The Community Education program at Copper Mountain College is beginning it’s Fall Semester of classes…
Copper Mountain College welcomes new students, and current students back, for the beginning of Fall Semester, on August 18, 2025. August 18 – 22 is Welcome Week on the CMC campus in Joshua Tree, with a number of activities planned through Student Life, to orient students, make them feel welcome, and get them ready for a productive semester.
“Student Life is excited to lead the charge in welcoming new and returning students to the Fall 2025 semester,” says Chelsi Chastain, Student Life and Engagement Specialist at CMC. “We have a wide variety of events throughout the week. From welcome stations with maps, swag, and sweet treats on Monday, to social events like Lotería & Lunch and Back-to-School Bingo on Tuesday, a Communi-Tea Game Day on Wednesday, and our Fall Fest on Thursday featuring a campus and community resource fair. There’s something for everyone, no matter your schedule!”
All day, Monday, August 18, there will be information stations set up around the CMC campus to welcome students and to provide campus maps and directions, CMC information, coffee, water, CMC swag, and, of course, cookies. The information stations are manned by volunteers from staff, faculty, and administration, and are there to ensure students get the information they need to feel comfortable, and be successful, in their time at CMC.
Throughout the year, students are encouraged to ask CMC employees any questions they may have about the college. Employees wear badges that identify them and can provide directions, general information, and guide students to the appropriate department for additional information.
Tuesday, CMC Student Life is hosting a variety of activities at the Christine Proudfoot Student Activity Center in the 300 Quad for students to get in the flow of the new semester. Lunch, games, prizes, and fun with fellow students is a great way to start the semester! Loteria and Lunch is from 11 a.m. until noon, followed by Back to School Bingo, from 2 to 3 p.m.
The fun continues on Wednesday, as the Communi-Tea Game Day takes place at the Christine Proudfoot Student Activity Center, from noon to 2 p.m. Boba tea for all, and plenty of games and fun.
The Fall Fest in the 300 Quad is lots of music, food and fun, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., but it is also a resource fair, with booths representing both campus and community resources to support student success.
“The Fall Fest Resource Fair is a fantastic opportunity to explore both on-campus and community resources,” says Chastain. “We’ll have student support programs like EOPS, CalWORKs, the Career Center, ACCESS, MESA, and Student Clubs, plus community organizations including Reach Out, the San Bernardino County TAD mobile office, the Valley Star TAY Center, and the Morongo Basin Health District. Guests can enjoy music, lawn games, and event passports (your ticket to a provided lunch) while discovering more about all the resources available to support our students and community.”
The CMC Public Relations Department will be at the Fall Fest to share information about student opportunities to work in media production for the award-winning Cacti Chronicles newspaper, the weekly News From the Mountain radio show broadcast on KCDZ FM in Joshua Tree, and the Area 62 podcast and its Tiny Cactus Concerts, as well as in upcoming video productions at CMC. Students interested in hosting, producing, or editing print, digital, radio, podcast, or even video and television mediums, are encouraged to drop by and learn more about these opportunities.
Friday wraps up Welcome Week with the Book Talk at 1 p.m. about Matriarch, a book by Tina Knowles, that is the subject of the Summer 2025 Book Study. The talk will be held on Zoom for those who have taken part in the summer book study.