Written by Field Instructor Ruthie Cartwright. Hands and feet hit the rock wall before names had even been exchanged. Rock climbing, a sport which can often intimidate even the most versatile athletes, was clearly a welcome new adventure to the youth from the Sims-Fayola Foundation. Bodies were flying up the wall, and even clinging to… Read more »
Cottonwood Instructors Jessie and Ruthie joined Boulder County for a Lefthand Outdoor Challenge winter skills day at Caribou Ranch. Written by Ruthie Cartwright. We’ll invite you into the same scene that we offered the Lefthand Outdoor Challenge students on Saturday: imagine that we just sat down to take a break after a long snowshoe hike…. Read more »
Close your eyes for a moment. Create a picture in your mind as you answer this question: What is the definition of nature? Now open your eyes. What is in your picture? Are there plants, trees, or mountains? Are there animals? Are there people? Are there buildings? How does the picture feel? Is it calm… Read more »
Winter Staff Training with Cottonwood! Written by Teagan Papke. Check out our photos here! What does a winter staff training at Cottonwood Institute entail? A snow-stomping hoedown (or… “snowdown”); a beloved quinzhee named Quinn; lunch with hot cocoa and donuts; snowshoes and sunshine; laughter; teamwork; reflection; sharing; and a ski-in guest star appearance from Paul… Read more »
Written by CAP Instructor Carly Winner (Escrito en español más abajo) William Smith High School has a unique offering: the school is grouped into Crews, which meet weekly for homeroom and provide an opportunity for students to get to know each other outside their typical classes. This fall, Cottonwood Institute and William Smith are teaming… Read more »
Written by Instructor Carly Winner (Escrito en español más abajo) Cottonwood Institute is once again collaborating with Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (WRV), City of Lafayette Parks, Recreation, and Open Space, Thorne Nature Experience, and Nature Kids Lafayette on the Lafayette Youth Corps (LYC) program, which gives high schoolers an opportunity help to care for parks trails… Read more »
Written by Chelsea Tossing (Escrito en español más abajo) When we first began the Changemakers program in the summer of 2020, the world felt as if it had been turned upside down. Students had been out of school for months, and the lockdowns that extended into summer proved even more isolating. As we began thinking… Read more »
Written by CI CAP Instructor Erin Angel (Escrito en español más abajo) Once upon a hot September day, the students from Angevine Middle School CAP Outdoor Class insisted on taking a giant zucchini with them on their walking field trip. They named him Zucchi and they accidentally broke him in half during Ms. Angel’s safety… Read more »
Written by CI Field Instructor Aileen Palma (Escrito en español más abajo) Time flies when you’re having fun…Erin and Aileen had the pleasure of working with a group of students from Casa de La Esperanza for a short two weeks before we geared up for a culminating day hike. Although the students grew up together, this didn’t… Read more »
Cottonwood Institute is excited to receive a $10,000 grant from Xcel Energy Foundation to help support our CAP Classes at AXL Academy, William Smith High School, Angevine Middle School, Centaurus High School, and New Vista High School during the 2021-22 school year! We are honored to partner with Xcel energy and their commitment to transition… Read more »
