Video of the Moment

Photo of the Week

5/15/2012
Thanks to everyone who helped out with the CRMS Plant Sale this past weekend!!! It is one of those efforts that couldn't happen without the participation of many. Both days of the sale were busier than ever. While we have not completed the count, it appears the amount of plants sold will approach $17,000, which is $3000 over last years total.

3/10/2012
One of the youngest scientists to create fusion is a sophomore at Colorado Rocky Mountain School in Carbondale, Colorado. Tanner Oates loves science and had an idea that he's been exploring for the past two years with the guidance of his teachers and experts in different areas of his project. He's been working on an Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Project, or IEC fusion reactor. He says, “The project uses electrostatic confinement and probability quantum tunneling to fuse an isotope of hydrogen called deuterium. Deuterium enters the chamber in the form of a gas, then creates a superheated plasma. The plasma is about 70,000,000 kelvin and is created by -45,000 volts. This confinement hurls the atoms of deuterium, or‘deuterons,’ around to then collide into each other to create fusion. The fusion is detectable from the neutron flux it produces. This project uses the same principal of a star and not that of a conventional nuclear reactor.”

Tanner plans to continue to study science and hopes to someday discover a clean and economic source of energy that can be shared with everyone. Kayo Ogilby, head of the science department at CRMS,said, "It is exciting to see a student run with a passion with this kind of excitement, dedication, and tenacity. His resultant knowledge in this field is extraordinary. His entire approach has been an inspiration to faculty and students alike."

3/13/2012
Students returning from spring break took advantage of the sunny weather that Carbondale has been having an played outside on the giant chess board. The game was a gift from a senior class and has been placed outside of the Bar Fork for students to enjoy. 



3/13/12
The CRMS community came together to spend time celebrating the legacy of the school's founders, John and Anne Holden, while learning how the values they held remain relevant today. Alumnus speaker Dick Durrance, who is a renowned National Geographic and Vietnam combat photographer spoke to the students about his diverse experiences and challenged them to follow their dreams and embrace change.

3/5/2012
In addition to our regularly schedule Outdoor Program trips, the Outdoor Program offers regular extra-curricular weekend outings each month.  We call these weekend outings "Weekend Rendezvous" as a way of identifying them as an opportunity to come together with peers and staff to explore a myriad of outdoor activities.
Above is a picture from a back country skiing trip to Silverton.  Here's the report from Darryl Fuller, Director of Outdoor Program: "We departed Friday afternoon and drove down to Silverton, staying at the Hostel in historic Silverton.  Saturday morning we went for a backcountry ski tour atop Red Mountain Pass.  The weather was perfect, and the whole group made it up to over 12,000 feed on the ridge near McMillan Peak.  Some folks skied down to build a jump near the trailhead while a hearty crew stayed out to pursue additional laps of skiing.  Saturday evening we returned tired and a bit sunburned to the hostel and made a big dinner.  Sunday we were up and out early to prepare for a day of guided skiing at Silverton Mountain Resort.  We met our guide and started off the day with an exposed and exciting climb up Billboard Peak (13,500 ft).  From there we skied a mix of wind-affected snow down to dreamy powder.  The rest of the day was spent seeking out untracked steeps and glades.  By 3pm most of the group was pleasantly exhausted."


2-27-2011
Colorado Rocky Mountain School rock climbers returned this weekend from Colorado Springs with some serious hardware!  At this year's Colorado Rock Climbing State Championships, the Girls' JV and Varsity teams took 1st place, with individuals Boys' JV took second place, a Boys's Varsity had one too few climbers to score as a team but both boys finished in the top 10.
Congratulations to all of the CRMS athletes!  Too many outstanding individual performances to list here, but check back soon for some press releases regarding the competition.
Above, coach Tracy Wilson stands with the Varsity Girls' team, Torrey, Lea and Mollie.


2/20/2012
Winter can be a funny time in the Carbondale high desert.  Somedays the sun will be shining down on the dry, red rock hills, and other days we can accumulate several inches of snow in just a few short hours.  Above is the view from the Admission Offices as a prospective family heads home in a snow flurry.  Safe travels to everyone this winter!


