Before Cottonwood Institute takes students out for winter field days, they have to practice what they preach and teach. An eager group of CI veterans and newcomers met up early on a Saturday morning, packed lunches, and then packed themselves into CI’s shiny new van and drove to Caribou Ranch Open Space in Nederland for… Read more »
One of the quintessential Cottonwood Institute experiences is learning to build a quinzhee, a simple snow shelter that can be useful in winter survival scenarios. It’s a technique Executive Director Ford Church brings from his survival school days, and one that endures as a winter field day staple (see pictures from our recent Instructor Training… Read more »
Fossil fuels are a big problem. They are non-renewable, unsustainable, create air pollution, and their production and consumption create greenhouse gases that are making our planet a perilous place to live. On the other hand, we love to use electricity! We love to use cell phones, play video games, watch movies and listen to music,… Read more »
The Angevine Middle School CAP class recognizes that one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases is food waste, and they decided to do something about it. From giving out recipes and ingredients to low-income families, to turning tired Thanksgiving leftovers into delicious meals, to performing a rap and making a mural to educate their… Read more »
One of the hardest aspects of climate change is staying positive and proactive in the face of a huge, scary, global problem. It often feels too big for one person. Students in New Vista High School’s (NVHS) Activism Through Self-Expression Workshop used the scary side of climate change to their advantage by playing on this… Read more »
Students in the second trimester Community Adventure Program (CAP) Class at Aurora Expeditionary Learning Academy (AXL) got to experience a magnificent state park that is less than an hour away from their school! Roxborough State Park is a 45 minute drive Southwest of AXL, but as you can see from the photos, it looked like… Read more »
Over fifteen years, the Cottonwood Institute community has grown and spread all over the world. You never know where you’ll bump into an alum, instructor, or other friendly face. Denver, of course, is a pretty good bet—and so it was when Executive Director Ford Church bumped in to CI alum Eric Wesolowski while out and… Read more »
Usually we use this space to check in with Cottonwood Institute alumni, to hear about all of the amazing things they’ve been up to since completing CAP. But we can’t forget about the other important folks who make up the CI community! So this time we’re speaking to Jeremy Dougherty, fourth generation Coloradan, Founder of… Read more »
The Centaurus High School CAP Class had a fun-filled Field Day at Hall Ranch Open Space just southwest of Lyons. Having learned about Leave No Trace (LNT) principles in class, students exemplified the first principle, Plan Ahead & Prepare, by packing a delicious lunch, making sure they had enough water for a day hike and… Read more »
With nine weeks of CAP behind them and only one more week to go, the CAP students at KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy (KSPA) spent some time reflecting on their experiences together. Each student wrote what they refer to as a “gist statement”; a few sentences that give a sense of/a gist about their understanding of… Read more »
