Interim at Colorado Academy provides opportunities to get out of the classroom to learn by doing, through exposure to new ideas, experiences, and environments. Interim trips span the gamut from artistic pursuits and community engagement to wilderness expeditions. Immersion in a unifying trip concept broadens students’ skills, knowledge, and awareness.
All 2023 Colorado Academy Middle School Interims will take place Monday, May 8-Friday, May 12.
INTERIM GOALS
- To practice physical and emotional resilience
- To cultivate student agency through trip planning and leadership
- To practice community values and service to others
- To learn via exploration and personal initiative
- To collaborate and problem solve
INTERIM FORMS & WAIVERS
Registration Forms: Once students have reviewed trip descriptions, they should click on the registration link. Each student should put their choices in order from 1 to 10, and each parent should sign at the bottom. Registration forms should be completed by Wednesday, February 1.
Interim Waivers: Parents will need to complete the Interim Waiver that is included in the registration form.
At this time, we do not need any of the trip-specific waivers signed. We will collect those after Interim placements have been completed.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- Attendance on Interim is mandatory. Please do not schedule appointments during Interim.
- Interim registration is final, and changes are made only for medical emergencies.
- Interim rosters will be shared on March 1, 2023.
- Take into account the general health of your child. Some medical conditions or poor fitness should lead you to place certain programs as a low choice. To participate in water Interims, students must be able to swim.
- Parents may need to pick up their child from an away trip (in Colorado or a neighboring state) within 24 hours of a child developing COVID-19 symptoms or after testing positive for COVID-19.
- Students should not repeat an Interim.
- The cost of Interim is included in tuition. In some cases, students are required to provide their own specialized equipment (e.g., skis).
- Please review all materials and discuss possible options with your child. If you have any questions that I can be helpful with, please do not hesitate to contact me at abby.page@coloradoacademy.org.
- To view trips, click the quick links below or simply scroll down.
Interim Quick Links
Amazing Race: Denver Edition
- Trip Leaders: Liz Estacio & Kathy Zolla
- Trip Type: Local (Denver-based all week)
- Locations: Denver, Golden, Idaho Springs, Colorado Springs
- Level: Medium Intensity (moderate activity, up to 3 hours per day)
- Vendors: Various
- View the presentation.
In Amazing Race Denver, we will be solving puzzles to find our destinations and learn about the history of the areas we live in.
2023 CA Middle School Interim Registration Form
Back In Time
- Trip Leaders: Sue Counterman, Miriah Royal, & Abel Ramirez
- Trip Type: Away (away from Denver for 5 days)
- Location: Colorado National Monument, Western Colorado
- Level: High Intensity (active 5+ hours per day, in the outdoors with periods of intense exertion)
- Vendor: Keystone Science School
- View the presentation.
Travel back in time through the history of the Rocky Mountains as you explore hiking trails and geologic formations at Colorado National Monument. Stop by the magnificent Fairy Caves on the way, and each day will be spent hiking and learning about the area’s landscape, flora, and fauna. Students stay at Highline Lake State Park and Saddlehorn Campground and will complete a challenge hike on the last day.
2023 CA Middle School Interim Registration Form
Cedar Mesa Backpacking
- Trip Leaders: Jose Malagon & Whitney Johnson
- Trip Type: Away (away from Denver for 5 days)
- Location: Cedar Mesa, Moab, Utah
- Level: High Intensity (active 5+ hours per day, in the outdoors with periods of intense exertion)
- Vendor: Kent Mountain Adventure Center
- View the presentation.
Edward Abbey, the famed environmentalist, reminds us that “Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit.” Explore, backpack, and canyoneer the beautiful canyons of Utah’s Cedar Mesa and build lifelong friendships along the way. We will backpack each day, camp under the stars, explore well-preserved Native American archaeological sites, and we’ll even stop by Glenwood Springs for a dip in the pool on our way home. A 5-day backpacking trip in the wilderness is something that people only dream of doing, so come join us and create memories to share for years to come!
