Have you ever been concerned with a local environmental issue, but didn’t think you had the tools to tackle it? STRIVE Preparatory Schools Westwood campus students rolled up their sleeves and put their skills to the test through Cottonwood Institute’s Community Adventure Program (CAP). STRIVE Westwood students that participated in the CAP class this spring… Read more »
This past weekend, Cottonwood Institute instructors and STRIVE Preparatory Schools students from two different campuses traveled with their teachers to Cal-Wood Education Center for an overnight camping adventure to learn about fire ecology in the Boulder County foothills. At Cal-Wood, students got to experience low impact camping while also learning and practicing “Leave No Trace” principles. For some STRIVE… Read more »
In late October, students from STRIVE Preparatory Schools’ Excel campus went backpacking as part of their Community Adventure Program (CAP) class with Cottonwood Institute. CAP at STRIVE is a semester-long class, which meets two days each week for 15 weeks. The first few weeks of class in August and September focused on teambuilding, nature awareness,… Read more »
This spring, over 20 students enrolled in Cottonwood Institute’s Mini-CAP course offered at STRIVE Prep – Sunnyside as an Enrichment course for students. All but three students were in the sixth grade, and together they learned about issues affecting their community and took action to improve some of the problems they observed. Passionate about air quality in their… Read more »
In mid-May, students from STRIVE Prep Sunnyside and Green Valley Ranch campuses enjoyed one of the first sunny and warm weekends of the spring. Students from both campuses came together for a fun-filled and adventurous overnight camping trip as part of their respective mini-CAP classes with Cottonwood Institute. Early on Saturday morning, they headed to… Read more »
In early June, Cottonwood Institute led a group of students from STRIVE Preparatory Schools’ Excel campus to Mission: Wolf, a solar-powered wolf sanctuary in Westcliffe, Colorado. The group spent four days meeting wolves, playing, exploring, learning, and working hard to give back Mission: Wolf. Situated across the valley from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and… Read more »
The 2014 Base Camp Bash was an incredible success for the Cottonwood Institute. We raised critical funds for our programs, met some amazing supporters, and celebrated the impact our students are having in the community. One way we honor our students is through our annual Ripple Effect Awards. The Ripple Effect Award is given each… Read more »
For the last six weeks, STRIVE Preparatory students at the Westwood Campus have been a part of the Cottonwood Institute Mini-CAP program. For the final two weeks of their project, these middle school students joined an organization called N.O.W. (Neptune Ocean Warriors). This organization was started by students at Excel High School. This organization is helping make… Read more »
Within the first couple weeks of their Cottonwood Institute Mini-CAP class, students at STRIVE Prep Excel decided they were frustrated with the closed system of food in their community. They saw heaps of wasted food and food scraps and started to cultivate a passion and motivation to tackle this issue. Their first step was to… Read more »
October 26th, 2013 was not an average Saturday morning for Strive Preparatory Schools’ Excel Campus ninth graders enrolled in the Outdoor Education Enrichment with Cottonwood Institute’s mini-CAP. No sleeping in, no television, and no morning menudo. This morning was different. It was the beginning of their camping adventure. After five weeks of intense preparation for this… Read more »
