to-long term water policy and the subsequent ten-year capital plan initiated after the 2002 drought left Upper Lake Mary reservoir nearly dry, resulting in water shortages throughout the city. This is the first of five wells in the plan to add resiliency to the city’s water supply and serve as a safety net against climate change and resulting drought, forest fires or infrastructure failure. Groundwater wells are the core producers of city water, averaging 65% of the city’s potable water supply since 1950. They tap into the C-aquifer at an average depth of 1000 feet below land surface with the bottom of most wells exceeding 2000 feet.

United Way of Northern Arizona — Getting Your Money Where It Needs to Go

At the heart of the United Way of Northern Arizona’s grant process is the Community Investment Fund, a volunteer-driven process that invests your donations into the proven programs, partnerships and initiatives that are changing lives in Coconino, Navajo and Apache counties every day.

Volunteers with the committee make a year-long commitment to review grant applications, evaluate programs and perform site visits.

“As a member of the Community Investment Team, I get to see first-hand how UWNA brings together community partners and leverages resources to support our local non-profit agencies,” said Tami Suchowiejko, who is with Coconino County and one of the three newest CI team members.

Also joining our force of almost 40 volunteers are Eve Ford of Eve Ford Consulting and Sue Hilgart of Navajo County. The volunteers are broken up into seven teams, five in Flagstaff and one each in Page and northeast Arizona.

Sedona Arts Center — In-Person Learning this fall at Sedona Arts Center

Workshops at Sedona Arts Center offer an experience that will provide inspiration and information to distill and practice for months and even years afterwards! A wide variety of disciplines and mediums are offered, including studio and plein air landscape painting, mixed media and abstraction, writing, photography, and so much more. Workshops are appropriate for all levels of students and are presented through demonstrations, individual instruction and group presentation. Instructors are experts in their field – experienced teachers with national recognition.

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.

Grand Canyon Weekly Wrap-up — April 19-22, 2021

Earth Day Celebrations and National Park Week Continue

Happy Earth Day! To celebrate, check out one of our Grand Canyon Moments about Water at
https://youtu.be/OuP7vfsd-mk.

This Grand Canyon Moment features the sights and sounds of water and is a reminder of how essential and precious water is. Both the Earth and the human body are made up of about 70% water!

Everyone plays a role in protecting water, whether you are at Grand Canyon or at home. One way you can protect water is by being water wise! For example, where does your water come from and how much do you use daily? What is one way you use water?

Friends of Flagstaff’s Future — Neighborhood Community Commercial Zoning

Tall buildings like those recently built for student housing along Milton Road and W. Route 66 are currently allowed in places that would surprise most of us. They are allowed anywhere north (N. End) and south of downtown (Southside), even next to the public library. Five and six story buildings are also allowed anywhere in the Sunnyside Neighborhood bordered by 4thStreet, Cedar Avenue and McMillan Mesa. This is not the result of any recent comprehensive planning, but an historic artifact.
 
City staff is proposing to council on April 27th a new zone called the Neighborhood Community Commercial (NCC).

Ground Sloths, Cheetahs and Mountain Goats—Oh My! Thousands of Grand Canyon fossils revealed in largest park-specific paleontological inventory in NPS history

After a multi-year effort, the National Park Service and the Utah Geological Association have published Grand Canyon National Park Centennial Paleontological Resources Inventory: A Century of Fossil Discovery and Research, available for public download on the Utah Geological Association website.
The publication documents more than 1.2 billion years of paleontological history in Grand Canyon. The rich fossil record uncovered during the inventory showcases flora and fauna from ancient Precambrian microbial mats to Pleistocene megafauna–including Shasta ground sloths, Harrington’s mountain goats, and the American cheetah–which lived in Grand Canyon’s limestone caves during the most recent Ice Age.

City of Flagstaff and Flagstaff Unified School District collaborate to bring green spaces to school grounds

Mayor Paul Deasy and Superintendent Michael Penca joined forces to improve the health, well-being and academic achievement of Flagstaff’s children. The two leaders committed to transforming Flagstaff’s school grounds into nature-filled greenspaces where children can connect to the natural world and enjoy healthy, active time outdoors. 

