A Passion for Food Facilitated Connecting Students with Each Other and the Natural World. Written by Senior CAP Instructor Erin Angel.
The Centaurus High School Community Adventure Program (CAP) Class wrapped up another super semester in December, with their shared passion for food guiding some of their activities. The class, which began with only four students, welcomed more and more students as they arrived as newcomers to the country. The final roster of 18 students finished the semester in a blaze with a final exam challenge of building a fire and roasting the perfect golden-brown marshmallow.
During the semester, the class did tons of name games and team-building games to make sure each new student felt comfortable with the group. We learned about environmental issues such as biodiversity loss, consumerism, climate change, and drought. We even did a mini action project teaching others about edible plants by making chalk labels on the sidewalk that pointed to plants and told about their uses in English and Spanish. Highlights of the class for many of the students were our trips to Staunton State Park to learn archery and to Cheley for our campout, as well as learning tracking skills with the track of the day.
The students followed the “Cycle of Hope” as they planned their action project, which focuses on adapting to circumstances, nurturing what we have, and acting according to values. They agreed that they were concerned about fossil fuel use and wanted to do a project that made them feel hopeful and incorporated their favorite thing – FOOD! What do you get when you put alternative energy + love of food together? You guessed it – solar ovens! Students worked in teams to choose plans and build the best solar ovens for our region. Their shared passion for food helped them overcome language barriers, and they used their differing learning styles to benefit the class by dividing up jobs according to ability and interest as they built five different solar ovens, cooked with them and evaluated their designs. The learning was a success, even if some of the brownies were half-baked. Here’s to another delicious semester of CAP at Centaurus!
A big thanks to the funders and supporters that make the CAP Class possible, including: Enterprise Holdings Foundation, Great Outdoors Colorado, Patagonia, Thorne Nature Experience, Tony Grampsas Youth Services Program and the Xcel Energy Foundation.
If you, too, are passionate about getting students outside to explore nature for the first time, please consider making a donation or becoming a monthly donor! You’ll help invest in our students, programs, and long-term sustainability and success!
