BOCES Leadership Workshop

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BOCES Students Participate in Leadership Workshop with CI!

Last month, Cottonwood Institute instructors met up with 68 middle and high school students from 15 school districts throughout northeast and east central Colorado. They spent three days at CU Boulder as part of a program hosted by BOCES. They are an umbrella organization providing educational, administrative, technological, and other services to school groups across the state of Colorado. The… Read more »

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Colorado Academy Teambuilding Workshop

As Colorado Academy instructors prepare for the kids coming to camp this summer, they invited Cottonwood Institute (CI) to teach a teambuilding workshop at their staff training!  If you know CI, this is definitely in our wheelhouse of what we like to teach, so we jumped on this opportunity!  With three CI instructors and 68 Colorado Academy instructors… Read more »

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New Cottonwood Institute Video: Watch. Like. Share.

We are extremely excited to release our new Cottonwood Institute video! Shot by New Orleans filmmaker, Miles Mumford, this 6 minute video does an excellent job capturing what CI does and the impact we have on our students, the community, and the environment. Help us spread the good word! Watch it, like it, and share… Read more »

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A Windy Autumn Backpacking Trip with STRIVE Prep – Federal

During the first week of October, a select few students from STRIVE Prep – Federal braved the cold and the wind for an experience like no other! Ten middle schoolers, along with two STRIVE teachers and two Cottonwood instructors, spent two days at White Ranch Open Space, just west of Golden, CO. The first impressions… Read more »

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We Walked the Walk: New Vista Spring CAP Students Tackle Water Pollution

The students of New Vista High School and Cottonwood Institute’s Community Adventure Program (CAP) discovered buckets of information about water pollution and stream restoration this quarter and realized there was a lot they could do to help. With visible enthusiasm, they decided to pick this as their Action Project. The Action Project is a student-led project… Read more »

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A Rainy Pondside Retreat with New Vista CAP Students

Six New Vista High School Community Adventure Program (CAP) students and three instructors braved the wet weather as we left Boulder heading toward Allenspark. When we arrived at the trailhead, the sun was shining through the clouds and it ended up being a great day for our hike near Taylor Mountain. Instructors gathered our group to… Read more »

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Old Friendships Shine and New Friendships Emerge

The sun shined promisingly as a group of adventurous teenage girls met in the Centaurus High School parking lot, ready for a night of backpacking in the woods. The girls knew each other from school, but still had some familiarizing to do as a group. One thing they all had in common was being part… Read more »

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The Perfect Mix: Enthusiastic Cottonwood Institute Instructors & A Warm Sunny Winter Weekend

Cottonwood Institute (CI) headed to the mountains to explore with an enthusiastic, down-to-earth, bunch of new and well-versed instructors!  Our annual instructor training was held at Calwood Education Center outside of Jamestown, CO and was full of laughs, learning, sharing, and friendships in the making. “The CI instructor training was a wonderful reminder of why… Read more »

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Instructors Get Outside to Learn and Play Together

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.” – John Muir New and returning instructors met up on a sunny Saturday morning… Read more »