Casa de la Esperanza had a great day hiking with Cottonwood Institute last weekend as part of their Summer Nature Awareness Series. After the ride down from Longmont, participants packed up lunch, played a few name games and were ready to start learning. Juanita from Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) joined them at… 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 »
This spring, the Community Adventure Program (CAP) at New Vista High School had many amazing outdoor experiences! Each adventure built upon the last, as the students grew into competent and excited outdoor enthusiasts. On most Friday afternoons throughout their few months together, CAP class headed to the nearby trails at the base of the Flat… Read more »
In mid-March, the Mini Community Adventure Program (Mini-CAP) crew from STRIVE Preparatory Schools’ Westwood campus embarked on an overnight camping adventure in the foothills of Colorado with the Cottonwood Institute. Highlights of the trip for the students were learning and practicing primitive survival skills, and simply spending time away from the city and within the… Read more »
The Cottonwood Institute had an amazing opportunity to work with Colorado Youth for a Change (CYC) during a four day program. Led by Cottonwood Institute instructors Deb and Jessi, the program began with two day hikes and culminated in an overnight backpacking trip at White Ranch Open Space Park outside of Golden, Colorado. Colorado Youth… Read more »
After two overnight camping trips, Community Adventure Program students reflected on their experiences thus far. Many students made deep connections between our class and everyday life. Read what Lucy had to say about her CAP class wilderness experiences: I got many things out of the two overnights that we went on as a CAP class. One… Read more »
Throughout 2011 and 2012, Cottonwood Institute has been partnering with Casa de la Esperanza, a Boulder County housing community in Longmont. We have gone on day hikes, hosted movie nights, and worked on action projects. And finally, on the weekend of July 21st, we embarked on the best adventure ever – CAMPING! The forest of… Read more »
This has certainly been one of Colorado’s hottest summers, but that did not deter the Buckley Airforce Base Youth Group from going out to the woods for a weekend of adventure and learning with the Cottonwood Institute. On June 23rd they departed to the Colorado Lions Camp and Conference Center outside of Woodland Park near… Read more »
Eight months ago, Cottonwood Institute embarked on a new journey, Mini CAP, with a group of sophomores from FAST Tracks, a dropout prevention program at Lakewood High School. Mini CAP is a spin off of our core curriculum at New Vista High School in Boulder, the Community Adventure Program. We took our CAP curriculum and… Read more »
In a league all of its own, West Denver Preparatory’s Lake Campus (WDP) has risen to the challenge to meet the needs of Denver’s burgeoning inner-city demographics. The students at WDP are offered an excellent education and are shown that success later in life and getting into college starts as early as middle school. This… Read more »
