Programs

Interim is a two-week period in February where students pause their regular coursework and engage in an intensive project or experience. The goal of CRMS Interim is to offer students experiences and pursuits that enable them to learn by doing and expose them to new ideas, experiences, and environments. The opportunity to immerse themselves in this quest for knowledge in a specific discipline beyond a regular academic schedule allows students to broaden their skills, appreciation, and awareness for the world in which we live.

The purpose of Interim is to:

• Challenge students to learn and develop new ideas, awareness, and skills
• Help students better understand the workings of communities and the value of service to others
• Promote active learning and experiential education
• Assist students to develop sustainable life skills that will help them reach their full potential and personal goals

Sample Interim projects include:

• Ancestral Puebloan: At Native American sites in southeastern Utah, students study rock-art panels, ruins, and archaeological sites.
• Avalanche safety and winter skills: At locations near campus and in the high peaks of the San Juan Mountains, participants study avalanche science and avalanche safety.
• Glassblowing: Through demonstrations and hands-on instruction, participants explore different ways of shaping molten glass to create beads, vases, and other objects.
• Ski Building: Students learn the art of building their own pair of skis; from determining the size to the final graphics. 
• Language and cultural trip, Mexico: By taking formal language classes and living with host families, students immerse themselves in another culture and language.
• Tropical Ecology, Costa Rica: In seminars with respected field biologists and individual research projects, participants study flora and fauna of the tropical forest canopy.
• Cooking and Culture in Santa Fe, NM: Students participate in a multi-day cooking school and discover art and food throughout the southwest region.
• Civil Rights History and Refugee Activism: Students travel to the southern United States to learn about the history of the Civil Rights Movement, all while considering issues of social justice and equity.
• Volcanology and Island Chain Succession. Students explore the shield volcanoes of Hawaii and the many terrestrial and marine expressions and the processes that created them.