Mr. Copaken believes that access to a quality education should be a standard in the Valley and across the nation at large. He hopes to help students think critically about meaningful literary topics and build a strong writing foundation that will be useful no matter where a student’s life journey takes them.

Before teaching at Desert Marigold, Mr. Copaken taught high school English and writing at the Ewing Marion Kauffman School in Kansas City for three years. Prior to his work as an educator, Mr. Copaken worked in sports marketing for the Los Angeles Chargers and also did photography work for the team. Mr. Copaken graduated cum laude from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and minor in English Literature.

He is particularly looking forward to student debates, class discussions, and getting to know the DMS community.