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 »
For Cottonwood Institute‘s Community Adventure Program (CAP) students at STRIVE Prep – RISE, the second overnight at the Cheley backcountry outpost was a weekend packed full of new experiences. Read what one of the students had to say about their weekend below! My trip to the mountains with my class was awesome!!!! We got to do many… Read more »
During the first week of October, a select few students from STRIVE Prep – Federal braved the cold and the wind for an experience like no other! Ten middle schoolers, along with two STRIVE teachers and two Cottonwood instructors, spent two days at White Ranch Open Space, just west of Golden, CO. The first impressions… Read more »
A unique feature of the Community Adventure Program (CAP) class at STRIVE Prep – Excel is the age diversity of the participants. Half of them are Seniors, driving cars and getting ready for college. The other half are Freshmen, just out of middle school and testing their new high school identities. (Then there is one Sophomore,… Read more »
Recently, a group of twenty-two freshmen from STRIVE Prep – RISE headed up past Allenspark to the Cheley Outpost. For most of them, this was their first camping trip ever. The weather was bright and the aspens were at their peak for a beautiful fall weekend. The students enjoyed the challenge of setting up their tents in the… Read more »
On a crisp morning on Saturday, September 24th, 2016, 7th and 8th graders from STRIVE Prep – Sunnyside’s Community Adventure Program (CAP), as well as CI staff, instructors, donors, board members, and volunteers, headed down to the Westwood neighborhood of Denver to help out during Cottonwood Institute‘s Urban Farm Volunteer Project with Re:Vision. Re:Vision is… Read more »
Many people wonder how Action Projects with Cottonwood Institute work and what makes them so powerful. The key is the students. The students have to be invested in the topic and really care about the outcome in order for the projects to not just be another course requirement when many students already feel overwhelmed with coursework. How… Read more »
