Backpacking, for anyone who has been, is like a recipe. A little of this, a little of that to produce an unforgettable experience. Each trip has some key ingredients; there are those touching moments you can’t get when plugged into your phone or IPad. The pride of overcoming obstacles to meet basic needs, an incredible… 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 »
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 »
Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) announced that the Nature Kids/Jovenes de la Naturaleza (NKJN) Coalition in Lafayette, CO, which Cottonwood Institute is a lead partner for, won a $2.8M Inspire Initiative grant! NKJN will focus on a one-square mile area, in a network of public schools serving the lowest income children in the Boulder Valley School District…. 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 »
