Work Program

Colorado Rocky Mountain School promotes a strong belief that working hard is an essential aspect of life and learning. The lessons of the work curriculum at CRMS are just as classical and vital as those of sports. The indispensable nature of our work crews can be seen throughout the campus. When CRMS was founded in 1953, the ranch buildings supplied the basic necessities of school life. The older students lived in tents; the classrooms in the Barn were dirt-floored. Working side by side, students and faculty converted chicken coops into houses and ranch buildings into classrooms and studios. Work crews helped construct many new buildings, including the dormitories, the Jewelry Hogan, the Adobe Art Studio, the Solar Dormitory, the Science Building interior, the Whitaker Building, the Greenhouse, and the Jossman Academic Building. Every building on the CRMS campus bears the mark of its creators and the sweat of many hands. Today, preparation for college continues to be informed by the virtues offered by the work curriculum. Furthermore, an honest accounting of our current situation on Earth forecasts a future in which today's students would be well prepared to gain many of the sustainable-living skills taught in the work curriculum.

Students choose a work-crew assignment for each of the four quarters of the school year, and they receive a written evaluation for their performance during the work-crew period. Students are expected to engage themselves fully in each project, which in turn yields a sense of pride in their accomplishments. Every student is expected to participate in work crews, as this is a graduation requirement. Work crews usually meet two afternoons per week. Students who do not participate on a competitive team are required to join a work crew. Because of the time commitment required, those participating in competitive sports such as soccer or skiing will not have a work crew during that quarter but are required to participate in a work crew at another time. Competitive teams will participate in a community service project during their competitive season.

Adobe
The Adobe work crew performs many tasks around the school. The students learn to mat and frame work and develop an eye for proper placement and display in hanging shows. They also take slides and digital images of student artwork for their individual portfolios as well as for a class record. They organize art reproductions for the art history component of the Adobe art classes and clean and organize the Adobe when time permits. The students who are on the Adobe work crew are a significant part of our art program.

Bike Shop
This crew repairs and tunes bikes for members of the CRMS community in the bike shop on campus. The bike shop work-crew teaches students about basic bicycle maintenance and repair. Additionally, the bike shop strives to promote bicycling as an efficient and healthy means of alternate transportation.

Blacksmithing
Students on this crew produce community projects such as bike racks, chandeliers, railings, coat racks, and table centerpieces. The students work in the on-campus forge with direct supervision by faculty.

Ceramics
Students in the pottery studio mix clay and glazes, load kilns, and develop a production line of plates, bowls, and mugs for the school cafeteria.

Community Outreach/Tutoring
This activity focuses on extending students’ awareness beyond the campus into the broader community. In the past, students have volunteered in the local nursing home and at the animal rescue shelter. Currently, the students tutor in the local public schools, both elementary and middle.

Construction
These crews take on a variety of projects that support the overall maintenance of the campus. Small building jobs are typically done, with students involved in planning and learning construction techniques and skills. Students may commit to these work crews for two consecutive quarters in order to be involved in the completion of a larger project.

Garden
Students work in the school’s organic vegetable garden. They have the opportunity to learn all aspects of horticulture, from soil preparation to harvesting. The student-built geodesic-dome greenhouse, straw-bale building, and hoop greenhouse serve as the hub of the garden, and students maintain those spaces in working order. Food from our garden provides organic vegetables for our cafeteria. To learn more please click here.

Glassblowing
The purpose of this activity is to serve the school community through the creation of valuable pieces of blown glass. In order to accomplish this, students go through an extensive safety orientation and then spend a good deal of time developing the skills needed to work in this medium. Teamwork is a vital element in the actual making of pieces and in the sharing of knowledge. Students have made drinking glasses for the cafeteria as well as bowls and other items. Students also have a bit of time to make their own work.

Grounds
Students learn to use power mowers and other tools, maintaining the grounds of the campus by mowing lawns, raking leaves, weeding, and trimming shrubs. This activity allows students to see the benefits of their efforts to improve the campus landscape. 

Jossman Building Clean
This work crew is responsible for cleaning the Jossman classroom building. The duties include vacuuming classrooms, sweeping and mopping the hallways, taking out trash, and wiping down tables and whiteboards.

Kitchen
Students are supervised by and work with the kitchen staff in areas of food preparation, pre-meal setup, and cleanup. As the kitchen relies on students for key support in preparing meals, responsibility and punctuality are important. To learn more please click here.

Landscaping
Students contribute to the beautification of the campus by spending time improving the aesthetics of the school grounds. This includes attending to the welfare of trees, shrubs, and plantings around campus.

Library
This crew gives students the opportunity to assist in the library four hours a week during free periods. Students shelve books, sort periodicals, develop displays, and process new books, among other tasks.

Preschool
This crew gives students an opportunity to assist in the daily activities of children three to five years old who attend the Children’s Rocky Mountain Preschool that is located on-campus. With the preschool teachers, students learn topics such as child development, teaching methods, learning theories, and problem-solving.

Ranch
Students involved in this historical work crew are the labor force for the school’s ranch operation. Students build and repair fences and corrals, maintain the irrigation ditches, feed livestock, and do numerous odd jobs around the 300+-acre property.

Recycling
The Recycling Crew spends two afternoons a week collecting glass, paper, cardboard, and aluminum generated on campus, and makes preparations for these materials to be transported to community recycling centers. The Sustainability Crew works to implement energy saving and carbon footprint reduction initiatives and educate the community about ways to conserve energy and promote sustainability.

Set Construction
This crew builds the sets for on-campus theater productions. Students are involved in both design and construction.

Solar Hydrogen Research
With the guidance of the SHArK Project (http://www.thesharkproject.org) at the University of Wyoming, this work crew is part of a small network of colleges and high schools trying to find an efficient way to use sunlight to generate hydrogen (a fuel) by splitting water. One of the goals of the SHArK Project is "to engage and encourage young people to take an active role in solving the global energy problem." This is real, cutting-edge scientific research in which the students apply concepts and skills learned in chemistry class. Since it involves a lot of trial and error, repetition, problem-solving, and equipment maintenance, it is an ideal endeavor for our work program. We also perform water quality tests on the Crystal River once a month as part of CRMS’s contract with the Colorado River Watch program.

Trip Planning
This crew works with the outdoor-program logistics coordinator two days a week to organize the food and equipment for Fall and Spring Trips.

Yearbook
Producing the yearbook takes a full academic year. Although students are not required to participate for the whole year, some consistency is required and encouraged. The Yearbook staff takes all of the photos for the book, and contributes the cover, artwork, and layout.