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 »
On a sunny Monday morning, a group of DCS Montessori students stood outside their school, patiently awaiting the arrival of the chariots that would whisk them off into the wild blue yonder. Beyond Colorado Springs, beyond Pueblo, and beyond Granby, there lies a place called Mission: Wolf, which would be the setting of these students’… Read more »
Expedition Behavior (EB) is a set of group practices that help a group reach the goals of a trip while also getting along. After learning about EB in class, the KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy (KSPA) CAP students developed a list of attainable group goals for their rock climbing field trip: Support each other to go… Read more »
One cold yet sunny day in April, AXL Academy CAP students left school to go somewhere better. Somewhere with no internet. Somewhere where they could get lost in its beautiful views. The woods. They got into the van and took off towards the mountains. When they got to the campsite, some students recognized the spot… Read more »
The New Vista High School CAP Class class went out for their second and final trip this weekend, volunteering at the Columbia Cemetery, hiking near Allenspark, and day-hiking at NCAR in Boulder. Fortunately, the weather was excellent and the group got to enjoy some springtime sunshine and early wildflowers. At the Columbia Cemetery, students helped… Read more »
After completing their service project at Re:Vision in Westwood, students Arely and Olivia from KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy (KSPA) held a meeting in the conference room to present to us what they learned. “So,” started Arely, “what is Re:Vision?” A bullet-point list of facts written on a whiteboard was then pointed out: They help you…. Read more »
Wow, another Base Camp Bash has whizzed by and we were able to raise critical funding for Cottonwood Institute programs with a little New Orleans flair. So, how much did we raise this year? Well, you’ll have to read on… The Cottonwood Institute decorating committee—spearheaded by Beverly Church and Jessica Church—CI staff, and volunteers descended… Read more »
Cottonwood Institute’s (CI) mission is to connect underserved students to the outdoors and empower them to take action to improve their schools, their community and the environment for future generations. On New Vista High School’s first CAP overnight backpacking trip, we mixed things up a bit by empowering them to take action on their outdoor… Read more »
For Cottonwood Institute Instructors, maintaining a strong tool kit of outdoor skills is a constant process. While the core competencies instructors teach and use in the field have long remained the same, the tools and techniques considered to be “best practices” are always evolving. So as new instructors come aboard, longtime returning champions pick up… Read more »
