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 »
Colorado Wildfire Project During this program, we will camp on-site and take a deep dive into learning about wildfires in Colorado. The curriculum explores how wildfires impact soil and land health, and investigates fire ecology and erosion. Students will check out new and old wildfire burn areas, and complete wildfire mitigation Action Projects to help… Read more »
Multi-day outdoor skills programs for middle and high schools. Cottonwood Institute collaborates with schools and youth organizations along the Colorado Front Range—primarily for middle and high school students—to provide high quality, high impact environmental education and service-learning programs. We run multi-day outdoor skills programs close to home in the Front Range or at one of… Read more »
AXL Academy students came back from their day off to go play in the sun and snow at Golden Gate Canyon State Park. Written by Carly Winner. Check out photos here! Escrito en español más abajo After snowing over ten inches in the beginning of the week, AXL Academy students came back from their day… Read more »
Angevine Middle School students came out of their shells and bonded on their winter field day. Escrito en español más abajo Written by Field Instructor Barbara Ramsdell. See photos here! Eleven students from Angevine Middle School’s CAP class set out on Friday, January 28th for their first winter field day at Caribou Ranch Open Space…. Read more »
The Changemakers winter field day featured a skeletal surprise, quinzhee, avalanche training, and plenty of falls in the snow! Written by Chelsea Tossing. Check out more photos here. Escrito en español más abajo If you’ve ever been to Brainard Lake in the winter, you know how absolutely beautiful it is; endless miles of trails take… Read more »
Have you ever seen over 36,000 pounds of food distributed to approximately 560 families in a single day? Volunteers from Cottonwood Institute, Re:Vision, We Ride 4, Elsmere Education, and Google have! This holiday season, these outstanding organizations teamed up to create boxes filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, delicious pumpkin pies, cookies, potatoes, bread, eggs,… Read more »
Written by CAP Instructor Carly Winner The first Cottonwood Institute overnight of the 2021-2022 school year was a success as students braved wintry conditions for a fun night. The AXL Academy CAP class met on Thursday morning to venture up to Cal-Wood Education Center. On the drive up, we couldn’t see much through the fog… 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 »
Meet Dru Falco, CI’s Logistics Coordinator! Dru is responsible for risk management and logistics behind our field programs, from choosing locations to cleaning gear to figuring out how to acquire fishing poles for a trip. If she’s not working on a spreadsheet, you can find her running in the mountains or trying to find the… Read more »
