Online students from across the state unite for mentorship training, outdoor challenges and community building
Nearly two dozen virtual learning students from Colorado Preparatory Academy (CPA) and Pikes Peak Online School trade their laptops for life vests, helmets and harnesses as they come together for AMP Camp—a multi-day leadership retreat held at Camp Shady Brook in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
Led by Longmont-based Jennie Marr, MSW, LCSW, who has been involved since the program’s inception, AMP offers high school students the opportunity to grow as leaders in a supportive, student-centered environment. Each year, 20-30 students participate in the program, which includes weekly virtual meetings, student-led projects and a memorable in-person retreat.
“So much of what makes our school work comes directly from students,” Marr says. “AMP gives them a space to talk about what it’s like to be part of a community and how they can contribute to it. We hear what’s working, what’s not and how they want things to evolve. Even our block schedule came out of student input.”
AMP has cultivated a strong sense of connection among participants.
“There’s a misconception about virtual schools being isolating,” Marr says. “There’s a rhythm to it: checking in, sharing thoughts and building trust.”
The program’s annual retreat offers students a chance to connect in person and explore new challenges through activities like kayaking, rock climbing and ropes courses.
AMP Camp is part of the schools’ Ambassador Mentorship Program (AMP), which equips students with real-world leadership skills, mentorship experience and opportunities for meaningful peer connection—often for the first time in person. Throughout the retreat, students work together to set tangible goals for the remainder of the year, plan community service projects and take part in a wide variety of team-building activities, including:
- Ziplining and rappelling
- Canoeing and kayaking
- Archery and tomahawk throwing
- Campfire s’mores and group bonding
For students like Autumn, a junior from Longmont attending CPA, this will be her first AMP Camp outing—and her first time meeting many classmates in real life.
“I’m really looking forward to the leadership training and getting to know other students from my school,” she says. “This program is important because it shows us how to lead and mentor others while also giving us time to connect and grow together.”
Now in her third year at CPA, Autumn joined AMP to give back by mentoring younger students and to develop her own leadership skills.
“I haven’t been to AMP Camp before, but I’m very much looking forward to it—especially the water sports and rappelling,” she says.
