“Coffee with Coppo”  celebrated its 10 year anniversary on Thursday. This is an event where Principal Rob Coppo meets with parents of ninth and 10th-grade students in the learning commons to discuss the upcoming year over pastries and coffee.

“It’s a great way to engage with parents, share vital information and get feedback and answer questions, and just connect and be available to the community,” Coppo said. 

Coppo keeps up with this tradition because it contributes to his drive and passion as principal.

“Getting to meet parents and hear about their experience, we’ve got great families and great kids, and they are really happy to be here,” Coppo said. “So it’s always a really positive experience to connect with everybody and see the fruits of your labor. You know, you do all this work, and then the parents come back and say, ‘My kid loves being here. You’re like, great.’ That’s exactly what I want to do.”

While the event is a fun way to socialize and interact with parents, Coppo makes sure that he gets his point and goals across for the upcoming year.

“We want to inform you about changes,” Coppo said. “We’ll give them updates about events and things like that. And then I typically try to engage the parents, and you kind of saw that today on student support services, try to engage them on more of an SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) level, like what’s going on with our kids outside of the academic piece.”

Additionally, the meeting is also to keep the parents informed and engaged with what goes on outside of the classroom.

“They learn about the wide range of classes and programs and offerings and support systems we’ve got here at Torrey because they’ve got one student here who’s got seven classes,” Coppo said. “They’re sort of focused on that, and then they find out about a lot of other possibilities.”

Coppo’s goal is to make sure parents are connected to the school beyond their children’s perspective. The parents in attendance were informed of the flow of events, opportunities, and student life overall. 

“I appreciated the opportunity to revisit some of the key information shared during parent orientation, along with gaining more in-depth insight into the student support programs,” Katrina Heffinger, a parent at the school, said. “While I would have liked to see higher parent attendance, I understand that weekday mornings can be challenging, especially with many people back to in-person work schedules.”

A highlight many parents took away from the meeting was the number of clubs and on-campus opportunities available to students.

“Knowing some of the clubs and activities available to the students makes me feel more involved, even if my student never participates,” Diane Chakmak, parent at Torrey, said. “I especially liked learning about the Challenge Days, PALs, and how welcome transfer students are.”

Coppo emphasizes that TPHS’s access to socialization and interaction with peers is a key part of the Falcon experience. Not only does the Coffee with Coppo introduce the many experiences Torrey has to offer, but it also reflects how Torrey continues to move forward and instill school pride and spirit.

“Well, hopefully I’m coming across as positive, trying to emphasize our pledge … reminding them how welcoming we are, and making them feel welcome and part of the Falcon family,” Coppo said.