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Wilderness Reflections from STRIVE Prep – RISE

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 »

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Denver Green School Students Play the Days Away

Recently, the two Denver Green School Community Adventure Program (CAP) classes went on their second camping trip of the year. A group of 13 students and three leaders drove up to Cheley Outpost Camp near Allenspark and spent two days and one night learning camping skills, whittling, sawing wood, hiking, making fire, cooking and, of course,… Read more »

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A Windy Autumn Backpacking Trip with STRIVE Prep – Federal

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 »

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A Tale of the Ages: STRIVE Prep – Excel Overnight

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 »

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STRIVE Prep – RISE Rises Above Chilly Weather

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 »

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KIPP Montbello Students Singin’ in the Snow

“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,” twenty-plus Kippsters harmonized in the snow at the beginning of May. As many of us know, flexibility is the key word in education and we got to practice that with the abrupt change of venue for the Spring overnight trip for Community Adventure Program (CAP) students at KIPP… Read more »

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Backpacking, Hiking, and Exploring with CAP

This spring, the Community Adventure Program (CAP) at New Vista High School had many amazing outdoor experiences! Each adventure built upon the last, as the students grew into competent and excited outdoor enthusiasts. On most Friday afternoons throughout their few months together, CAP class headed to the nearby trails at the base of the Flat… Read more »

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Wandering in Nature with Buckley Air Force Base Youth

This has certainly been one of Colorado’s hottest summers, but that did not deter the Buckley Airforce Base Youth Group from going out to the woods for a weekend of adventure and learning with the Cottonwood Institute. On June 23rd they departed to the Colorado Lions Camp and Conference Center outside of Woodland Park near… Read more »

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Swell Challenge with Colorado Academy Seniors

Imagine backpacking through the beautiful desert of Utah, living on nothing but raw foods consisting of fruits and nuts and having no tents or sleeping bags; only poncho shelters and your clothes to keep you warm. You may be hungry, tired, hot or cold at times, but the challenges make you enjoy being in this… Read more »

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Casa de la Esperanza Girls Gobble It Up!

Gobble! Gobble!  “I saw a turkey!”  That was all it took. If there were any reservations about hiking earlier in the day, those dissipated as soon as the girls eyed the turkey off in the distance. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it was only fitting to find wild turkeys on our first outing with… Read more »