2023 CA Middle School Interim Registration Form
Canoe Labyrinth Canyon
- Trip Leaders: Eric Augustin & Mara Krutsinger
- Trip Type: Away (away from Denver for 5 days; will return late evening on Friday)
- Location: Green River, Utah
- Level: High Intensity (active 5+ hours per day, in the outdoors with periods of intense exertion) Students must be able to swim.
- Vendor: Centennial Canoe
- View the presentation.
Students will canoe down 48 miles of the historic Green River. John Wesley Powell explored the Green River, a main tributary of the Colorado River, in 1869 as the first part of his epic journey down the Colorado River. This is one of the longest running Middle School Interims, as it provides students a rich experience that is at the core of the Interim program.
2023 CA Middle School Interim Registration Form
Colorado Fly Fishing
- Trip Leader: Matt Olmstead
- Trip Type: Hybrid (away from Denver for at least 1 night)
- Locations: Denver, Deckers, Bailey, and Pinecliffe, Colorado
- Level: Medium Intensity (Moderate activity, up to 3 hours per day)
- Vendor: N/A
- View the presentation.
On the Fly Fishing Interim, students will learn the art of fly fishing. We will explore Colorado, engaging different river types, habitats, and river ecology, while introducing students to the importance of fisheries and water resources in the West today. Students will learn to evaluate fishing conditions, travel safely in the backcountry, and discover fishing hotspots close to home.
2023 CA Middle School Interim Registration Form
Creative Crafty Cooking
- Trip Leaders: Peggy Butler & Olivia Wall
- Trip Type: Local (Denver-based all week)
- Location: Denver, Colorado
- Level: Low Intensity (sitting, standing, and light walking)
- Vendor: Cook Street Culinary School
- View the presentation.
Do you want to razzle and dazzle your friends and family by cooking yummy meals using basic cooking ingredients? Are you tired of heating up tasteless frozen snacks in the microwave? Then this is the Interim for you!
2023 CA Middle School Interim Registration Form
Denver Audubon: Become a Junior Naturalist
- Trip Leaders: Abby Johnson & Meghan Jordan
- Trip Type: Local (Denver-based all week)
- Location: Littleton, Colorado
- Level: Medium Intensity (moderate activity, up to 3 hours per day)
- Vendor: Denver Audubon
- View the presentation.
Come join us at the Audubon Nature Center at Chatfield State Park, where you will train to become a Junior Naturalist Graduate and an expert in topics like survival skills, aquatic invertebrate identification, bird rehabilitation, water conservation, and more! The mission of Denver Audubon is to inspire actions that protect birds, other wildlife, and their habitats through education, conservation, and research, and you will spend the week at an incredible facility getting hands-on experience in this exciting field of science!
2023 CA Middle School Interim Registration Form
Discover Scuba
- Trip Leaders: Erin Carlson & Daniel Lopez
- Trip Type: Local (Denver-based all week)
- Location: Denver, Colorado
- Level: Medium Intensity (moderate activity, up to 3 hours per day) Students must be able to swim.
- Vendor: A1 Scuba
- View the presentation.
This scuba Interim will provide students with a unique opportunity to learn how to scuba dive in a pool and then culminate their work by diving at the Downtown Aquarium on the final day of Interim! Students will learn how to engage in this sport in a safe way and to care for themselves as they are deep underwater, enjoying the coral and wildlife.
2023 CA Middle School Interim Registration Form
Front Range Mountain Explorers
- Trip Leaders: Donna Farrell & Erin Galvin
- Trip Type: Local (Denver-based all week)
- Locations: Golden, Golden Gate Canyon State Park, Colorado
- Level: Medium Intensity (moderate activity, up to 3 hours per day)
- Vendor: Colorado Mountain Club
- View the presentation.
Students will explore Front Range open space and the Movement Rock Climbing Gym. Students will learn to climb, belay, and boulder in an indoor and outdoor setting. They will also attend a yoga class at Movement, learn map and compass skills, Leave No Trace ethics, plus local flora and fauna. Interim week will culminate with outdoor climbing at North Table Mountain in Golden, as well as hiking in Golden Gate Canyon State Park.
