Melissa Georgi

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Staff Spotlight: CAP Instructor Melissa Georgi

Get to know Melissa Georgi (she/her), who is our CAP Instructor at Angevine Middle School! Melissa is an outdoor educator, trip guide, forager, and former Park Ranger. Learn more about Melissa below, and read our other staff and board profiles here! What led you to become an environmental educator? “Standing on a mountain top overlooking… Read more »

Changemaker instructor and students pose with plans as moustaches

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Changemaker Program Year In Review 2023-24

And just like that, another inspiring cohort of Changemaker Outdoor Leadership Corps (a.k.a. Changemaker) students wrapped up an incredible year. Let’s take a look back to see what the Changemaker students accomplished for the 2023-24 programming year: This past fall, Changemakers hiked the Boulder Flatirons and enjoyed a September sunset picnic giving their program year… Read more »

A DMLK student caught a fish!

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DMLK Explorers: From Classroom to Campground

Discovering Nature, Building Community, and Making Memories. Written by Assistant Instructor Sasha Trask. Day 1 – Get-to-know-you and basic skills! We started off our first day of the Explore Outside program at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Early College (DMLK).  After a cool, cloudy morning of games, we headed off to Barr Lake State Park…. Read more »

Beats on the Creek summer concert series to benefit Cottonwood Institute

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Rock On: 2024 Beats On The Creek Summer Concert Series Is Back!

August 2nd, 2024 Update: The 2024 Beats on the Creek summer concert series to benefit Cottonwood Institute is a wrap. A huge thank you to Tom and Diane Coohill and the Coohills Restaurant staff and volunteers for helping us raise over $23,000 to support our Colorado Watershed Projects with Lincoln Hills Cares this summer. And… Read more »

A RiseUp Community High School student rafting on the Arkansas River during the Watershed Project trip

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RiseUp Makes a Splash! A Week of Rafting, Reflection, and Recharging in the Colorado Mountains

From Fish Hatcheries to Fierce Rapids, RiseUp Community High School Students Navigate Nature and Themselves in Leadville. Written by CI Field Instructor Hailey Schmidt. A small group of RiseUp Community High School students spent a wonderful week with Cottonwood Institute, learning about watersheds, getting to know each other better, and experiencing nature’s joys in the… Read more »

AXL 8th grade student holding a bullsnake he found on the overnight trip

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Bullsnakes, Bonfires, and Baby Salamanders: AXL Academy 8th Grade CAP Students Say Farewell with Epic Camping Trip!

AXL Academy 8th Graders Explore, Learn, and Make Memories on Unforgettable Adventure. Written by CI Field Instructor Caroline Paul. That’s a wrap on another great year of Community Adventure Program (CAP) Class at Aurora’s Expeditionary Learning Academy (AXL)! The 8th graders took their final camping trip before their big high school graduation, which was certainly… Read more »