The New Vista High School CAP Class class went out for their second and final trip this weekend, volunteering at the Columbia Cemetery, hiking near Allenspark, and day-hiking at NCAR in Boulder. Fortunately, the weather was excellent and the group got to enjoy some springtime sunshine and early wildflowers. At the Columbia Cemetery, students helped… Read more »
Cottonwood Institute’s (CI) mission is to connect underserved students to the outdoors and empower them to take action to improve their schools, their community and the environment for future generations. On New Vista High School’s first CAP overnight backpacking trip, we mixed things up a bit by empowering them to take action on their outdoor… Read more »
More than 350 million tons of plastics are manufactured each year, and it continues to rise. That translates to 1 million plastic bottles per minute. People in the US purchase about 50 billion water bottles per year, averaging about 13 bottles per month for every person in the U.S. 91% of these are not recycled…. Read more »
New Vista High School CAP class students had the opportunity to celebrate the fall equinox and changing colors near Allenspark, Colorado on their second fall camping trip! Nine students who have been learning backpacking skills throughout the semester packed their backpacks, made a meal plan, assigned camp chores, and hiked up Taylor Mountain to enjoy… Read more »
As with any good class teachers most often begin class with a series of activities that can help facilitate the group adopting a safe space to learn. These activities generally consist of the following elements: Name games, team building exercises, class “rules” and expectations/syllabus review. As I tell all of my students, I alone cannot… Read more »
The process of completing the CAP class action project at New Vista High School, mirrors the Cycle of Hope from the Better World Handbook. The first step is Finding out about a problem. My students hear about environmental problems through the current events that I bring to class every day as well as the current… Read more »
After any Cottonwood Institute backpacking trip, I routinely ask students what they learned on the trip as a part of our larger debrief and secret pal reveal. Overwhelmingly, students say that they enjoyed learning about knots. The New Vista High School CAP class were no exception. After their recent trip to Taylor Mountain near Allenspark,… Read more »
We caught up with Peter Zola, an amazing Community Adventure Program (CAP) student alumni from New Vista High School in Boulder, CO who is now 31 years old. He was gracious enough to fill us in on what he’s up to these days. Of course, he’s still “Livin’ the Dream!” as our Executive Director, Ford… Read more »
Some camping trips are known for their epic climbs. Others are remembered for their harrowing experiences or are hallmarked by amazing animal sightings. The New Vista High School Spring CAP trip will be known for word games. To be specific, its epic five-hour word game (during which, two students built a blazing fire, three others… Read more »
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 »
