On a breezy spring day, 20 2nd graders from Miami-Yoder huddled together on the northwest corner of Alamo Square Park. CSPM Program Coordinator, Meg Yevara, pointed to the currently closed 1903 El Paso County Courthouse and asked students to share what they thought the building was before it became the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, “a church,” one suggested, “a hotel,” said another. One even thought it could be a mansion.
Each year the CSPM welcomes hundreds of groups like the Miami-Yoder 2nd graders to our historic courthouse. With the public closure of our main building, museum staff had to think of creative and meaningful ways to continue engaging with visitors and students during our HVAC renovation project. Enter the CSPM Annex on July 26, 2023.
As the Miami-Yoder students entered the new space, located on the first level of our neighboring Plaza of the Rockies, they were led to the Ute Knowledge: Colorado’s Original Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math exhibit. Along with the exhibit, students engaged with activity kits from History Colorado’s Ute Knowledge History Take-Out program. The hands-on activities demonstrated how the Ute Indians use science, technology, engineering, and math to thrive in the Rocky Mountains. The STEM stations explored topics like building a stick shelter, creating a beadwork pattern, testing woven materials, and matching plants with their uses.
The young learners also explored the new Story of Us: The Pikes Peak Region A – Z exhibit and the Smithsonian traveling exhibit Black Wings: American Dreams of Flight. In these exhibits, the students learned about Esther Geoffrey, Ski Broadmoor, Current Inc., Bessie Coleman, and William J. Powell. The 20 2nd graders rounded out their trip by working on a craft in the MakerSpace.
These students were not the only ones to visit the CSPM Annex. Over the 10 months the Annex has been open, many visitors have explored the exhibits, read books on cozy beanbags in the MakerSpace, participated in a variety of CSPM programs, and even struck a pose at the “I Am COS” mural, painted by local artist Jeresneyka Rose, also known as Rizzo.
This unique space allowed for many creative and engaging programs. Each month over 20 preschoolers and their favorite grownups discovered shapes, colors, numbers and more at the Little Learners program. Our adult audience attended Lunch & Learns, where they joined a content expert to get a behind-the-scenes look into a fascinating subject, like the 1878 eclipse. We even hosted nearly 1,000 guests for our annual Festival of Lights program. Guests enjoyed craft stations, hot chocolate, face painting, and festive musical performances. The CSPM staff was incredibly honored to hold the Current Reunion in the Annex. Former Current Inc. employees were reunited with each other after many years to see the new C = Current exhibit.
With the upcoming closure of the CSPM Annex, scheduled for Wednesday, May 1, the staff can think of no better way to say goodbye than hosting our annual Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast at the end of this month to thank those who helped make the space possible. We’d like to extend our gratitude to everyone who has taken the time to attend a program or visit the space while the 1903 El Paso County Courthouse undergoes construction.
Meg Yevara, CSPM Program Coordinator
719.385.5631 | Meg.Yevara@coloradosprings.gov