| Weekend Activities / Recreation |
| Community Service |
| Aventuras! |
| The Homestay Program |
Various families throughout the community welcome students into their
homes to share a few hours every Sunday with their family. Students eat
dinner, play with the kids, walk through town, go grocery-shopping, or
participate in any other typical activity in the daily life of a Costa Rican family.
These loving families make our students feel more like sons rather than
guests, and it can be one of the most impacting experiences of a young
person’s life.
homes to share a few hours every Sunday with their family. Students eat
dinner, play with the kids, walk through town, go grocery-shopping, or
participate in any other typical activity in the daily life of a Costa Rican family.
These loving families make our students feel more like sons rather than
guests, and it can be one of the most impacting experiences of a young
person’s life.
On the weekends, students can plan and sign up for various
to:
to:
- local sports events
- canopy tours
- nature hikes
- excursions to nearby beaches
- basketball or soccer tournaments
- trips to nearby towns for movies or shopping
- paintball
- swimming
- surfing trips
- local festivities, parades, etc.
- white-water rafting
- rock-climbing
- community service projects
Experiential Education Personal Ecology treks (AVENTURAS) are an integral part of the education
New Summit Academy of Costa Rica provides.
Why?
By challenging students to take healthy risks doing things they have never done before, students
learn to support each other, empathize, and become a team to help each other through difficult
times. Once completed, students return to campus with a new-found sense of self-esteem,
pride, and a realization that they are stronger.
Who?
All students participate in treks. Staff members are also chosen to participate in the adventure
trips based on the academic and therapeutic objectives set for the trip.
New Summit Academy of Costa Rica provides.
Why?
By challenging students to take healthy risks doing things they have never done before, students
learn to support each other, empathize, and become a team to help each other through difficult
times. Once completed, students return to campus with a new-found sense of self-esteem,
pride, and a realization that they are stronger.
Who?
All students participate in treks. Staff members are also chosen to participate in the adventure
trips based on the academic and therapeutic objectives set for the trip.
Students experience service learning when they help set up and follow through on project goals.
Examples of projects:
Examples of projects:
- Teaching swimming lessons to local kids
- Teaching English to local children
- Recycling
- Sea turtle conservation
- PenPal Program
- Building bus stops
- Painting local schools & clinics
- Building houses
- Library project
- Environmental Conservation Projects
- School beautification projects
- Click here to see pictures from Habitat for Humanity Project
When?
Mid-Quarter Integrated Aventuras: At Midterm of every quarter, students and
staff pack their backpacks and take off on a 4-6 day Costa Rican adventure.
Each trek has specific academic, therapeutic, and experiential education
objectives. Students trek their way through the four standard Aventuras:
Mid-Quarter Integrated Aventuras: At Midterm of every quarter, students and
staff pack their backpacks and take off on a 4-6 day Costa Rican adventure.
Each trek has specific academic, therapeutic, and experiential education
objectives. Students trek their way through the four standard Aventuras:
Recreational Aventuras: At the end of every quarter, students are offered a fun and educational recreational Aventura. Be it a
turtle-saving project, a scuba-diving trip, a hike through the rainforest to visit a shaman’s house, or some leisurely sport-
fishing, students will be taking healthy risks and building confidence and skills by challenging themselves and each other
to do things they have never done before.
Where?
From the diversity of flora and fauna in the Costa Rican rainforest to the brilliantly diverse ocean waters along the coast to
the local coffee and banana plantations, Costa Rica offers a rich laboratory for learning and growing.
Examples:
turtle-saving project, a scuba-diving trip, a hike through the rainforest to visit a shaman’s house, or some leisurely sport-
fishing, students will be taking healthy risks and building confidence and skills by challenging themselves and each other
to do things they have never done before.
Where?
From the diversity of flora and fauna in the Costa Rican rainforest to the brilliantly diverse ocean waters along the coast to
the local coffee and banana plantations, Costa Rica offers a rich laboratory for learning and growing.
Examples:
- Swift Water Certification Course
- Wilderness First Responder Course
- Climbing Mount Chirripo
- Scuba Diving in Drake's Bay
- Touring Volcano Arenal & Volcanic Hot Springs
- Visiting Indigenous tribes near Puerto Viejo
- Golfo Dulce Sea Kayaking Trek: Sea kayaking & camping with an academic
inventory. CLICK HERE to see Aventura #1 itinerary for 2005 - Corcovado National Park Hiking & Camping Trek: Hiking & camping with an
academic focus in forest ecology & a therapeutic focus in family diversity &
dynamics. CLICK HERE to see pictures from Aventura #2 - Cloud Forest / Rafting Hiking, Camping & Rafting Trek: Hiking and camping
with an academic focus in biomes & community diversity & a therapeutic focus
on community dynamics and means of action. CLICK HERE for pictures - Community Service Aventura: The group picks and plans a project that is
meaningful to them, be it saving turtles or building a playground. - Mount Chirripo Climbing Trek: Climbing Chirripo summit with an academic
focus on natural resource management and a therapeutic focus on
independence and maintenance of success skills.
After the first couple of months, all students participate in a weekly homestay
experience. This is a first-hand look into Costa Rican family life. Not only do
these experiences facilitate using and practicing Spanish, they give the
students valuable cultural experience.
experience. This is a first-hand look into Costa Rican family life. Not only do
these experiences facilitate using and practicing Spanish, they give the
students valuable cultural experience.
| ...changing challenges into adventures! |
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| Experiential Education Experiential education is a key part of NSA's growth experiences for our students. Our signature Aventura curriculum guides students through 5 amazing week-long trips throughout Costa Rica to broaden their minds, bodies, friendships, and spirits. Our homestay program brings the Costa Rican culture front and center as students learn the "pura vida" way of life. Community service projects and Global Citizenship class help students realize how they can contribute to their local communities in a unique way. Finally, weekend recreation shows students how to have fun and take healthy risks to build strong friendships and a sense of self-confidence. |
