New Summit Academy Costa Rica
TESTIMONIALS
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From Parents:
11 May 2005
I am addressing this message to any and all
families who are interested in finding a unique,
enriching, safe, effective, and caring academic
environment for their teenaged sons.
Just under a year ago, my 17-year old son (then 16
years old) was graduating from an intense, 60-day
wilderness program based in Utah. We had sent
our son to Utah as the result of several attempts to
address his apathy, recreational drug use, and
sense of entitlement. Following the wilderness
program, we were fully prepared to bring our son
back home for his senior year of high school.
However, upon attending his wilderness program
graduation, we quickly realized that he had
acquired many new valuable lifestyle tools and
behaviors that would surely be lost or, at best,
devalued if he came back to his old peer group and
environment. It was then that we decided to look for
a boarding school alternative.
We were initially introduced to New Summit
Academy in Costa Rica (along with several other
"stateside" boarding schools) through our
educational consultant based in San Francisco.
After fully investigating and interviewing a short list
of outstanding schools, we were convinced that
NSA most fully embodied the educational and
lifestyle values we were seeking for our son. These
included academic excellence, personal
responsibility and accountability, personal growth
through experiential activities, and respect for
nature, others, and self. The only catch (isn't there
always a "catch"?) was that NSA was out of the
country! We had heard horror stories about
boarding schools outside of the US, and our
concern was real and completely understandable.
However, we had also become completely
enamored with NSA's philosophy as well as the
dedication, care, and proficiency of the NSA staff,
whom we had, by this time, spoken to several
times by phone. We called current and former NSA
student families and became more and more
comfortable with the idea of our son living beyond
the borders of the US. Long story short, we flew
down to Costa Rica with our son for his first day at
NSA. I am happy to report it was one of the best
decisions we have ever made.
Our son has thrived at NSA. His GPA has gone
from 2.5 to just about straight A's. He has built
homes for the poor, taught local Costa Rican kids
to swim, hiked into rain forests, kayaked amongst
whales, worked in local businesses, and
countless other activities he simply would not have
had the chance to experience here at home. Most
importantly, he has learned to value his own life, to
fundamentally understand that he is an integral
part of a greater whole...that he indeed matters. In
more tangible terms, our son has recently been
accepted to attend several California universities,
based upon the excellent academic program at
NSA (and, of course, his efforts in the NSA
program!) as well as the university entrance exam
scores he received while attending NSA.
In summary, I recommend, without reservation,
NSA in Costa Rica for any family seeking a unique,
truly life-altering experience for their son. The staff
is completely professional, the academics are
top-notch, the counseling services are incredibly
caring and pro-active, the international experience
is irreplaceable, and the gift you will give to your
son is priceless. Please feel free to call me if you
have any questions at all.
Best Regards,
Sanders Ergas, California
sergas@globalmedtechnologies.net
I am addressing this message to any and all
families who are interested in finding a unique,
enriching, safe, effective, and caring academic
environment for their teenaged sons.
Just under a year ago, my 17-year old son (then 16
years old) was graduating from an intense, 60-day
wilderness program based in Utah. We had sent
our son to Utah as the result of several attempts to
address his apathy, recreational drug use, and
sense of entitlement. Following the wilderness
program, we were fully prepared to bring our son
back home for his senior year of high school.
However, upon attending his wilderness program
graduation, we quickly realized that he had
acquired many new valuable lifestyle tools and
behaviors that would surely be lost or, at best,
devalued if he came back to his old peer group and
environment. It was then that we decided to look for
a boarding school alternative.
We were initially introduced to New Summit
Academy in Costa Rica (along with several other
"stateside" boarding schools) through our
educational consultant based in San Francisco.
After fully investigating and interviewing a short list
of outstanding schools, we were convinced that
NSA most fully embodied the educational and
lifestyle values we were seeking for our son. These
included academic excellence, personal
responsibility and accountability, personal growth
through experiential activities, and respect for
nature, others, and self. The only catch (isn't there
always a "catch"?) was that NSA was out of the
country! We had heard horror stories about
boarding schools outside of the US, and our
concern was real and completely understandable.
