The results are in, and the winning name was revealed on Tuesday! If you haven’t already, head over to our Instagram (@cottonwoodcollegeprep) to see which name came out on top. Trust us — you don’t want to miss it. This whole campaign has been such a blast and just one of the many ways we love keeping our school community engaged and excited. Thanks to everyone who voted, and stay tuned for even more fun events coming your way!

Our Leadership Club brought superhero-level creativity to CCPA with their amazing photobooth for Marvel vs. DC Spirit Day! Students transformed a corner of our school into an epic photo zone, complete with handmade props featuring iconic superhero symbols, masks, and speech bubbles. The team also set up professional-style lighting and a camera to ensure everyone’s superhero poses looked their best. Throughout the day, students gathered in the booth with friends, striking heroic poses and creating fun, unforgettable memories that captured the excitement of Spirit Day. It was a true community moment, filled with laughter and a lot of superhero flair.

At our Montessori-inspired charter high school in El Dorado County, we love seeing our Leadership Club take charge of events like these to bring students together. By organizing creative, hands-on activities like the photo booth, our students develop teamwork, project management, and event-planning skills — all while having fun. Whether you’re rooting for Marvel or cheering for DC, the day was all about celebrating creativity and school spirit. Thanks again to our Leadership Club’s efforts! Our students left with fun memories and silly pictures to look back on for years to come!

Charter schools are known for their adaptability and student-centered focus.  This flexibility allows for the integration of diverse educational models, such as Montessori and project-based interdisciplinary studies. Charter schools foster innovation, giving educators the freedom to implement cutting-edge teaching strategies that keep students engaged.

As you explore options for high school this innovative mix might just be the key to unlocking your student’s full potential. Come explore CCPA, a charter high school that incorporates Montessori strategies and interdisciplinary studies while ensuring all students are college and career-ready upon graduation.

“The Cottonwood College Prep Academy (CCPA) is a Charter High School with Montessori-inspired education as the foundation for project and student-based learning. These principles empower the learner by fostering independence, curiosity, and a lifelong love of learning- qualities that build a strong foundation for CCPA high school graduates and ensure a successful transition to college and beyond.”

– Norman Lorenz  (The Cottonwood School Board President)

At the heart of this project is an essential question: “How can raised bed gardens be used to promote community engagement, environmental stewardship, and food security?” By tackling this question, our students are learning how sustainable practices can strengthen communities and create a connection to the environment. This garden project embodies our commitment to interdisciplinary learning, blending science, design thinking, and social sciences to help students develop a deeper understanding of their impact on the world around them. We’re excited to watch them dig in — literally — and bring their thoughtful plans (and plants) to life!

On Wednesday, our 9th and 10th-grade students took part in a Model UN Conference as part of their semester-long “Growing Solutions” project. The conference focused on food security in Venezuela, with each student representing a country and engaging in thoughtful debate on the issue. Students were challenged to propose solutions aligned with their country’s perspective. In preparation for the event, they conducted in-depth research on various aspects of their assigned nations, including past food crises, their country’s role within the United Nations, and its voting history on global issues. Students thoroughly enjoyed debating the issue of food security and collaborating to develop group solutions to address the challenge. 

This is what CCPA is all about! As a school grounded in project-based learning, we constantly seek innovative ways to immerse students in hands-on experiences. Whether they’re hosting a mock election, building garden beds, or engaging in a Model UN conference, our students are committed to creating meaningful work and turning their ideas into reality.

This kind of hands-on, immersive project is exactly what we strive for at CCPA. We believe that learning should be engaging, dynamic, and thought-provoking, and this criminology activity showcased just that. By incorporating interactive assignments like this, we’re able to cultivate a passion for learning that goes beyond traditional methods, encouraging students to think critically, collaborate, and have fun while mastering new concepts. It’s all part of how we create a learning environment that brings subjects to life and prepares students for success.

At CCPA, we take pride in offering a wide range of exciting after-school clubs that cater to our students’ diverse interests and passions. During our hybrid time from 1:15 PM to 2:45 PM, Monday through Thursday, students can participate in a variety of clubs while still having access to in-person tutoring and academic help. Our club lineup includes engaging options like Model UN, Theater, Robotics, Yearbook, Pottery, Ping-Pong Club, Drawing, Games, and Sewing. These clubs are more than just a fun way to spend the afternoon; they’re an opportunity for students to explore new hobbies, build friendships, and develop skills outside the classroom. Students often look forward to these club sessions as a way to unwind and express themselves after direct instruction time, making their school day both productive and enjoyable.

What makes CCPA unique is our commitment to creating clubs based on student interest. If three or more students show interest in forming a new club, come up with a designated time slot, and find a staff member willing to supervise, we’re excited to get the club started! This approach ensures that students have a voice in their extracurricular activities, creating a school culture that’s inclusive and student-driven. Whether it’s building robots, creating pottery pieces, directing a play, or competing in a friendly game of ping-pong, our students know they have a place where their interests are celebrated and supported.

Halloween at CCPA was a total blast this year! As a hybrid high school in El Dorado County serving both the Folsom and Sacramento areas, we’re all about blending community spirit with fun and creativity. This Halloween was no exception! Our celebration began with a school-wide pumpkin decorating contest that brought out everyone’s artistic side. From spooky to downright hilarious, the pumpkins really showed off our students’ imagination. The costume contest took center stage, with students showing up in everything from classic characters to one-of-a-kind creations. Best Overall Costume went to a stunning handmade costume of Varian from “Tangled the Series,” crafted by one of our talented students. The Most Creative Costume award went to a clever Chick-fil-A “Eat Mor Chikin” cow, complete with a handmade sign, and the Funniest Costume prize went to a trio of students who teamed up as characters from “The Lorax,” including the Lorax himself, a Truffula tree, and the Once-ler. It was an epic group effort that had everyone laughing!

And, of course, it wouldn’t be Halloween without a little game time, so we played a spooky edition of Halloween Bingo that had the whole school cheering and competing for treats. Events like these go beyond just having a good time; they help us build a strong, supportive community where students and staff can connect and create memories. At CCPA, we know that fostering these relationships is key to a positive school experience, and holiday fun is the perfect way to make it happen!

Meanwhile, the 9th and 10th grade classes are in the middle of their “Growing Solutions” project, which challenges them to construct a raised bed with vegetables and other plants to answer the essential question: How can raised bed gardens be used to promote community engagement, environmental stewardship, and food security? Students have been exploring the development of our food system and evaluating perspectives on its current state. They are addressing food needs by designing and constructing raised garden beds, embodying the project-based learning model that CCPA’s hybrid high school is known for. Additionally, students will create a website for a restaurant—including menus and a restaurant history—based on the produce they choose to grow in their garden beds. At the mock election night, our CCPA community members were able to preview prototypes of the raised garden beds showcased in the Innovation Lab.

This unique approach to learning emphasizes community engagement and hands-on projects, embodying CCPA’s mission to deliver meaningful, project-based learning experiences to students in the El Dorado, Sacramento, and Placer counties.