With the click of a button, you can help the Cottonwood Institute receive $5,000 from the Community Foundation Serving Boulder County by helping us win the 2010 NOVA Award to support the Earth Task Force at New Vista High School next year! To vote, click: http://www.commfound.org/nova/2010 and mark Cottonwood Institute as your first choice. Please… Read more »
In an extraordinary effort of achievement, a small group of committed students at New Vista High School witnessed the fruits of their labor as they helped flip the switch to a new solar panel system recently installed at their school. After completing the Community Adventure Program, the core educational program of the Cottonwood Institute, a… Read more »
After completing the Community Adventure Program, the Cottonwood Institute’s core program, six extraordinary New Vista High School students realized that they wanted to continue making a difference in the world even though their class had ended. With their enthusiasm and persistence to change the world, they went above and beyond the call of duty to… Read more »
Over fifteen years, the Cottonwood Institute community has grown and spread all over the world. You never know where you’ll bump into an alum, instructor, or other friendly face. Denver, of course, is a pretty good bet—and so it was when Executive Director Ford Church bumped in to CI alum Eric Wesolowski while out and… Read more »
Cottonwood Institute had a great time attending sessions and presenting at the 14th Annual Teaching Outside the Box Conference in March 2014! As always, the conference was inspiring and rejuvenating, filled with sessions, roundtable discussions, networking opportunities, and celebrations. Each year, the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education hosts the Teaching Outside the Box Conference. The conference… Read more »
2013 marked the 10th year Cottonwood Institute (CI) has been teaching at New Vista High School! That’s 10 years of exploring, adventuring, playing, and taking action in the Boulder community. Back in the summer of 2003, Ford Church, CI’s founder and executive director, approached New Vista High School about implementing the Community Adventure Program (CAP),… Read more »
On a sunny morning in July, the Learning Garden at New Vista High School pulled Cottonwood Institute staff away from their computers and dove into the soil. Cottonwood Institute staff, donors, students, and friends volunteered their morning to work side by side to pull weeds, harvest food, and plant root veggies. They harvested heaps of healthy… Read more »
The 2nd quarter CAP class of the 2009-10 school year have been on quite a journey. While our first overnight in November boasted balmy fall temperatures, our second in December had record lows! Another group might not have been able to handle it, but 2nd quarter CAP pulled through. Our action project–Conserving Water Creatively was… Read more »
Under the warmth of the sun, 13 students from Gilpin K-8 Montessori School escaped the concrete jungle of Denver last weekend to find themselves surrounded by snow-capped peaks to learn about the environment and how to survive in it. The goals were simple: get students outdoors, have fun, and connect them with the environment before… Read more »
CAP students are expected to complete a Community Action Project at the end of the quarter based on outdoor and environmental issues affecting the Boulder community. In order to help us with this process, the CAP invited Garth Schaefer from Service Learning Colorado to talk to us about service learning projects. Middle and High School… Read more »