However, we had also become completely
enamored with NSA's philosophy as well as the
dedication, care, and proficiency of the NSA staff,
whom we had, by this time, spoken to several
times by phone. We called current and former NSA
student families and became more and more
comfortable with the idea of our son living beyond
the borders of the US. Long story short, we flew
down to Costa Rica with our son for his first day at
NSA. I am happy to report it was one of the best
decisions we have ever made.
Our son has thrived at NSA. His GPA has gone
from 2.5 to just about straight A's. He has built
homes for the poor, taught local Costa Rican kids
to swim, hiked into rain forests, kayaked amongst
whales, worked in local businesses, and
countless other activities he simply would not have
had the chance to experience here at home. Most
importantly, he has learned to value his own life, to
fundamentally understand that he is an integral
part of a greater whole...that he indeed matters. In
more tangible terms, our son has recently been
accepted to attend several California universities,
based upon the excellent academic program at
NSA (and, of course, his efforts in the NSA
program!) as well as the university entrance exam
scores he received while attending NSA.
In summary, I recommend, without reservation,
NSA in Costa Rica for any family seeking a unique,
truly life-altering experience for their son. The staff
is completely professional, the academics are
top-notch, the counseling services are incredibly
caring and pro-active, the international experience
is irreplaceable, and the gift you will give to your
son is priceless. Please feel free to call me if you
have any questions at all.
Best Regards,
Sanders Ergas, California
sergas@globalmedtechnologies.net
June 2005
"Our son recently graduated from New
Summit Academy and we are very proud to
say that as a result of his experience with
the dedicated faculty and therapeutic staff
there, he has completely turned his life
around.
Although it was a hard decision to send him
to a school so far away, he has benefited
tremendously from being in the Costa
Rican culture, seeing a different way of life,
and being truly loved by his Costa Rican
host family. It was important for him to have
an opportunity to be outside of the American
culture—which has become increasingly
competitive and materialistic recently—and
get back in touch with his basic values. I
can't say enough about the energy,
enthusiasm and competence of the staff.
They are a wonderful group of people! I
have never seen my son happier or more
self-confident, and this was very far from
being true when he started there.
We have absolutely no regrets. It was one
of the hardest decisions we ever had to
make, to send him so far away, but it is also
one of the best."
Sincerely,
Kim Kluger-Bell, California
kklugerbell@hotmail.com
"Our son recently graduated from New
Summit Academy and we are very proud to
say that as a result of his experience with
the dedicated faculty and therapeutic staff
there, he has completely turned his life
around.
Although it was a hard decision to send him
to a school so far away, he has benefited
tremendously from being in the Costa
Rican culture, seeing a different way of life,
and being truly loved by his Costa Rican
host family. It was important for him to have
an opportunity to be outside of the American
culture—which has become increasingly
competitive and materialistic recently—and
get back in touch with his basic values. I
can't say enough about the energy,
enthusiasm and competence of the staff.
They are a wonderful group of people! I
have never seen my son happier or more
self-confident, and this was very far from
being true when he started there.
We have absolutely no regrets. It was one
of the hardest decisions we ever had to
make, to send him so far away, but it is also
one of the best."
Sincerely,
Kim Kluger-Bell, California
kklugerbell@hotmail.com
July 2005
My son just graduated from high school at New Summit Academy after 1
1/2 years in Costa Rica. It has been an amazing experience. He is
committed to his recovery, has much greater emotional stability, is happy
and self-directed, has better relations with the family, and has been
accepted to George Washington University for the fall. He went because
he was depressed, addicted to cocaine, abusing alcohol, not doing well
in school, and not functioning well in the family or in general.
