Paul Cooper celebrated as selfless teacher who brings the faith to life
On a recent Friday morning, Paul Cooper kicked off his seventh-grade religion class the way he always does: the two-minute noodle.
“Name three people from whom you have received much. What did you receive, and how can you build on it?” he asked. The students opened their journals, picked up their pens and started scribbling.
When the timer went off, Cooper asked the students what kinds of people they wrote down — family, of course, but also friends, teachers, coaches and neighbors, they discussed.
Cooper has been bringing faith to life for middle schoolers at St. Margaret Mary Alacoque School in Mehlville for decades. He got into teaching kind of by accident; the job he had lined up with St. Louis City after college graduation fell through in August, so he decided to see if any schools were still hiring. The public schools were full, but SMMA — his own grade school alma mater — found a place for him to teach literature.
“I thought, I’ll do this a year or two, and then I’ll get a real job,” Cooper said. “That was 50 years ago.”
On Nov. 15, the SMMA school community gathered to celebrate Cooper’s milestone of 50 years at SMMA. That’s a remarkable achievement for a teacher, principal Peggy Visconti said.
“I have worked in the archdiocese for 36 years, and even for me, the thought of 50 years — it’s such a considerable amount of time, and it’s so unique that I just think it’s worthy of being celebrated,” she said. “And for Paul, he’s the kind of guy that never looks for that kind of affirmation.”
Cooper initially taught literature and math, but after about five years, he moved into the religion department, where he’s remained ever since. He has also served as SMMA’s Director of Religious Education since 1986.
Teaching religion is meaningful to him because “It’s not so much what you do for a living, it’s what you do with your living,” Cooper said. “I like to build things — what’s the foundation? What gives purpose to everything else you do?”
His witness of faith shows up in the classroom in many ways. Eighth grader Tyler Matthews appreciates Cooper’s willingness to answer hard questions or dive into complicated topics, like what exactly heaven is or how we know Jesus lived on earth. “We get into some deep topics, and he does a good job of explaining things,” he said. “It’s not just out of the book, and he’s really energetic about it.”
The school celebration kicked off with morning Mass, where Visconti introduced the newly created Paul Cooper Virtue Award. The award will be given at the end of each year to one student from each grade level for their example of virtuous living.
“Mr. Cooper is a visible example of someone who practices what he preaches. He teaches us about virtues and discipleship by the way he lives and works. The fruits of the Spirit are evident in his daily interactions with others,” Visconti said at the Mass.
At the end of the day, students and staff gathered in the gym with members of Cooper’s family and former colleagues for a jubilant assembly. Several speakers shared memories of Cooper over the years, and students joined in a trivia game about Cooper and a Price-is-Right style game using grocery prices from 1974.
Karen Villa was principal at SMMA for 40 years, joking that Cooper has beat her by 10 years and counting.
“He does a lot of things around here and wears many hats, probably more hats than a baseball team,” Villa said. “I think we call him the DRE, the head of PSR, a teacher, a musician, a videographer, a sacramental leader. He’s a technology whiz, and he’s also a home builder,” as well as a great husband, father and grandfather, she said.
Whenever he decides to retire, “I think they’ll have to hire maybe three people to do the jobs that Mr. Cooper does,” she said.
Andy Pauk, a member of Cooper’s first eighth grade class, brought along his class of 1975 anthology, a collection of memories from the eighth grade graduating class and faculty, and read aloud Cooper’s entry.
“Dear eighth graders, as we close the cover of a rather eventful year, I feel very pleased with your achievements. Education is not only a book and paper, it’s the ability to relate with people. As you leave St. Margaret Mary, I hope you carry the love of life and friendship in your hearts. Never be afraid to reach out to someone, but always maintain the highest respect for yourself and others. Wishing you God’s blessings, Mr. Paul Cooper,” it read.
“When I read what you wrote 50 years ago, and I think about the thousands of people that you’ve touched in your life, I think it’s something that you should be extremely proud of,” Pauk said. “Mr. Cooper, I want to thank you as a student, as a parent and as a grandparent now for all of your dedication, your hard work and your enthusiasm. Not only did you teach thousands of kids what was in those books, through your example, you showed them how to be closer to God.”
Cooper’s wife, Arlene, was also there to mark the occasion. They met while teaching at SMMA; Arlene retired eight years ago after 32 years teaching third grade and then serving as assistant principal.
She’s proud of “the dedication and the hours that he puts into what he does, and he never complains,” she said. “I think everyone that spoke hit it right on the head — he’s just selfless and always giving.”
SMMA assistant principal Tracey Miesner was once Cooper’s student before becoming his colleague. He was the only male teacher she had during grade school, and he later taught religion to her son, too.
“I remember my son saying, ‘Did you know that Mr. Cooper goes to the men’s shelter (to serve) every month?’ I said, ‘yeah, he’s been doing that for like 20 years,’” Miesner said. “And for (my son), that was pretty impressive to see that he doesn’t just preach it, he lives it.”
Cooper works tirelessly to engage students in actively living out the faith, she said, whether that’s through in-school “saint meetings” or the Urban Plunge eighth-grade trip to visit various outreach ministries around the area.
Miesner also sees God in the way that Cooper can reach all students. “He meets everybody where they are, teaches them with grace and helps them to get where they need to be so they can learn and move farther in faith,” she said.
When she occasionally subs in his room, his lesson plans always include space to “tell a personal story about this,” she said. “He’ll tell a story about how it fits into the real world, or how it’s impacted him, and that’s what the kids remember. That’s what they take with them as they move forward and hopefully continue in their faith journey in high school and college.”
