Community leaders Andy and SuZan Pearce focus on youth
Leading for the future
GRAND CANYON, Ariz. — Life in the National Park Service can be a transient one, with park staff moving frequently all over the United States. Andy and SuZan Pearce, however, have been members of the Grand Canyon community for more than 15 years, and have been dedicated to developing young minds at Grand Canyon School.
The Pearces were presented the Community Leader of the Year award at the Rotary Club’s annual holiday Dinner Dance Dec. 9.
“I’m very humbled, because as I’ve always said, the great thing about this community is that everybody is always helping out,” Andy said. “There are so many people doing so many things for the kids here. They’re the future of our world.”
Andy Pearce is a member of the park’s interpretive division and SuZan, in addition to serving on Grand Canyon School’s governing board, is a member of the Albright Training Center team, although she was previously involved in the interpretive division herself for many years.
Together, the pair has worked to bring educational programs into Grand Canyon classrooms — SuZan worked to develop curriculum for each grade level, bringing rangers into the classroom to share their expertise about the Canyon and its unique environment, including geology, wildlife, the impact that hiking in the Grand Canyon can have on the human body and the changes that have taken place over the years in Grand Canyon Village.
SuZan also lead the Ranger Reader program, in which NPS employees read to students in elementary classrooms. She also created an oral history program to be used in Grand Canyon middle and high school, in which students conducted oral history interviews that were later sent to the park’s archives.
While SuZan worked to develop curriculum for Grand Canyon classrooms, Andy Pearce reached out to students around the region, participating in distance learning programs and traveling to classrooms throughout northern Arizona.
Closer to home, Andy organizes opportunities for Grand Canyon students to continue their education after they leave the classrooms. He developed the Seeking Opportunities through Academic Recruitment (SOAR) program, which matches students with NPS internship opportunities to develop work skills and career enhancement practices.
Andy also organizes an annual job fair for graduating students, matching local businesses with community kids looking for work. Students arrive at the job fair with resumes and can apply with some employers onsite.
The Pearces also dedicate much of their time to extracurricular activities, including the AYSO soccer program, Girl Scouts and Odyssey of the Mind.
Odyssey of the Mind has been a project close to the Pearces’ hearts for many years. The couple organizes the program for Grand Canyon School and serve as coaches for the popular program. The Grand Canyon teams fare well at the annual competitions, including teams that have participated in the World Finals.
“I look around at all the faces here and I realize we couldn’t have done as much as we’ve done without the support of everybody,” SuZan said as she accepted the award with her husband. “I’m very honored to be a part of it.”
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