On a sunny Monday morning, a group of DCS Montessori students stood outside their school, patiently awaiting the arrival of the chariots that would whisk them off into the wild blue yonder. Beyond Colorado Springs, beyond Pueblo, and beyond Granby, there lies a place called Mission: Wolf, which would be the setting of these students’… Read more »
Expedition Behavior (EB) is a set of group practices that help a group reach the goals of a trip while also getting along. After learning about EB in class, the KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy (KSPA) CAP students developed a list of attainable group goals for their rock climbing field trip: Support each other to go… Read more »
The New Vista High School CAP Class class went out for their second and final trip this weekend, volunteering at the Columbia Cemetery, hiking near Allenspark, and day-hiking at NCAR in Boulder. Fortunately, the weather was excellent and the group got to enjoy some springtime sunshine and early wildflowers. At the Columbia Cemetery, students helped… Read more »
After completing their service project at Re:Vision in Westwood, students Arely and Olivia from KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy (KSPA) held a meeting in the conference room to present to us what they learned. “So,” started Arely, “what is Re:Vision?” A bullet-point list of facts written on a whiteboard was then pointed out: They help you…. Read more »
Cottonwood Institute’s (CI) mission is to connect underserved students to the outdoors and empower them to take action to improve their schools, their community and the environment for future generations. On New Vista High School’s first CAP overnight backpacking trip, we mixed things up a bit by empowering them to take action on their outdoor… Read more »
For Cottonwood Institute Instructors, maintaining a strong tool kit of outdoor skills is a constant process. While the core competencies instructors teach and use in the field have long remained the same, the tools and techniques considered to be “best practices” are always evolving. So as new instructors come aboard, longtime returning champions pick up… Read more »
Spring is (finally) here, and with it comes a delicious new way to support Cottonwood Institute! For the month of April, head to Chook Charcoal Chicken, the newest restaurant from Snooze’s Adam Schlegel and James Beard Award-winning chef Alex Seidel (Fruition, Mercantile Dining & Provisions), for a great meal and a good cause! Chook,… Read more »
The students of KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy (KSPA) worked together to create “news briefings” to share what they have done over the last month in CAP club, including their recent Field Day to Denver’s Johnson Habitat Park. A mixture of professionalism and silliness ensued as the students got into “newscaster” mode with their scripts: After… Read more »
Every time we venture outdoors, whether for a day hike or for a month-long trek, we accept a certain level of uncertainty. Informed preparation and risk management are of course essential practices, but it is our ability to adapt to changing circumstances that more often determines the success of a trip. Even the most meticulously… Read more »
Last weekend, students from KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy (KSPA) headed out to Bear Creek Lake Park for a fun day of adventure and winter skills learning. Two sixth grade students, Janet and Josselyn, recounted the day: We met early at the school then spent a while checking out gear to make sure we had all… Read more »