Why New Summit Academy? We looked for a school that was structured
enough for him to learn to succeed, yet that would provide enough
independence at the appropriate time, so that he could learn to manage
in the world after therapeutic boarding school. We looked at Oakley,
Carlbrook and New Summit (then Coronado –- the key people from
Coronado started New Summit). New Summit is excellent in providing
structure in the beginning, with eventual self-reliance. The therapy is
supportive and insightful, yet gives great responsibility to the student. Our
family has experienced a lot of therapy and this was by far the best and
most useful.
What about the fact the school was in Costa Rica? That was the scariest
part at the time, but in fact, Costa Rica turned out to be a huge positive.
The culture is gentle and welcoming. My son took advantage of the
quarterly Aventuras and explored some beautiful areas of the country,
seeing scarlet macaws, monkeys, sea turtles, anteaters and dense rain
forest. He became certified as a Wilderness First Responder, in scuba
diving, and received training in white water rafting. He especially enjoyed
his home stay family and loved two university classes he got to take in
San Jose. My son now speaks fluent Spanish. He was accepted at the
Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.
Costa Rica turned out to be a huge advantage of the school.
Some of the things I wanted to know as a prospective parent: the medical
and dental care is wonderful (he had to get his wisdom teeth out and had
an infection that had to be treated). The country is safe, stable and
friendly. The staff is a combination of Americans and Costa Ricans
(Ticos). For us, the travel logistics with American worked well through
Dallas/Fort Worth or Miami, through Phoenix on America West, or through
LA on United.
The quality of the therapy, the level of skill and insight, is extraordinary,
both for the student and the family. In addition, my son had great success
academically. The academics are very individualized college prep
courses. He has confidence in his writing ability now which is a huge
step. He was also supported in the college application process and
because of his experiences at NSA, I think his application was unique.
He was accepted at 8 of the 9 colleges to which he applied. Since the
school is affiliated with New Summit School in Mississippi, there was no
problem with colleges understanding and accepting his transcript and
application.
I loved visiting Costa Rica and find this graduation to be bittersweet. It
was a wonderful, healing, growth experience and I am truly thankful for
New Summit Academy, for Mario, Heather, Cristina, James, Andy and the
rest of the staff.
Jan B., California
My son just graduated from high school at New Summit Academy after 1
1/2 years in Costa Rica. It has been an amazing experience. He is
committed to his recovery, has much greater emotional stability, is happy
and self-directed, has better relations with the family, and has been
accepted to George Washington University for the fall. He went because
he was depressed, addicted to cocaine, abusing alcohol, not doing well
in school, and not functioning well in the family or in general.
Why New Summit Academy? We looked for a school that was structured
enough for him to learn to succeed, yet that would provide enough
independence at the appropriate time, so that he could learn to manage
in the world after therapeutic boarding school. We looked at Oakley,
Carlbrook and New Summit (then Coronado –- the key people from
Coronado started New Summit). New Summit is excellent in providing
structure in the beginning, with eventual self-reliance. The therapy is
supportive and insightful, yet gives great responsibility to the student. Our
family has experienced a lot of therapy and this was by far the best and
most useful.
What about the fact the school was in Costa Rica? That was the scariest
part at the time, but in fact, Costa Rica turned out to be a huge positive.
The culture is gentle and welcoming. My son took advantage of the
quarterly Aventuras and explored some beautiful areas of the country,
seeing scarlet macaws, monkeys, sea turtles, anteaters and dense rain
forest. He became certified as a Wilderness First Responder, in scuba
diving, and received training in white water rafting. He especially enjoyed
his home stay family and loved two university classes he got to take in
San Jose. My son now speaks fluent Spanish. He was accepted at the
Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.
Costa Rica turned out to be a huge advantage of the school.
Some of the things I wanted to know as a prospective parent: the medical
and dental care is wonderful (he had to get his wisdom teeth out and had
an infection that had to be treated). The country is safe, stable and
friendly. The staff is a combination of Americans and Costa Ricans
(Ticos). For us, the travel logistics with American worked well through
Dallas/Fort Worth or Miami, through Phoenix on America West, or through
LA on United.
