Cottonwood Institute (CI) programs at New Vista High School have seen a few changes lately as student interest has shifted. The great thing about CI’s student directed programming is that it can shift with the students so their passions still lead the way! Below are descriptions of two new groups forming and getting projects underway… 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 »
It has been another energizing and successful year! We are excited to announce Cottonwood Institute’s annual top 10 inspiring stories from 2016. Thanks to all who voted on our Cottonwood Institute Facebook Page! So what were our students up to this year? Check it out! New Cottonwood Institute Video: Watch. Like. Share. Do You Believe in… Read more »
2016 has been an incredible year and we have big plans for 2017. Here are our “Top 5 Reasons To Invest In Cottonwood Institute” for #GivingTuesday and #COGivesDay this year: 1. We are connecting students to the great outdoors: “My weekend [camping trip] was super peaceful. I enjoyed myself up in the mountains because I… Read more »
The Earth Task Force (ETF) held a bake sale of yummy pastries that all contained honey to promote pollinators. ETF students decided to do this for the pollinators that are in danger of becoming extinct and the team wanted to earn money to give to an organization that helps pollinators. They also wanted to help… Read more »
This past March, students from New Vista High School’s Earth Task Force (ETF) hosted an exciting community event called Bring Your Own Mug Day (BYOM). The purpose behind the event was to encourage students and staff to use their own reusable mugs, in place of taking advantage of disposable cups. Reusable mugs are an important… Read more »
