Winter Staff Training with Cottonwood! Written by Teagan Papke. Check out our photos here! What does a winter staff training at Cottonwood Institute entail? A snow-stomping hoedown (or… “snowdown”); a beloved quinzhee named Quinn; lunch with hot cocoa and donuts; snowshoes and sunshine; laughter; teamwork; reflection; sharing; and a ski-in guest star appearance from Paul… Read more »
Written by CAP Instructor Carly Winner (Escrito en español más abajo) William Smith High School has a unique offering: the school is grouped into Crews, which meet weekly for homeroom and provide an opportunity for students to get to know each other outside their typical classes. This fall, Cottonwood Institute and William Smith are teaming… Read more »
Written by Instructor Carly Winner (Escrito en español más abajo) Cottonwood Institute is once again collaborating with Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (WRV), City of Lafayette Parks, Recreation, and Open Space, Thorne Nature Experience, and Nature Kids Lafayette on the Lafayette Youth Corps (LYC) program, which gives high schoolers an opportunity help to care for parks trails… Read more »
Written by Chelsea Tossing (Escrito en español más abajo) When we first began the Changemakers program in the summer of 2020, the world felt as if it had been turned upside down. Students had been out of school for months, and the lockdowns that extended into summer proved even more isolating. As we began thinking… Read more »
Written by CI CAP Instructor Erin Angel (Escrito en español más abajo) Once upon a hot September day, the students from Angevine Middle School CAP Outdoor Class insisted on taking a giant zucchini with them on their walking field trip. They named him Zucchi and they accidentally broke him in half during Ms. Angel’s safety… Read more »
Written by CI Field Instructor Aileen Palma (Escrito en español más abajo) Time flies when you’re having fun…Erin and Aileen had the pleasure of working with a group of students from Casa de La Esperanza for a short two weeks before we geared up for a culminating day hike. Although the students grew up together, this didn’t… Read more »
Cottonwood Institute is excited to receive a $10,000 grant from Xcel Energy Foundation to help support our CAP Classes at AXL Academy, William Smith High School, Angevine Middle School, Centaurus High School, and New Vista High School during the 2021-22 school year! We are honored to partner with Xcel energy and their commitment to transition… Read more »
The Cottonwood Institute Happy Hour is getting a new look for 2021! Though we still can’t be together in person, this won’t be just another boring Zoom “happy” hour, oh no. This is an opportunity to connect with the amazing ecosystem of Cottonwood Institute program partners, celebrate each other’s success, and try out some brand… Read more »
Ah January—a time to reflect, set intentions, and cave on your New Year’s resolution by January 3rd. Wait, what? If you’ve ever failed at a New Year’s goal, you’re not alone; studies show that nearly 80% of resolutions get dropped by the end of the year. We all know that big sweeping changes are hard… Read more »
2020 has been a lot of things, and while “inspiring” may not be the first word that comes to mind, there were in fact many things to be inspired by in the world of Cottonwood Institute! Our instructors stepped up to the challenge of adapting their programs in a big way, and our students were… Read more »
