Welcome to Colorful Colorado

Explore colorado’s must-dos and must-haves from the staff and students of monarch high school

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Roaming The Rockies

Local spring break recommendations

“Bouldering is great in the spring because the snow melts, so the rocks are dry, but it’s cool outside so you can take advantage of the friction of the rocks.” -Kate Chynoweth ’23

“I like biking in the spring because it’s not too hot and not too cold. There’s so many places to go biking, and the views are pretty.” -Kenny Cervantes-Gonzales ’26

“I would recommend to go skiing if the mountains are still open.” -Sam Scott ’26

Mountain Travel Playlist

The Granola Analysis

Science teacher Kathy Ellis shares her crunchy recipe

Ingredients

8 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup pecans
¼ cup flax or chia seeds
¾ cup of oil of your choice
¾ cup of maple syrup or honey
1 tablespoon vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and take out two rimmed, half or quarter sheet pans.
2. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine oil and sweetener.
4. Heat over medium-high heat until the mixture is simmering. Simmer for about 30 seconds.
5. Take off the heat, add vanilla, then pour the hot mixture over the dry ingredients.
6. Stir thoroughly until every nut and oat is coated with the syrup.
7. Pour granola onto the sheet pans and spread it out thoroughly.
8. Put both pans in the oven on racks about five inches apart and cook for about ten minutes.
9. Take pans out of the oven, stir the granola, then put the pans back in the oven, switching them so that the one on top is now underneath the other. Do this routine every five minutes until golden brown.
10. Let it sit on the pan until completely cool. Store in a container for a week.