This past May, while West Denver Prep students persevered through a rainy weekend camping trip, the South Platte River was lacking the water needed for a true rafting experience. Unfortunately, this resulted in the cancellation of a well-earned rafting trip for  the students from this year’s Three Trees and a River Project with West Denver Prep.

However, the Cottonwood Institute, West Denver Prep, and City Wild, would not give up. By working together, the kids finally had an experience to remember for the rest of their lives. Teaming up with City Wild, another non-profit working to connect youth to the outdoors, West Denver Prep students, their teacher, and CI instructors alike, excitedly pushed the rafts into the river to finally begin their day on the water. While students learned about their watershed and the importance of rivers, they also learned how to comfortably explore the water and became experts at jumping into the river to engage in “water wars.”  The trip was a positive experience for everyone who took part, and despite being somewhat belated, it turned out to be the perfect end to an exciting year’s worth of service learning.