Some of Cope Middle School's fabulous teachers are more comfortable in their own classrooms than most of today's students might think. Can you believe that these current staff members are also Cope alums? They once sat in the very same classrooms and maybe even in the very same desks that their students now occupy.
Former students now serving at Cope include: Mr. Chuck Mendoza, physical education teacher; Mr. Scott Reynolds, seventh-grade science teacher; Ms.
Suzanne Donovan-Marlowe, seventh-grade English teacher; Mrs. Kristy Garland, seventh-grade English teacher; Mrs. Denise Hartwell, seventh- and eighth-grade English teacher; Nate Roque, security officer; Ms.
Jennifer Monaco, secretary to the assistant principal; and Mr. John Havard, computer technician. Mrs.
Garland does not believe the school has changed significantly, except in the area of the pupils' behavior, which she believes is not as respectful as when she attended Cope. Cell phones and iPods didn't exist and serious fights and arguments were extremely rare. Junk food and soda prevailed back then and Mrs.
Garland comments
Reynolds remembers Cope competed against other junior highs in the county in football, basketball, track and baseball. He wishes that Cope could bring back some aspects of its past with classes like metal shop, plastics and home economics. Mr.
Reynolds is the father of one of Cope's seventh-graders and he has noticed a significant change in fashion and technology. Almost all students now carry cell phones and iPods and wear baggy clothing. This science teacher also notes that the teachers now seem much younger than when he was a pupil.
Ms. Donovan-Marlowe attended Cope from 1982 to 1985. She believes that Cope has changed, but has not gotten better or worse.
She does note, however, that presently, there is a tree shortage on campus, but hopefully this will be remedied on two Saturdays, March 10 and 17, when the "Cope family" plants four dozen trees and begins work on their pondless waterfall. In Ms. Donovan-Marlowe's view the students have become more prone to social distractions.
They are also being bombarded with an excess amount of work, as are the teachers who are also overburdened with meetings, which in turn make them too strict and busy to notice the increasing needs of students. Ms. Monaco, Assistant Principal Jon Best's secretary, also notes the disappearance of trees and shrubbery after Cope's recent renovation, and joins the rest of the staff in anticipating the beautification projects in the weeks to come.
Ms. Monaco did comment that the students now dress more shabbily than they did in the '90s. "The things they wear are way too revealing," she notes.
According to Ms. Monaco, students are learning more. For example, when she was a pupil, Spanish was just an elective, but currently it is part of the curriculum for most students as is a computer class.
Mr. John Havard, Cope's part-time computer technician, is enthusiastic that the school now has more than one computer lab, unlike the situation when he was a student at Cope from 1996 to 1998. Mr.
Havard does not believe that the teachers have changed that much, since some of his previous teachers still work at Cope. Havard has not paid attention to the change in behavior of students. As Cope's security officer, Nate Roque has a lighter view on Cope's changes than most of the alumni.
He was a Cope student in 1996 and 1997 and he believes that Cope is much better now than it was in his middle school years. His classes were not equipped with projectors, DVD players or surround sound, as the modern classrooms are. He is also fascinated by today's teachers, who are now more laid back, but from Roque's perspective, seem to get more work done.
He was proud to return to Cope and glad to see that some of his favorite teachers were still here. Another important man on campus is Mr. Chuck Mendoza, who attended Cope from 1974 to 1977.
He returned in 1984 to teach science and, more recently, physical education. He hasn't noticed a significant change in the teachers, except for their appearance, which he thinks can be described as "old." Even though the teachers haven't changed much, Mendoza thinks that Cope has.
Presently, there are hardly any sports teams that compete against other local schools; there are no track teams, soccer teams or basketball teams. However, a dance team is now included in the various activities of the middle school, which may take the place of cheerleaders. Mr.
Mendoza is a "legend," or at least he claims he is! Mrs. Denise Hartwell also misses the cheerleaders, as well as the volleyball and football teams.
She remembers that physical education teachers used to instruct archery in their classes, but that is a thing of the past. Hartwell shared that, "Some pup ils are less respectful of authority." She also remembers that although the students once had lockers at least now the teachers' wardrobes are more up-to-date!
The 50th anniversary celebration from 7 to 9 p.m. on March 24 will be the perfect chance to reminisce and catch up with "old" teachers.
Sometimes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. That saying seems to ring true for Cope. Whether these staff members attended Cope when it was a junior high or a middle school ` "Once an Eagle, always an Eagle!
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