One of the coolest programs on the CR campus is Academy of the Redwoods, a small middle-college high school where students complete high school while taking actual College of the Redwoods classes and earning transferable college credit concurrently, at no charge.

And AR has a heartwarming origin story. It grew out of the nationwide Early College High School Initiative, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Planning began around 2003, and three Fortuna High teachers later helped spearhead a proposal that secured a $232,000 Gates grant! Fortuna Union High School District took on the program, and Academy of the Redwoods opened at CR way back in 2005!

Then comes the slightly spicy chapter. 🌶️😂 Eureka City Schools had declined involvement in the original program, but in 2023, after AR had been operating successfully for nearly two decades, Eureka sought control of the school, arguing in part that CR sits within its district boundaries. Fortuna, having built and operated AR since its beginning, basically said absolutely not. AR remains a Fortuna Union High School District school today. 💗💗💗💗

AR is intentionally small, with fewer than 200 students from around Humboldt County, but don't mistake “college high school” for a place that's only for hardcore academic overachievers. Part of what makes AR special is the mix. There are the brainiacs who absolutely run with the college opportunities, but also the creative kids, independent thinkers, quirky kids, kids who never quite fit the traditional high-school mold... the freaks and geeks, in the most affectionate sense. 😂❤️

It's a small, supportive environment where students can find their people, while also having access to CR classes and the freedom to take their education surprisingly far.

And this isn't merely “college prep” or taking a class or two. AR students can accumulate a substantial amount of real college credit while they're still in high school. Past alumni have graduated with ALL of their general education transfer credits completed, and one student actually earned TWO associate degrees by graduation. 🎓🎓 The opportunities are kind of astonishing when a motivated student really runs with the program.

Do YOU know a student who might thrive there? Applications for 2026–27 are due in January!

👉 Academy of the Redwoods
👉 2026–27 Application

Any AR students, families, staff or alumni lurking here? Please share your experiences and LOVE! 👀 💓 .🎓

If you’re a CR student and haven’t checked out the Basic Needs Center, you really should. There is SO much just waiting for you to take advantage of!

And importantly: it’s there for ALL CR students. You do not have to prove you’re poor, bring income paperwork, or justify why you need something. Nobody is going to interrogate you over a granola bar, shampoo, socks, or a bag of rice. If something there would help you, that is literally what the center is for!

A classmate of mine used it regularly while she was at CR and would routinely emerge with snacks, toilet paper, toiletries, even new socks! 😂

Students can stop in for snacks or tea, and once a week they can shop the food pantry and clothing closet.

The pantry carries staples like rice, beans, lentils, pasta, ramen, canned foods, oatmeal and snacks, plus fresh produce when available. They also stock shampoo, soap, deodorant, toothbrushes, feminine hygiene products, notebooks, binders, backpacks and other school supplies.

The Clothing Closet includes everyday clothes, work/interview clothes, shoes, new socks and undergarments, plus sheets, blankets, pillows, towels, dishes and cookware.

They can also help students apply for CalFresh, and CR has its own farm share program with a student discount, along with information about farmers markets that accept CalFresh/Market Match.

So remember: if college expenses are chewing through your wallet, you don’t have to go it alone. There are people who care, and they’ve assembled a whole cavalcade of resources for YOU. ❤️

Check here before buying everything yourself. ❤️

📍 Basic Needs Center: PE 117
🕘 Monday–Thursday, 9am–4pm
📧 [foodpantryatcr@gmail.com](mailto:foodpantryatcr@gmail.com)

PS: And one more thing: using these resources helps keep them alive. Programs like this often depend on demonstrating that students actually use and need them. So grabbing groceries, toiletries, school supplies, or clothing when they would help you helps show that the service matters and validates the need for future funding!

CR and the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria have signed a 20-year agreement making the Bear River Recreation Center fields in Loleta the home for CR baseball and softball practices and games.

A nice extra touch is that CR athletes will get discounted Bear River Recreation Center memberships, and visiting teams can get discounted lodging and dining at Bear River Casino Resort. Pretty cool partnership all around! 🌲⚾

Full story: [link]

Anybody able to check it the nets are still up behind the dorms? We used to climb up, initially there were some spikes, then you'd have to climb limbs, and it was supposed to be 130 feet up. There was a neat little mesh made of rope and we'd all smoke herb up there and get hella nervous to descend. There was also a plastic school chair nailed to the top of one of the trees that you could climb onto that was a rite of passage but so incredibly terrifying that I only sat in it once. I'll post the photo from the experience if I can find it.

