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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
More than 350 million tons of plastics are manufactured each year, and it continues to rise. That translates to 1 million plastic bottles per minute. People in the US purchase about 50 billion water bottles per year, averaging about 13 bottles per month for every person in the U.S. 91% of these are not recycled…. Read more »
New Vista High School CAP class students had the opportunity to celebrate the fall equinox and changing colors near Allenspark, Colorado on their second fall camping trip! Nine students who have been learning backpacking skills throughout the semester packed their backpacks, made a meal plan, assigned camp chores, and hiked up Taylor Mountain to enjoy… Read more »
As with any good class teachers most often begin class with a series of activities that can help facilitate the group adopting a safe space to learn. These activities generally consist of the following elements: Name games, team building exercises, class “rules” and expectations/syllabus review. As I tell all of my students, I alone cannot… Read more »
The process of completing the CAP class action project at New Vista High School, mirrors the Cycle of Hope from the Better World Handbook. The first step is Finding out about a problem. My students hear about environmental problems through the current events that I bring to class every day as well as the current… Read more »
After any Cottonwood Institute backpacking trip, I routinely ask students what they learned on the trip as a part of our larger debrief and secret pal reveal. Overwhelmingly, students say that they enjoyed learning about knots. The New Vista High School CAP class were no exception. After their recent trip to Taylor Mountain near Allenspark,… Read more »
