CA students were busy all over the community on Tuesday this week.  Freshmen helped the Denver Parks department save thousands of dollars through sheer manpower as they "put the beds to bed" at various parks in the city.  Working in advisory groups, the 9th graders went to city parks and cleaned up garden areas.  They prepared the gardens for the winter by cleaning out annuals, turning the soil, etc.  It was a great day for manual labor as temperatures were in the 70s.  Sophomores went out to various service agencies by advisory groups.  Whether helping out a Montessori school, an equine rescue center, or a food bank, all the groups provided much-needed service to some of the city's most active non-profits. 

Juniors began their leadership program by spending a day at the Genesee Challenge Course.  Run by Denver Parks and Recreation, the course is full of low and high ropes elements as well as other outdoor and leadership training games designed to promote teamwork, individual challenge and self-reflection.  Juniors were divided into groups of 15 and were then moved through this range of activities.  Students had fun and (we hope) learned a lot about themselves and their peers.  Certainly, I saw many students challenged and engaged--and again the beautiful weather and setting only enhanced the experience.  I have posted some great "in action" pictures from the day in the Gallery section of the US Portal.

For their part, seniors were given the whole week to focus on college applications.  Many families took advantage of the days off to travel to colleges and universities they wished to visit.  Other students worked on applications, especially the much-dreaded college essay!  By the time school resumes next Tuesday, seniors should have made significant progress in their college search.