Former Clarke Central High School Arthropod Club President Copper Callahan, a Class of 2026 alumnus, poses in the CCHS Media Center Courtyard on March 2. Callahan became the club’s president during his sophomore year and has since helped the club grow in membership and activity. “Posters and (other Arthropod Club signs) are part of the club’s outreach efforts,” Callahan said. “We started (with) eight members (during the 2023-24 school year). Now, we consistently (have about) 20 people showing up to a meeting. It’s been exciting to see how the club has grown, and I think I’ve contributed to that by encouraging everybody I know to join.” Photo by Peter Atchley
Former CCHS Arthropod Club President Copper Callahan’s fascination with insects has been a part of his identity ever since he was a toddler, a passion he hopes to pursue for the rest of his life
Former Clarke Central High School Arthropod Club President Copper Callahan, a senior and self-identified “weird kid always looking for bugs,” can’t remember a time when he wasn’t interested in insects.
However, to just call it an interest would be the same as comparing an ant to a termite, or a crane fly to a mosquito, a mistake that Copper would never make. For Copper, his fascination in entomology has been a part of his life since the beginning.
“I went to Insectival at the (State) Botanical Gardens (of Georgia) when I was really little. I was around the (University of Georgia) entomologists a lot. I did the (Invertebrates Summer) Camp (during) elementary school at UGA, and all the entomologists have been very nice to me. I’ve always been the kid who (is) interested in bugs,” Copper said. “(When people are scared of bugs), I can usually find (some insect fact) they will be interested in.”
A genially graphic showing four of CCHS senior and Arthropod Club President Copper Callahan’s favorite insects is shown. Copper started as the club’s president in his sophomore year, and for Arthropod Club member Eudora Dawson, he has shown his dedication for it every day since. “(Copper) definitely puts a lot of hard work into this club. (The Arthropod Club) is definitely something that I think is very important to him, and you can very clearly see that in the work that he’s done,” Dawson said. Graphic by David Wang and Lea D’Angelo
For Copper, bugs and insects are more than just creepy-crawly critters. He strives to inform everyone on the importance of arthropods in nature and how they further help environmental efforts, a passion that started with his family.
“(Our family is) all patient with Copper around the house because he takes up a lot of space, because he always has a lot of projects going on. He’ll have his (insect) jewelry on one table and the next table, and then he’ll have his bug stuff on the (other) table and (bugs) in the freezer,” Ashley Callahan, Copper’s mom, said. “We just accept that that’s how it is, and enjoy his enthusiasm.”
A series of photos capturing Clarke Central High School class of 2026 alumnus Copper Callahan’s love for bugs since shown. Copper’s interest in bugs was wide-ranging and all-encompassing, going beyond his presence in the science lab studying them. “I’ll be running a table for events like Freshman Orientation and I’ll share a table with another club, and I’ll have my Madagascar hissing cockroaches. Every time, the person next to me has gone from either scared of the bugs or hesitant, to okay with them, or even willing to hold them,” Copper said. “I just keep talking about (the cockroaches) and why they’re safe and friendly, and they see if you spend long enough near insects, that they’re harmless and interesting, (anyone can) appreciate them.” Photo courtesy of the Callahan family and Dr. Joseph McHugh
CCHS science department teacher Robert Pulliam first met Copper at Freshman Orientation when he was an incoming student, and later taught him when he was enrolled in Pulliam’s Entomology class as a sophomore.
In Pulliam’s eyes, after his first interactions with Copper, he immediately recognized his student’s passion for entomology and how it separated Copper from other students in the class.
“(On) day one (of class), a lot of the time students are (generally) more apprehensive, a little softer-spoken (and) not quite as outgoing, but I do not recall that being the case for Copper,” Pulliam said. “I remember immediate enthusiasm, particularly for insects and entomology, (and) for school and learning as a whole. That stood out to me, (and) I knew it was gonna be a fun semester.”
During the 2022-23 school year, former Arthropod Club President Oliver Domingo, a CCHS Class of 2024 alumnus, started the club. The following school year, Copper became the club’s president as a sophomore.
“(Copper’s passion for bugs) is contagious. I don’t think the club would have grown to where it is if it weren’t for Copper,” Pulliam said. “There’s some students that are there more for the social side of it, and some students are there because they really like bugs. That intersection is Copper.”
Copper has tried various tactics to grow the Arthropod Club, such as creating insect jewelry, making custom T-shirts and face-to-face conversations to get others interested in the club. Under his leadership, the club has dissected insect-filled pitcher plants from the Botanical Garden and hosted several guest speakers, which, for Copper, are the most educationally beneficial meetings for club members.
An interview clip of former Arthropod Club President Copper Callahan speaking in Room 231 on March 2 is shown. Copper was the president of the Arthropod Club from sophomore to senior years, leading the club with both fun and educational activities. “(The Arthropod Club) like to go to Insectival and (we) did the Shoal Creek Sanctuary walk. That’s the main stuff we’ve done outside of meetings. For some meetings we just will walk around the school and try to find some bugs,” Copper said. “We walked around the Botanical Gardens once, we dissected some pitcher plants that have insects in them, because the Botanical Gardens also has some of those, and they just give them away occasionally.” Video by Olive Forrester
“It’s a lot of fun to invite guest speakers, because they’re just as interested (in entomology) as I am, and they’re happy to talk about it,” Copper said. “There’s so much to learn about entomology, and I think the best way is to find someone who’s passionate (and) will (share their passion).”
Copper now works as an intern for UGA Department of Entomology Professor Joseph McHugh through the UGA Young Dawgs Program, which collaborates with CCHS to connect students to internships. One of the first times Copper and McHugh met was at the 2012 Insectival when Copper was 4-years-old, where they bonded over a mutual passion for bugs.
“(Copper’s) eyes got gigantic (when) looking in the drawers of (arthropod) specimens (at UGA). He was absolutely fascinated by the specimens, and asked (me) a lot of questions about them,” McHugh said. “I remember thinking, ‘This little guy, he’s got the entomological gene. I can see it in his eyes.’”
For Copper’s internship, he studies and surveys ciidae beetles, otherwise known as minute tree fungus beetles, which are found on rotting wood in the North Georgia region. His peer editor is fellow CCHS senior Alexa Carcamo, who gives him feedback on his research assignments.
“Because (Copper’s) passion is so strong for entomology, he has no issues completing work or reading articles, even (mine), because my (study) is on fruit flies,” Carcamo said. “It’s super cool to see how far his passion has taken him, and with his love for entomology, (it’s) going to (get him) very far.” Even those who only met him when he was showing off his Madagascar hissing cockroaches at a CCHS Open House or dressing up like a lightning bug for Trunk or Treat know him for his dedication and depth of knowledge.
“There’s so much to learn about entomology, and I think the best way to do that is to find someone who’s passionate about a specific aspect of it.”
— Copper Callahan,
CCHS Class of 2026 alumnus and former Arthropod Club president
“Copper is a natural collaborator. He’s bright, he’s interested,” Pulliam said. “He’s accumulated this massive knowledge over his years of studying insects, whether in (the) Entomology (class) or on his own time, and he’s not stingy with it, just happy to share it with others and spread what he knows.”
When Copper was still knee-high to a grasshopper, he was fascinated by seeing all four wings and the sharp tail of scorpionflies, or hearing the buzz of periodical cicadas. What made these insects even better was when he got to tell others about them.
“I enjoy learning things and telling people about (bugs). People need to know that insects are important,” Copper said. “If we don’t protect them, the food system and the environment will collapse. (Insects are) just really interesting (and) there’s so many of them.”
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