Several Cottonwood Institute Staff Members are Stepping into New Roles in Fall 2026, Bringing Fresh Perspectives and Experiences to Students at Our Partner Schools
Written by Communications & Administrative Coordinator Lori Powell. When a new school year begins, so do new opportunities for growth, connection, and adventure. This fall, several members of the Cottonwood Institute teaching team are stepping into new roles that will bring fresh perspectives and experiences to students while building on the strong relationships that we have established with our partner schools.
While our Community Adventure Program (CAP) instructors are changing schools, one thing remains the same: their passion for helping students connect with nature, themselves, and their communities through meaningful outdoor experiences.
Lori Steps into an Administrative Role
After two years of teaching CAP at New Vista High School and supporting events and communications when not in the classroom, Lori Powell is transitioning into spending more time focusing on communications and administrative work for the organization.
In this role, Lori will continue supporting CAP and other Cottonwood programs behind the scenes by strengthening communications, sharing student stories, supporting fundraising efforts, and helping more people understand the impact of outdoor learning. While she’ll miss the adventure of teaching CAP class, she’s excited to help amplify the incredible work happening across all of Cottonwood’s programs.
Sara Heads to a New Role at New Vista High School
Sara Grillo is moving into the CAP Instructor role at New Vista High School, where she’ll guide high school students through outdoor adventures, environmental learning, and community-based action projects.
Sara was previously teaching CAP at Angevine Middle School, and her most recent class there took on a garden-focused action project on campus. She will be well-prepared for the opportunity to continue collaborating with the New Vista Agriculture program when facilitating future New Vista CAP class action projects. When not teaching, Sara also coordinates fundraising events for the organization.
Harmony Moves to a New Role Angevine Middle School
Harmony Esqueda will be bringing her energy and experience teaching CAP to AXL Academy Middle Schoolers to Angevine Middle School this year. She knows middle school is an exciting time for students to discover new interests, develop leadership skills, and explore the outdoors in meaningful ways. Harmony is looking forward to helping students build lasting friendships, challenge themselves, and discover what they’re capable of through the CAP experience.
Hannah Joins the AXL Academy CAP Program
We’re excited to welcome Hannah Posedel into the CAP Instructor role at AXL Academy. Hannah will continue the hands-on, student-centered experiences that make CAP unique while bringing her own enthusiasm, creativity, and love of outdoor learning to AXL students.
From environmental stewardship projects to unforgettable field experiences, students can look forward to another exciting year of learning beyond the classroom. Her passion for connecting young people with the natural world will help students build confidence, leadership skills, and a deeper understanding of how they can make a positive impact in their community.
Growing Together in New Roles
At Cottonwood Institute, change often means new opportunities—for our students, our staff, and our programs. As our team members take on these new roles, they’re bringing with them the same commitment to creating unique outdoor experiences that inspire curiosity, confidence, and environmental stewardship.
Whether they’re leading students on the trail, facilitating classroom discussions, supporting programs behind the scenes, or helping tell the stories of our impact, each member of our team plays an important role in helping young people discover their connection to nature and their ability to create positive change.
We can’t wait to see what this school year has in store. Welcome to another year of adventure!
