Ben Cooper, FSS Director of Operations, always worked in education settings, mostly in public schools or non-profit organizations. Before coming to Friends Select, he worked at an organization in Philadelphia called “Sunrise,” which does after-school programs in public schools. He noticed that what he loved most about that job was having fun with the kids. “ I really love how much fun you can have with students after school, and being able to give kids a really unique experience at the end of the day is a lot of fun. Everyone finishes school and they’re tired and then, ‘You know what let’s change gears and do something else.’”
As Director of Operations, Ben Cooper’s work is done mostly behind the scenes. He manages the reception team and works with different vendors for the school such as the dining hall service. “A lot of nonacademic sort of ‘Life of the School’ things, that’s what I do,” says Ben.
Part of his position is managing emergency procedures and safety matters. Coincidentally, in his second month of working at Friend Select, there was a fire at the 1700 Race Street building. Ben recounts, “My desk got thrown out the window by the firefighters because there was fire behind the walls, so to get to it they had to throw my desk out the window. I was out on 17th street gathering papers and trying to find whatever I could.” Additionally, a pair of shoes he had in his office was destroyed by the fire.
Once the initial fire calmed down, faculty had to go into the building and reclaim all of the “sensitive business office documents” such as payment information and employee records. The faculty was in the burnt building, Ben explains, “walking on all the broken glass, everything was wet and it just reeked of smoke.” They spent two months moving stuff out of the building. There were already plans to move out of the building but the fire complicated things. “It was probably like 15 hours a week of my time for like 2 more months,” says Ben
Earlier this year, there was a different fire at the new STEAM building. However, Ben states that he was not as involved in that one, with Read DeSabato, Director of Facilities, handling the situation. Read emphasized that he enjoys working with Ben Cooper, saying, “His high energy and friendly personality make him very easy to get along with. He is always willing to help out with whatever is needed, even outside of his own responsibilities. The school is lucky to have him and I consider myself lucky to work closely with him and call him a friend.”
Outside of Friends Select, Ben enjoys running in his free time. He used to run races more frequently, but over time, he did less; “Injuries accumulate over time, and it’s not as much fun when you’re not as fast as you used to be. But Reggie got a bunch of us to sign up for a triathlon in August.”
Ben’s favorite part of working at Friends Select is that staff get to be themselves in the work that they do. He says, “We’re here for our community, we’re beholden to our community and that’s who we serve. I’m a parent of a lower school student and being here as a parent is a lot of fun.”