Flagstaff was selected as one of 10 cities (out of 27 applicants) to receive training and technical assistance to add nature play and outdoor learning spaces to schoolyards through Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN), a joint initiative of the National League of Cities and the Children & Nature Network.  Flagstaff joins a national movement of cities working to provide children with equitable access to the benefits of nature.

Fredonia Moccasin Governing Board Vacancy

Applicants sought for the Fredonia Moccasin School District #6, by Coconino County, for Governing Board Seat for Appointment

Coconino County Superintendent of Schools Cheryl Mango-Paget is seeking applicants for appointment for Fredonia Moccasin School District #6.

Applicants must be Arizona registered voters and residents of the school district for at least one year prior to the date of appointment.  Applicants or their spouses cannot be an employee of the district.

Coconino Community College — The Comet — A quick word from the President

The wonderful scent – and sneezes – of spring blossoms have arrived in Flagstaff, and Coconino Community College is beginning the crunch to the end of another semester.

The excitement of Commencement, although it will be virtual again this year, fills the air with electricity. Student resilience, determination and sheer willpower to achieve those dreams of an education have borne fruit from the spring blossoms of hope. Let us all celebrate that achievement!

This summer, thanks to COVID relief funding, CCC will be offering free tuition to graduating high school seniors in Coconino County to help them gear up for a successful fall semester. All other students will also benefit from the relief funding.

Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth — Getting Involved in Community

A variety of organizations took part in a discussion hosted by the Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth on the important role community members can play in the development of resilience of youth, caregivers and family by mentoring and supporting connections during a webinar presented by CCC&Y on April 14.

The free webinar, please click here, is designed to help those interested in the variety of mentorship programs in Coconino County. During the webinar, various speakers shared information about their organizations and the need for mentors.

Partners participating in the webinar included Arizona’s Children Association, AZ1.27, Big Brothers Big Sisters Flagstaff, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Coconino County, the Family Involvement Center and Native Americans for Community Action (NACA).

Grant funding was provided by Arizona Department of Child Safety and Health Choice Arizona.

Tutor Time at Coconino Community College

CCC students can receive tutoring support services via Zoom for free with no appointment necessary.

Drop-in tutoring is offered online through the links published in the Canvas course.

Getting started is easy –

Step 1: Log into Canvas with CCC Comet ID and password.

Step 2: Open the course on the dashboard titled “CCC Tutoring-Tutoring 101”.

Step 3: Click the drop-in tutoring Zoom link on the home page.

Additional online tutoring resources are available in Modules.

Pitch Night Arizona: Submit your concept to win a $15,000 grant

Flagstaff Arts Council is happy to announce that we have begun talks with ArtWins Arizona to establish a major arts and cultural festival in Flagstaff to tentatively launch in 2023. FAC is seeking public input on the idea. To learn more and provide feedback, visit: flagartscouncil.org/festival

Drawing inspiration from the acclaimed ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, Michigan, International Arts & Ideas Festival in New Haven, Connecticut, Aspen Ideas Festival, and more, the festival is proposed to be anchored by both an art competition and a speaker series. The ArtWins Arizona competition is proposed to award more than $300,000 in prizes and grants including $50,000 grand prizes. Depending on funder interest, prize values could be even higher. The festival will provide a regional and national platform for local artists, creatives, and thinkers as well as attract global participation.

Sedona Arts Center — Inviting you into a special survey about creativity, culture & community during these challenging times

Sedona Arts Center is proud to be part of a major national research study to learn how arts, culture, and creativity fit into people’s lives during this difficult period — and how cultural organizations can become better for you in the future.

We know you get a lot of surveys, and that this one comes at a challenging time for many of us. We’re passing it on to you because it’s genuinely important to our community and our shared future. If you can spare a few minutes to give your views, we’d be very grateful.