2023 CA Middle School Interim Registration Form
I Dig Denver
- Trip Leaders: Becci Marzonie & Rebecca Silva
- Trip Type: Local (Denver-based all week)
- Locations: Meow Wolf, Denver Art Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, RiNo Art Walk, Idaho Springs, Golden
- Level: Low Intensity (sitting, standing, and light walking)
- Vendor: N/A
- View the presentation.
I Dig Denver is an in-town experience. If you find your city “boring,” you’ll get to explore some unique Denver experiences. We’ll go to places around Denver, such as Meow Wolf and other museums, where you can immerse yourself in art installations. We also plan on trying the different cuisine scenes Denver has to offer, from Native American food to exploring Asian cuisines. Are you ready to fall in love with your city?!
2023 CA Middle School Interim Registration Form
Mountain Biking the Front Range
- Trip Leaders: Jason Koza & Jessica Campbell
- Trip Type: Hybrid (away from Denver for at least 1 night)
- Location: Front Range Biking locations
- Level: High Intensity (active 5+ hours per day, in the outdoors with periods of intense exertion)
- Vendor: Lucky to Ride
- View the presentation.
Are you interested in learning how to maintain and push your mountain bike to the limit? Explore different trails along the Front Range in search of the perfect flow while you shred some gnarly trails. Beyond hitting the trails, we will spend a day learning how to build and maintain our bikes at a local shop.
2023 CA Middle School Interim Registration Form
Rad River Adventure
- Trip Leaders: Forbes Cone & Ian Marzonie
- Trip Type: Away (away from Denver for 5 days)
- Location: Dotsero, Colorado
- Level: High Intensity (active 5+ hours per day, in the outdoors with periods of intense exertion) Students must be able to swim.
- Vendor: Colorado River School
- View the presentation.
This exciting five-day kayaking/paddling Interim will navigate stretches of the Upper Colorado River near Kremmling, Colorado. The week begins with learning paddle strokes, bracing, self-rescue, and T-rescue on slow-moving water. Each day, the group will put their skills into practice to navigate moving water and rapids on the Colorado River. River safety, scouting, self-rescue, and reading whitewater will promote respect for our rivers, all while having a blast!
2023 CA Middle School Interim Registration Form
Space Camp
- Trip Leaders: Kathleen Kirkman, Laura Farmer, Jared Katzman
- Trip Type: Away (away from Denver for 5 days)
- Location: Hutchinson, Kansas
- Level: Medium Intensity (moderate activity, up to 3 hours per day)
- Vendor: Cosmosphere
- View the presentation.
Ready for an out-of-this-world experience? While at the Cosmosphere space training center, you will work to complete a simulated space mission successfully. As an astronaut in training, you might launch high-powered rockets, create programs to send a coded message, or produce a press conference where you will discuss the upcoming mission. Throughout your week, test your skills to complete a mission to orbit the Moon using the Cosmosphere’s Mission Control Center, design a model rocket and test maximum altitude, fly drones through an obstacle course, or use your engineering skills to build a Rube Goldberg machine. Astro Recruits will work to overcome obstacles and focus on career paths such as engineering, robotics, journalism, and IT systems. At space camp, you’ll shoot for the stars!
2023 CA Middle School Interim Registration Form
Wild Ride in Moab
- Trip Leaders: Bill Wolf-Tinsman, Beth Folsom, Corey Lans, & Brian List
- Trip Type: Away (away from Denver for 5 days)
- Location: Moab, Utah
- Level: High Intensity (active 5+ hours per day, in the outdoors with periods of intense exertion) Students must be able to swim.
- Vendor: Red River Adventures
- View the presentation.
Come have fun with us in one of America’s best-known playgrounds—Moab, Utah. This multi-element trip includes hikes in Arches National Park and technical rock climbing and rafting down the Colorado River. No rafting, hiking, or climbing experience is necessary, but a great attitude and teamwork are essential. Participants must be able to swim.
2023 CA Middle School Interim Registration Form