Late in January, during their very first CAP meeting, STRIVE Prep – Westwood students discussed what they wanted to get from their participation in the Cottonwood Institute’s Community Adventure Program. They said things like “Learn about Nature!” “Go camping and hiking!” “Learn survival skills and how to make a fire!” “Go snowshoeing!” “Make s’mores!” They… Read more »
Life is stressful. No less so for freshmen at STRIVE Prep -RISE in Northeast Denver. While the social stresses of starting high school are beginning to relax a bit, academic stress is rising. These students are also feeling the stress of current events which are causing a lot of unease for their communities. On February… Read more »
In August 2016, Cottonwood Institute (CI) took on a very important last minute project to officially have our Community Adventure Program (CAP) curriculum approved by the Boulder Valley School District Board of Education. This has been a long time coming and will open opportunities for work with more schools in Boulder County. Curriculum approval was… Read more »
The Denver Green School Monday/Wednesday Community Adventure Program (CAP) class recently ended their semester by designing and completing an Action Project. They spent the whole semester learning about environmental issues and how they impact our communities. The students decided that they wanted to focus on one that was near and dear to their hearts: healthy school lunches…. Read more »
The Denver Green School Tuesday/Thursday Community Adventure Program (CAP) class recently completed an Action Project to address an issue they studied and identified in their community: water pollution. The students spent several weeks designing and planning a project to address this problem and initiate change in their community. The project that they proposed was a clean-up of… Read more »
The students at STRIVE – Prep RISE are excited about the holidays, but with their environmental awareness on red (and green) alert, they wanted to reduce consumerism and environmental impact during the festivities. So, they started a series of events just before Thanksgiving break to help their community. First, they sent out tweets about how… Read more »
When you arrive at the Denver North campus that houses STRIVE Prep – Excel, unfortunately, one of the first things you notice is the trash that has blown up against the fence and dots the school yard. This reduces school morale and sends a (wrong) message that the students just don’t care. In fact, the… Read more »
What to do with a stairway with south-facing windows and a warm radiator that is in plain view of passing students? Build a window garden, of course! Students in the Community Adventure Program (CAP) at STRIVE Prep – Sunnyside perceived a lack of access to healthy, fresh food in their community and wanted to inspire their fellow… Read more »
Sparkling caverns, trickling waterfalls, a troll’s den, and a bear peering through a window. Does this sound like a fairy story? Settle in while I recount the tale, Dear Reader… Once upon a time, four valiant youths left the city to seek their fortune in the mountains. They boarded a big white carriage which bore them… Read more »
Recently, STRIVE Prep – Sunnyside Community Adventure Program (CAP) students headed up to the mountains outside Fairplay to explore the Beaver Ponds Environmental Education Center. They started off the trip on a beautiful Colorado morning by stopping at Staunton State Park for a short hike. The students learned about compasses and navigation and led the way to Davis… Read more »
