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Come Throwdown at The Throwdown on August 6, 2017

It wouldn’t be summer without one of the best charity cornhole tournaments to benefit Cottonwood Institute, so come throwdown at The Throwdown on Sunday, August 6th, 2017 at Denver’s Union Station! It’s a pretty big deal, so Register Today! Not only will you help empower underserved students in Colorado through Cottonwood Institute’s award winning programs,… Read more »

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STRIVing for a Sustainable Future – Dancing to a New Beat

The Community Adventure Program (CAP) students at STRIVE Prep –RISE had a lofty goal: to have their new school building reflect their values and environmental ethics. These students are the first Freshman class at STRIVE RISE and realize that their actions set the course for the school’s sustainable future. This semester they envisioned and designed a solar… Read more »

Casa de la Esperanza at Beaver Ponds

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Casa de la Esperanza Students Spend a Weekend Exploring Beaver Ponds

Rushing creeks and energetic boys from Longmont’s Casa De La Esperanza housing community (Casa) crisscrossed the property of Beaver Ponds Environmental Education Center  this summer.  As part of CI’s Community Adventure Program (CAP), the boys explored the high-altitude evergreen forests, captured bugs, fed barnyard animals, spotted beavers, and made medicinal balms. At first glance, the swift… Read more »

BOCES Leadership Workshop

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BOCES Students Participate in Leadership Workshop with CI!

Last month, Cottonwood Institute instructors met up with 68 middle and high school students from 15 school districts throughout northeast and east central Colorado. They spent three days at CU Boulder as part of a program hosted by BOCES. They are an umbrella organization providing educational, administrative, technological, and other services to school groups across the state of Colorado. The… Read more »

New Vista High School's action packed field days

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NVHS CAP Students Enjoy Two Action Packed Field Days!

New Vista High School, a changemaker school in Boulder, Colorado is known for doing things unconventionally, out-of-the box, and in a style all its own. The CAP Spring 2017 class was no exception. Instead of the usual two overnights that tend to be standard in the the Cottonwood Institute CAP curriculum, we completed one overnight and… Read more »

Littleton Academy spends a weekend with the wolves

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Littleton Academy Spends a Weekend with The Wolves

“I kissed a wolf, and I liked it,” a fifth-grader from Littleton Academy sang. She had just met Mission:Wolf’s newest addition, Nashira, a 14-week-old pup. A group of 23 fifth graders traveled to Mission:Wolf, the wolf sanctuary in Colorado’s Wet Mountains to participate in Littleton Academy’s annual endangered wolf project led by Cottonwood Institute. Friday… Read more »

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Colorado Academy Teambuilding Workshop

As Colorado Academy instructors prepare for the kids coming to camp this summer, they invited Cottonwood Institute (CI) to teach a teambuilding workshop at their staff training!  If you know CI, this is definitely in our wheelhouse of what we like to teach, so we jumped on this opportunity!  With three CI instructors and 68 Colorado Academy instructors… Read more »

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STRIVE Prep – Westwood’s Awesome Camping Adventure.  

Saturday morning, bright and early, in the parking lot of STRIVE Prep – Westwood School, CAP students and their instructors gather their gear, load up the van and head out for the weekend for their awesome camping adventure. “So, CAP Students, what do you want to get out of this weekend camping trip. It’s not every day we… Read more »

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KIPP Northeast Denver Leadership Academy CAP Students Learn the Value of Teamwork

The KIPP Northeast Denver Leadership Academy CAP students experienced personal and physical challenges on their class overnight trip to Cal-Wood. Despite the difficulties, together we ultimately gained first-hand experience in the importance that teamwork has on the ultimate success of the group.  The freshman crew of KIPP students started their Cal-wood camping trip off by exploring the nature area at Rocky… Read more »