Blog stories | Watershed School

Measuring Happiness: Watershed 8th Graders Turn Inquiry into Action

Each week, students explored different themes including the role of nature, play, helping others, trust, sustainability, and different cultural concepts around the world related to happiness — all linked to their guiding question: How do you measure happiness?

Filling Bowls, Feeding Hope: Watershed’s Second Annual Empty Bowls Fundraiser

The success of this year’s event was truly inspiring, with a total of $7,093 raised! Of this amount, $3,750 came from ticket sales, and the remaining $3,343 was from donations (including a last-minute gift of $1,000!) and the sale of the handcrafted bowls. Thanks to the generosity of attendees and local businesses, the funds raised will provide over 7,500 meals for those in need.

Watershed's Independent Study Program

Imagine you had the opportunity to design a course built entirely around your greatest passion, where you could choose everything—resources, books, articles, mentors, fieldwork locations, interviews with experts, a final project – what would that look like for you? At Watershed, this is a reality through our independent study program.

Better College Prep

As Watershed's college counselor for the past 11 years, I've witnessed significant changes in college admissions. Today's process extends beyond traditional metrics of grades, test scores, and lists of extracurricular activities. Colleges seek distinctive individuals who will contribute positively to their community while also excelling academically. With online applications driving increased submission rates, students must find authentic ways to stand out among applicants.

Students Ride Toward a More Sustainable and Just Food System

Students in the Power of Bicycles course turned their learning into action. They worked together to create social media campaigns to raise awareness about food waste and food insecurity in Boulder, while highlighting the role that the Boulder Food Rescue can play in solving these problems.

Horsepower!

How can we manage the challenges of the growing wild horse population in Colorado? With this essential question in mind, middle school students in the Horse Power Expedition course headed off to southwestern Colorado for a week of field work to explore firsthand the complexities of managing the wild horses that roam in the region.

At the Intersection of Lookout & Spine

From Tim's latest Thursday Note - "As returning students and families know, I often send notes to the community on Thursdays to reflect on something happening at school or beyond, to share ideas about learning and teaching in the world today, and sometimes just to share some updates.  Today I write to honor a real milestone in the history of Watershed – our new campus!"

Amy Robbins, Ph.D. Awarded Fulbright-Hays Scholarship!

Have you ever wondered what societal infrastructures increase happiness and if those systems and supports are transferable? So has Watershed’s middle school educator Amy Robbins, Ph.D.! And she’s been awarded a prestigious Fulbright-Hays scholarship to study it! Amy is one of 15 U.S. educators participating in the inaugural Fulbright-Hays Seminar in Finland!