The fourth annual STRIVE Prep — Sunnyside Mission:Wolf trip may have easily been the best yet. Twelve EXCEPTIONAL middle school students, two teacher chaperones, and two Cottonwood instructors ventured down early Friday morning for a three-day course and a date with the sanctuary’s rescued wolves. Students were excited to take the trip, some joining for… Read more »
Most of the time, we use our Alumni Spotlight to catch up with Cottonwood Institute alumni a few years after they’ve completed their CAP class, to see how they’ve been using what they learned in CAP to make a difference in their world. We didn’t need to wait that long to speak to Lindsey Machado;… Read more »
“Hurry up and wait.” “The wheels of change grind slowly.” “Patience is a virtue.” All frustrating phrases that no middle schooler really wants to hear. The action project for the CAP students at Angevine Middle School was a little bit of a lesson in these aphorisms, but also a lesson on how it is important… Read more »
The Centaurus CAP class’ spring backpacking trip to Cal-Wood was a twofer, or actually a threefer: first, the group had fun, they accomplished some much needed tree thinning for their service project, and the topper on this trifecta was getting a major step of their action project accomplished—collecting over 250 rooted seedling trees for replanting…. Read more »
CAP students from KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy (KSPA) embarked on their last weekend adventure for the semester at Cal-Wood Education Center. Prepared with a van full of gear and food, the group left the school, the city, and their technology(!) behind for a two-day, one-night adventure they will remember forever. The group arrived at their… Read more »
The centerpiece of every CAP class with Cottonwood Institute is the end-of-semester Action Project, which gives students the opportunity to address a local environmental issue of their choosing. Action Projects allow students to synthesize the lessons they’ve learned in class and on their field trips, and use them to create meaningful change in their communities…. Read more »
Did you know that native bees live in solitary “apartments” instead of bee hives? Or that plastic caps can now be recycled in Boulder as long as they are attached to empty bottles? Or that fashion industry “trends” are really just a ploy to get you to buy new clothes when you have perfectly good… Read more »
If you would have seen this Centaurus group at the beginning of the semester, you never would have thought they’d end up friends, let alone the close-knit, always-joking group that they have become. This cast of characters has a set of distinct personalities that could have come straight from a John Hughes movie. Their bonds… Read more »
The week preceding the Angevine Middle School spring trip to Cheley Outpost was snowy and sleety and miserable, enough to make the weak-willed have second thoughts about sleeping in a tent. But this group from Angevine has more Will than most (they have two!) and they were undaunted. They just threw some extra layers in… Read more »
As we continue to bask in the glow of last month’s Base Camp Bash, we’ve spent quite a bit of time reflecting on all of the amazing things Cottonwood Institute students have done this year. Our Ripple Effect Award Honorees Osiel Gomez and Pedro Guerra led the charge, educating their communities on the harms of… Read more »
