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NVHS CAP Action Project: The World Is Changing

The world is changing. This change impacts all of us in more ways than we can tell. As teenagers, we can clearly recognize that our future is in jeopardy. So for the 2019 Fall CAP class at New Vista High School, (the 50th time CAP has been taught at New Vista High School), we decided… Read more »

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Alumni Spotlight: Leo Canner

For some students, one semester of CAP class with Cottonwood Institute just isn’t enough. And could you blame them? Connecting with the outdoors, learning critical 21st-century skills, effecting meaningful change in their communities—what’s not to love? And for a certain devoted subset of those students, like Leo Canner, even two semesters of CAP only serve… Read more »

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Cottonwood Institute’s Best of Spring 2019!

What a semester! With five CAP classes, 16 field excursions, and more than 100 students served, Spring 2019 was one of our busiest yet. From taking their frigid first steps on winter Field Days to making incredible strides to improve their communities in their Action Projects, Cottonwood Institute students have achieved so much this year…. Read more »

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Alumni Spotlight: Lindsey Machado

Most of the time, we use our Alumni Spotlight to catch up with Cottonwood Institute alumni a few years after they’ve completed their CAP class, to see how they’ve been using what they learned in CAP to make a difference in their world. We didn’t need to wait that long to speak to Lindsey Machado;… Read more »

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Action Projects Featured in The Boulder Daily Camera!

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 »

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Alumni Spotlight: 2014 Ripple Effect Award Winners

As we continue to bask in the glow of last month’s Base Camp Bash, we’ve spent quite a bit of time reflecting on all of the amazing things Cottonwood Institute students have done this year. Our Ripple Effect Award Honorees Osiel Gomez and Pedro Guerra led the charge, educating their communities on the harms of… Read more »

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Alumni Spotlight: Aleyna Porreca

If you’ve been part of the Cottonwood Institute family for while, Aleyna Porreca will already be a familiar face. After taking a CAP class at New Vista High School, Aleyna returned to CI as a Field Instructor back in 2010. Aleyna has been an amazing advocate for Cottonwood Institute’s mission and has gone on some… Read more »

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Alumni Spotlight: Astrea Strawn

We always love to hear about the ways Cottonwood Institute students bring their CI experiences with them into the world. CAP New Vista Alumna Astrea Strawn has made the outdoors a major part of her life, working as an outdoor educator and now pursuing a masters in marine sciences at Oregon State University.   What… Read more »

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Amazing Action Projects in 2018!

Our 2018 season of Cottonwood Institute (CI) CAP classes has come to an end! Each of our CAP classes spend a portion of their time service learning through their class action projects! In case you missed it, check out a few of the amazing Action Projects created by CI CAP students in 2018! Ending Car… Read more »

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Alumni Spotlight: Chloe Woodruff

Traveling is just dream for many, but not for Chloe Woodruff, a Cottonwood Institute alumnus, whom we caught up with recently. Taking one of the first ever CAP classes, Chloe has come a long way from being a timid adolescent back in the day.  Now she’s in charge! What are you up to these days?I… Read more »