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Alumni Spotlight: Kira Gilliland and the Impact of CAP Class

Escrito en español más abajo. Written by Cottonwood Institute alum Kira Gilliland. Cottonwood Institute’s flagship program, the Community Adventure Program (CAP), has been at Centaurus High School in Lafayette, CO since 2017. More recently, Cottonwood created Changemakers, a high school leadership program for alumni of our Boulder County programs. The Changemakers program gives about ten… Read more »

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Cottonwood Receives Xcel Energy Foundation Grant

Cottonwood Institute is grateful to receive a $15,000 grant from Xcel Energy Foundation for the second year in a row! This gift will help support our CAP Classes at AXL Academy, Angevine Middle School, Centaurus High School, New Vista High School, and STRIVE Prep – Westwood during the 2022-23 school year. Because of the continuing… Read more »

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Staff Spotlight: Senior Instructor Erin Angel

We are excited to do a little bragging about our amazing Cottonwood Institute (Cottonwood) Senior Instructor, Erin Angel (she/her)! Erin is a woman of many talents, interests, and passions, and we are excited for you to get to know her better! Erin teaches Cottonwood’s core CAP Class and Changemaker Program in Boulder County. Erin helps… Read more »

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Ripple Effect Award

We are all changemakers; knowingly or unknowingly, the effects of our actions ripple out, changing the world in large and small ways each day. Every year since 2013 at the Base Camp Bash, Cottonwood Institute recognizes the ways our students make change in their schools, their communities, and the world. The Ripple Effect Award celebrates… Read more »

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Fall 2021 CAP Class Impact Report

Find out what students thought of CAP Class during fall 2021! Written by Curriculum Manager Chelsea Tossing (Escrito en español más abajo) Our 2021 CAP classes have wrapped, and it’s been an eventful semester here at CI! After COVID put a pause on our field experiences during the 2020-21 school year, we were thrilled to… Read more »

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Farewell to We Ride 4, But Not Goodbye!

For the past year, Cottonwood Institute has been lucky enough to partner with We Ride 4, a local cycling club in Denver, CO. We Ride 4 strives to create an experience-based cycling community that shares a passion for riding and socializing. Their membership dues go toward supporting non-profits that benefit children through better health, activities,… Read more »

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Year In Review 2021

  As Cottonwood Institute (CI) wraps up its 17th year of operation, I wanted to take a moment to reflect about the challenges and successes of this past year. We are now highly skilled at being flexible, designing creative back up to the back up plans, and are ready to tackle any challenges and opportunities… Read more »

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Xcel Energy Foundation Grant 2021-22

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 »

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Top 10 Inspiring Stories from 2020!

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 »

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Cottonwood Institute State of the Union 2020

With the US presidential election less than a week away — don’t worry, this is NOT a political post — I wanted to take an opportunity to share Cottonwood Institute‘s (CI) State of the Union in 2020. We are now 8 months into the COVID-19 pandemic and like many, CI’s world has turned upside down…. Read more »