Leadville and Salida campuses offer new summer program for high school students

By Mike McKibbin
Colorado Mountain College

April 27, 2023 – A first-time summer program at Colorado Mountain College Leadville and Salida will offer high school students college credit classes and hands-on learning in three different subjects.

The Summer Co-Action Program offered this June is designed for concurrent enrollment students in Lake and Chaffee counties. The options for students pursuing college credits are a hands-on heavy equipment operations course and lab, a Colorado history course or an outdoor leadership course.

The program is available to public school district students in Lake and Chaffee counties. Home school students can sign up but must pay different costs based on where they live.

Ben Cairns, CMC vice president and campus dean for Leadville and Salida, said the program aims to provide "meaningful education and connected skills in the summertime."

All three courses offer college credit towards multiple degrees and combine coursework, hands-on learning, team-building activities and social events. Evenings will involve both fun and educational programming.

CMC Leadville courses

The heavy equipment operations and Colorado history courses run from June 19-30 and are free and based at CMC’s Leadville campus. Students enrolled in these two courses may choose to stay at the Leadville campus’s residential hall and experience a slice of college life. They can stay on campus over the weekend of the two-week program or go home and return for the following week.

The heavy equipment operations course will teach students about bulldozers, backhoes, utility tractors, mini excavators and skid steers. Students will also complete real-time projects that support the Leadville campus and community.

The Colorado history class is part of the curriculum for future teachers as well as a general transfer course for students pursuing liberal arts careers. It will be field trip heavy, focusing on how the major themes of Colorado history played out in the upper Arkansas River Valley. Students may also travel to Denver to see significant sites, and their room and board is included.

CMC Salida course

The nine-day outdoor leadership course runs from June 18-26 and is based out of CMC’s Salida campus. The course provides students with an intensive, hands-on experience for those interested in wildlife management, forestry, wildland fire and other diverse fields. The course will also teach medical and leadership skills. It costs $125 per student.

Rob Simpson, associate dean of academics and student affairs at CMC Salida, said the program represents "an incredible opportunity to get some exposure to fields of interest.”

The deadline to apply for all three courses is June 1. For more information, contact Rob Simpson at rsimpson4@coloradomtn.edu or Kristen Voegtle, concurrent enrollment coordinator, at klvoegtle@coloradomtn.edu.