So much has happened to high school students this year. During a time in life where they are supposed to be seeking out new opportunities and finding themselves, their wings have been clipped and they are stuck in the nest, disengaged from the world around them. So much change is happening in the world that… Read more »
The beginning of March is an exciting time for Cottonwood Institute (CI) CAP Programs at Centaurus High School (CHS) and Angevine Middle School (AMS). We play creative games and brainstorming games as we come up with ideas for how to solve problems in our communities. Students form coalitions to lobby other students on their… Read more »
With schools transitioning to distance learning and students spending (understandably) less time outside, Cottonwood Institute has been faced with the tough question of how to make environmental education accessible and relevant in a time when we can’t do many of the things that normally make up a CAP Class. Fortunately, our team has quite a… Read more »
On a serendipitous sunny day in February, forces aligned to restore Coal Creek from the 2013 floods. Lafayette CAP Outdoor students from Centaurus High School and Angevine Middle School worked with Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, the City of Lafayette, and Biologists from University of Colorado to plant willows to shore up the banks of the flood-damaged… Read more »
We asked the students of the Centaurus CAP Outdoor Class a classic icebreaker question when we circled up at 8am in the school parking lot before our winter field dau to Caribou Ranch Open Space near Nederland: What superpower do you want to have? Volar (flying) was a popular choice. Invisibility, mind control (mwahaha) and… Read more »
Fossil fuels are a big problem. They are non-renewable, unsustainable, create air pollution, and their production and consumption create greenhouse gases that are making our planet a perilous place to live. On the other hand, we love to use electricity! We love to use cell phones, play video games, watch movies and listen to music,… Read more »
The Centaurus High School CAP Class had a fun-filled Field Day at Hall Ranch Open Space just southwest of Lyons. Having learned about Leave No Trace (LNT) principles in class, students exemplified the first principle, Plan Ahead & Prepare, by packing a delicious lunch, making sure they had enough water for a day hike and… Read more »
Pulling up to Buckingham Park alongside the hundreds of bicycles making their way up Lefthand Canyon just outside of Boulder served as a perfect introduction to a beautiful weekend in the mountains. Six CAP students from Centaurus High School took the plunge by setting out for Cal-Wood Education Center in Jamestown for a weekend of… Read more »
The Centaurus CAP class’ spring backpacking trip to Cal-Wood was a twofer, or actually a threefer: first, the group had fun, they accomplished some much needed tree thinning for their service project, and the topper on this trifecta was getting a major step of their action project accomplished—collecting over 250 rooted seedling trees for replanting…. Read more »
The centerpiece of every CAP class with Cottonwood Institute is the end-of-semester Action Project, which gives students the opportunity to address a local environmental issue of their choosing. Action Projects allow students to synthesize the lessons they’ve learned in class and on their field trips, and use them to create meaningful change in their communities…. Read more »
