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Seeing the World through a New Lens: New Vista’s Fall Overnight

Surrounded by the Autumnal aspens who were casting their golden beams of light upon us, New Vista’s CAP Class followed the long and winding road to Camp Cheley in Estes Park, a place we would call home for the next two days. After arriving, we oriented ourselves to this new space, wild and new to… Read more »

Staff Spotlight: New Vista CAP Instructor Lori Powell

Get to know Lori Powell (she/her), our CAP Instructor at New Vista High School! With experience ranging from experiential education to play-based learning, Lori knows how to bring life to a classroom! Learn more about Lori below, and read our other staff and board profiles here! What led you to become an environmental educator? I… Read more »

NVHS Students mulching at Ollin Farms

Soaked Seeds of Change: New Vista Students’ Transformative Day at Ollin Farms

Written by Eeland Stribling, Cottonwood Institute Field Instructor When New Vista High School students stepped onto Ollin Farms for a Cottonwood Institute field day, they expected to learn about sustainable farming. What they didn’t expect was how a day of hands-on experiences would foster seeds of environmental stewardship and community connection. The day began with… Read more »

Aleyna Porreca Instructing at Mission:Wolf

Alumni Spotlight: Aleyna Porreca

If you’ve been part of the Cottonwood Institute family for while, Aleyna Porreca will already be a familiar face. After taking a CAP class at New Vista High School, Aleyna returned to CI as a Field Instructor back in 2010. Aleyna has been an amazing advocate for Cottonwood Institute’s mission and has gone on some… Read more »

Engineering for the Planet

Amazing Action Projects in 2018!

Our 2018 season of Cottonwood Institute (CI) CAP classes has come to an end! Each of our CAP classes spend a portion of their time service learning through their class action projects! In case you missed it, check out a few of the amazing Action Projects created by CI CAP students in 2018! Ending Car… Read more »

Top 10 Inspiring Stories From 2018

Top 10 Inspiring Stories from 2018!

It’s that time of year again! As the year comes to a close, we are excited to share our top 10 inspiring stories from 2018. What exactly have we been up to this past year? See for yourself and get ready to be inspired! 1. Nature Kids Lafayette First Year Of Programming Returns Great Results… Read more »

New Vista CAP Students Take On Plastic!

More than 350 million tons of plastics are manufactured each year, and it continues to rise. That translates to 1 million plastic bottles per minute.  People in the US purchase about 50 billion water bottles per year, averaging about 13 bottles per month for every person in the U.S. 91% of these are not recycled…. Read more »

CAP Alumni Spotlight: Owen Love

CAP Alumni Spotlight: Owen Love

It’s always nice to catch up with old friends, and Cottonwood Institute (CI) did just that recently, with CAP alumnus Owen Love (formerly Owen Brown). Living in Boulder, CO, Owen has continued to use his CI skills not only while spending time outdoors with his family but also by becoming a vital part of his… Read more »

Brittany Salley-Rains

CAP Alumni Spotlight: Brittany Salley-Rains

Say hello to Brittany Salley-Rains! Brittany is a proud Cottonwood Institute alumnus currently living it up and exploring the great outdoors in Montana! We had a chance to catch up with her recently to see what she has been up to and hear how her time spent with Cottonwood Institute and CAP has influenced her… Read more »

New Vista High School CAP Students Enjoy Backpacking at Taylor Mountain

New Vista High School CAP class students had the opportunity to celebrate the fall equinox and changing colors near Allenspark, Colorado on their second fall camping trip! Nine students who have been learning backpacking skills throughout the semester packed their backpacks, made a meal plan, assigned camp chores, and hiked up Taylor Mountain to enjoy… Read more »

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