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I have many memories of the UCoop, but among my favorites are the yearly calendar we made, dressing up for holidays, learning different languages (even though i don't remember much besides 'babooshka'), and of course our awesome teachers, Judy Trefethan and Louise Lipnick. Everytime I drive or walk by the old church on 50th and 15th, it reminds me of all the good times I had growing up in that big basement with my friends and the many animals! I miss the snakes!

Nicole B., student, 1986-89

My years with UCoop were an incredible gift that I continue to be thankful for, not only for my children, but for myself. I really believe that the families we met at that time in the development of our own family, when our kids were young, are relationships I will
always cherish and with great fondness for the friendships made. Judy was a tremendous teacher. And, look at Louise! She's a very special person and teacher who's been an inspiration on many, many levels. I sometimes can't believe our good fortune for our children to have experienced their early education at UCoop...it's been such a gift!

Jeannie R., parent, 1986-1991

I will never forget the pride that Louise and Judy took in each student there, and that transferred to us, so we were proud to be there. I remember feeling such a sense of belonging in that little community of ours. The world of the Coop stretched around us. And it's funny, but on all accounts, I have retained more knowledge through the activity, immersion, support, humor, commitment, and hands-on learning that was omnipresent at the coop, more so than any other young schooling experience.

One of my favorite parts of my coop education were the big projects. I think my favorite was the year we learned about the Northwest Native Americans. I was in the Tlingit tribe. This all came back to me very vividly when my younger brother (also a coop alum) and I visited the new Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC. We decided to go through and search out everything we could find on Northwest Native Americans. What surprised us both was how easily we were able to pick out Northwest Native American artifacts and art. We were both amazed at the details we could remember from so long ago.

University Coop fostered some of my most favorite memories from my childhood. On the night of our all-school sleepover, I remember walking to the infamous “Gorilla Park” and playing freeze tag for hours until it got dark. It was such a thrilling and satisfying experience for the enthusiastic little seven year-old I was. To this day, when I go to that park I get such
a feeling of pleasure inside. All of the unique activities that UCoop offers have left me with such a full, happy memory of my first years of school.

UCoop cultivates an environment where the children can express themselves. Where boys feel free to be close friends, be affectionate, and lean on one another. This is not necessarily what they are able to experience in society at large. I appreciate that UCoop provides the safety for children to develop their wholeness.

My son started at UCoop in the 4th grade. He transferred from a good school that was just too big for him. After a few days with Jim and Troye he came home and said he was amazed that they just trusted him to get up and go to the bathroom whenever he needed to. He didn't have to sit there and wave his hand and wait and wait. He felt grown-up and in charge of himself due to the trust and assumption on the teacher’s part that he was a responsible kid. Although this might seem like a small event, it was huge in my son's school life. This theme of trust and expecting the children to come through with their best effort was played out over and over again.

The true cooperative environment at University Coop and the superb non-traditional approach of teaching was what, I believe, contributed to my son's interest in life, community and academia. He is now an active, engaged, thriving 8th grader at Bush School and calls Jim Riley his mentor. Jim was and is that rare teacher whose love of life spills over into not only his teaching, but everything he does. He is a positive, lifelong influence in my son's life and I'm sure I'll hear 'Jim Riley-ism's ' for years to come!

One of the many things I loved about the coop community is that it provided friendship, parenting support, and so many good times for our entire family. I loved getting to know the children in the coop so well through working in the classroom, seeing their talents, their foibles, their successes, and their disappointments. In our culture, there aren't that many opportunities to get to know children other than your own in this depth. Being a parent at the coop and having the opportunity to work in the classroom was like getting to go back to the school I never had but always wanted as a child. The passion, creativity, and compassion of the teachers is amazing! Where else is a classroom transformed into a Medieval castle, a Native American long house, or the first woman physician's doctor's office?

Rebecca is in 7th grade now, and Ucoop is still our main reference point. With almost everything she does in school, we can reflect, "Ah, UCoop set her up so well for that." or "They sure don't do this as well as UCoop did."