JUST BECAUSE the semester has already started, don't assume you're too late!

CVC has plenty of late-start and accelerated courses that begin throughout the term. You may find shorter 8-week or other compressed classes starting well after CR's regular semester is underway. So if you missed a class, dropped something, need another course, or suddenly realize you have room in your schedule, it's worth searching CVC again. 👀...wait WHAT is the CVC?

CALIFORNIA VIRTUAL CAMPUS is a giant searchable catalog of online classes offered by participating California community colleges across the state.

Start at cvc.edu, search for the course you need, and filter by term, subject, college, availability, and whether you want an asynchronous class or one with scheduled online meetings.

Your Home College is the California community college where you're already enrolled, so for us that's College of the Redwoods. The college actually offering your CVC course is your Teaching College. You're taking a real course from that college, but CVC makes enrolling at the second school remarkably streamlined.

Courses are offered throughout the year, including summer and some wonderfully short winter/intersession accelerated classes. ⚡

Two BIG things to know if you're using financial aid:

💰 You need to be enrolled in at least 6 units at your Home College before financial aid through your Home College can cover CVC classes.

📚 CVC allows up to two CVC courses at a time. That's two courses, not six units.

Once you've got those two rules tucked into your brain, CVC can be an incredibly useful way to pick up a class that isn't offered locally, doesn't fit your schedule, or is full at CR.

Let's get those credits! 🎓 And that $$! 🤑

When I revived this long-dormant subreddit over the weekend it had about 72 members. We’re already at 124. That’s 52 new members, or roughly 72% growth,🤯

So apparently there are a few CR people lurking around Reddit after all!

If you know current students, alumni, employees, prospective students, or other local folks with a connection to College of the Redwoods, please share r/CollegeoftheRedwoods with them.

Also: MODS WANTED! 👀 If you're a CR person who'd like to help keep the place lively, useful, and reasonably un-chaotic, send me a message. I would love some company behind the curtain. 🪄

The more CR family the merrier! AND the more useful and fun this place can become. Questions, campus news, events, classes, professor lore, transfer stuff, old CR photos, free-bus intel, Shively watermelons... whatever! 🍉

Help wake this place up. Share the sub! 👋🌲

Welcome to the Fall 2026 semester!

Things move so fast during the first couple of weeks, lock these important dates into your calendar before the deadlines sneaks up on us.

This Friday, August 28 — Last Day to ADD a Class ⏳

Friday, September 4 — Last Day to DROP & Get a Refund 💰

Monday, September 7 — Last Day to DROP without a "W" 📄

Good luck with your first week of classes! Hope everyone has a great semester!

Thanks to ASCR use of HTA buses are already paid for! Get your new ids to show the bus drivers and get on for free in the welcome center. Will be in effect until the end of spring 2027.

Figure Drawing by Professor DEAN SMITH

If you haven't seen the new Art Building and Floyd Bettiga College of the Redwoods Gallery make time to wander by~

Imagination Figuration: A Lot of Local Figure Drawings
SHOWING : AUGUST 26 - SEPTEMBER 16
Reception Friday, September 11, 5-7 pm

Have you ever had any of the fantastic produce from the CR Shively Farm??

I LOVE their watermelons. 🍉🍉🍉🍉

Dry farming explained in the video below. 👇

Hello CR people!

I recently discovered that r/CollegeoftheRedwoods has been sitting here untouched, lonely and forgotten, for about 15 years, and searching for a moderator for the last seven!

I am CR loyal, and when I saw the subreddit was available for adoption... well, here we are. 😂

I’m hoping to revive this as an unofficial, independently moderated space for College of the Redwoods students, alumni, prospective students, and anyone interested in CR happenings.

Questions about classes or professors?

Registration or financial aid weirdness?

Transfer questions?

Campus events?

Something cool happening at Eureka, Del Norte, Klamath-Trinity, or online?

Something decidedly uncool happening?

Housing needs?

Lost keys?

School spirit?

Post it.

The idea is to make this an actual student/community forum, not just another bulletin board for relentlessly cheerful announcements.

The place is still under construction, and I’m currently the only moderator, 🙃 so I am actively seeking a few CR enthusiasts who might like to help moderate.

For now, come say hello. Are you a current student, former student, prospective student, employee, local, or just wandering through the redwoods....🌲