2/16/2012
Although another successful Interim has ended, here are a couple of pictures from the many student presentations last week. CRMS students, parents, faculty, and community members explored the exhibits held in the Barn and music building to see what everyone had been up to early this January.
Above, students in the blacksmithing Interim share their pieces with the community.  Several of the pieces will be displayed around campus both as artwork as well as with functional uses like the piece of railing on the above table.


2/16/2012
Although another successful Interim has ended, here are a couple of pictures from the many student presentations last week.  CRMS students, parents, faculty, and community members explored the exhibits held in the Barn and music building to see what everyone had been up to early this January.  
Above, students in George Weber's "Song Writing" Interim perform their pieces to a packed house.  Musical stylings were varied, from electronic and hip-hop to acoustic singer/songwriters.


2/12/2012
All School Meeting opened with some rock and roll this morning.  Math Department Head, William Brown, and junior Lucien played a soulful Mississippi Muddy Waters cover.  The duo proclaimed it was time to bring "real" rock back into popular culture.  Judging by the audience's reaction, blues-based rock may be trending on students' iPods in the up-coming few weeks.


2/10/12
  Every February, students get a break from their daily class schedule to pursue a special intellectual interest for an entire week. Since the early 70s, Interim has been one of the most popular parts of academic life at CRMS, as every member of the community is able to focus his or her energies on a single elective. Courses range from a service and mountaineering trips around the US and South America, to hands-on building and engineering projects on campus, to and extensive opportunities taking advantage of accelerated classes in the arts.
Above, students traveled to Ecuador and summited two of the highest peaks near Quito. 


1/10/2012
Today at All School Meeting, the directors of the 5Point Film Festival were back on the Colorado Rocky Mountain School campus to fill us in on the 2012 Dream Project, a scholarship program for high school students in the Roaring Fork Valley.  Last year, two of the three scholarships went to CRMS students.  JJ Woorley ('11) spent a few weeks in Costa Rica in a Spanish language immersion program, during which she taught English in an elementary school and helped coach a soccer program.  Weaver Froelicher ('13, pictured above, right) took his scholarship to Uganda, where he worked with a public health initiative focused on milaria research and prevention, as well as kayaked a section of the White Nile that has since been dammed and no longer contains white water.
Justin Clifton (above, left), 5Point's Executive Director, told CRMS students that this year there will be five scholarships available worth $1500, and encouraged our community to submit their most creative, wildest dreams to the contest.  For more information about the Dream Project and the 5Point Film Festival, visit www.5pointfilm.org.


1/6/2012
A new semester at Colorado Rocky Mountain School found us welcoming a few new students into the community!  From left to right: Alex, sophomore, from Lafayette, California; Gabe, sophomore, from Boulder, Colorado; and Libby, sophomore, from Bozeman, Montana.  We're thrilled to have such talented and dynamic students joining us from all across the country.  
As you might notice behind these three, there's not much snow on campus right now, and by the looks of their outerwear, not much need for big down jackets yet either.  The high desert here in Carbondale has been particular dry this winter.  Fortunately, Aspen has been getting just enough snow to keep all four mountains open and has been seeing the entire CRMS community on the slopes already this quarter.  Still... Think snow!


1/4/2012
We were welcomed back to campus for the start of second semester by a beautiful sunset over Carbondale!  The Colorado Rocky Mountain School campus borders two rivers: the Crystal, and the Roaring Fork.  Both are used by the CRMS kayak program and by fly fishing enthousiasts from around the world.  This shot was taken from the Holden House, which overlooks the Crystal.
So nice to have students and faculty back on campus again!  Could 2012 be CRMS's best year ever?  It just might.


12/14/2011
The first day of mid-term exams brought more than just essays and multiple-choice questions: it brought a few inches of fresh powder!
Although the warm afternoon sun melted the snow quicker than some of us would have liked, students still found time after their second exam for some stress-busting.
And because mid-terms mean no trips to Aspen, why not bring the skiing to campus? A few students built a small kicker outside of the Holden House and managed to squeeze in some runs before dinner. Eli, freshman, took advantage of the opportunity to click-in.