Several weeks have passed since we completed our annual Winter Staff Training for Cottonwood Institute instructors, but now it’s time to reflect on what we learned during that action-packed day. We covered a variety of skills, including: winter safety and risk management concerns, winter survival priorities, quinzhee snow shelters, emergency snow trench shelters, fire-making techniques… Read more »
The days were shorter and the nights were cooler, but New Vista High School’s 2nd quarter Community Adventure Program class was on fire as they prepared for their two overnight camping trips. While the first trip gave them beautiful fall days, the other made them endure freezing temperatures. However, both trips were enjoyed by all,… Read more »
After completing the Community Adventure Program, the Cottonwood Institute’s core program, six extraordinary New Vista High School students realized that they wanted to continue making a difference in the world even though their class had ended. With their enthusiasm and persistence to change the world, they went above and beyond the call of duty to… Read more »
“When you drink the water, remember the spring” ~Chinese Proverb How much water do you use everyday? Where does your water come from? How long could you survive without water? The second quarter CAP class chose “water” as their environmental issue. Students got excited about this issue after reading the New York Time article “The… Read more »
“When you drink the water, remember the spring” ~Chinese Proverb How much water do you use everyday? Where does your water come from? How long could you survive without water? The second quarter CAP class chose “water” as their environmental issue. Students got excited about this issue after reading the New York Time article “The… Read more »
Welcome to the Community Adventure Program. Before we get started, we need to get some feedback about the outdoors, the environment, your community, etc. Please answer this survey honestly and to the best of your ability. The good folks who fund this class use this information to assess the performance of the class and this… Read more »
The 2nd quarter CAP class of the 2009-10 school year have been on quite a journey. While our first overnight in November boasted balmy fall temperatures, our second in December had record lows! Another group might not have been able to handle it, but 2nd quarter CAP pulled through. Our action project–Conserving Water Creatively was… Read more »
With only 2 days left in 2009, I want to encourage you to make a tax-deductible donation to the Cottonwood Institute by Thursday, December 31, 2009 because your donations will help us continue to make experiences like this possible: Our students created amazing projects that benefited their schools, their community, and the environment like this… Read more »
As the quarter comes to a close, I wanted to get some open and honest feedback from this class about how to improve the CAP for future students. This information will not affect your grade, but please take it seriously. It will be reviewed by your school, the Cottonwood Institute, and this information will help… Read more »
As we wrap up 2009, we are in high gear to hit the ground running in 2010 by kicking off a brand new course called the Organic Gardening Project. During this project, we will camp out under the stars for 2 nights and 3 days at a local organic farm near Boulder, CO. In the… Read more »