The quality of the therapy, the level of skill and insight, is extraordinary,
both for the student and the family. In addition, my son had great success
academically. The academics are very individualized college prep
courses. He has confidence in his writing ability now which is a huge
step. He was also supported in the college application process and
because of his experiences at NSA, I think his application was unique.
He was accepted at 8 of the 9 colleges to which he applied. Since the
school is affiliated with New Summit School in Mississippi, there was no
problem with colleges understanding and accepting his transcript and
application.
I loved visiting Costa Rica and find this graduation to be bittersweet. It
was a wonderful, healing, growth experience and I am truly thankful for
New Summit Academy, for Mario, Heather, Cristina, James, Andy and the
rest of the staff.
Jan B., California
July 2006
"I hope you will share our experience with other parents. Fourteen months
ago, our son was troubled, not wanting to go to school, dabbling in risky
behaviors and oppositional. When it was clear that he needed something
different than what he had at home, we explored piecing together a
program at home with the best counselors, family counselors and
environmental change. After talking with many parents who had done this
and regretted it --the teens did not change! -- we enrolled our son in New
Summit Academy in Costa Rica. It was very painful to think that he needed
to be away and it seemed hard on him and on our family -- financially and
personally.
Today I realize that was the very best decision we could have made. Every
penny spent and every moment he was missed at home were more than
worth it. What the staff, counselors and teachers did at New Summit
Academy changed my son's life for good. He's now a straight-A student
and he came home with excellent SAT scores. He is calm and peaceful
inside, cooperative at home and seems to have found himself by going
through this exemplary program. In short, he's a happy person now and
has more of the skills he needs to create a happy, healthy, productive life.
Our son left home a troubled teen and came
home a man who had matured 4 years in one year and we have a new
start as a family. I believe the culture of Costa Rica, the environment at
New Summit Academy, the experiential learning, the Harvard-educated
teachers, the Costa Rican counselors and the AMAZING people involved
in this school were the key. Mario, Danny, Heather, James, Roy, Andy and
everyone there helped our son in immeasurable ways. He saw places in
Costa Rica that no tourists ever see. He traveled in Central America and
South America -- even swam across the water from Costa Rica to
Panama. He had hated Spanish in his high
school classes, but after a year at New Summit Academy, his Spanish is
great.
His experiences with his homestay family were incredibly enriching.
Instead of traditional therapy, New Summit Academy integrates these
processes into the student's experience of the day. The counselors
develop relationships with the student during the afternoon and evening,
after the school day is done. The "Aventura's" or experiential education
provides both amazing physical and cultural experiences in the
environment and the ideal experience to open their minds in ways that
traditional therapy does not. Our son was opposed to "programs", but truly
bonded with and felt cared for the people at New Summit Academy. It was
not difficult for his dad and me to visit there and they made every
accommodation so that our experience in Costa Rica was
enriching, too. We fell in love with the country and the people, but more
than anything, we feel forever indebted to this small tribe of people who
are changing the lives of boys and supporting their skills and sense of
motivation, connection and love of life.
I would recommend New Summit Academy to any parent who was
considering sending their teen there. Our educational consultants said it
was head and shoulders above the other schools. They were right!
So please share with your parents two ideas: One, giving a troubled teen a
whole new environment can result in near magical changes in your child.
You are not sending your child away but opening doors to a brighter
future. The other is that if you can possibly find a good fit between your
son's needs and the New Summit Academy program, grab it! The
program and the people are unique and both your life and the life of your
child will be forever enriched.
Kathleen
lorimelody@yahoo.com
"I hope you will share our experience with other parents. Fourteen months
ago, our son was troubled, not wanting to go to school, dabbling in risky
behaviors and oppositional. When it was clear that he needed something
different than what he had at home, we explored piecing together a
program at home with the best counselors, family counselors and
environmental change. After talking with many parents who had done this
and regretted it --the teens did not change! -- we enrolled our son in New
Summit Academy in Costa Rica. It was very painful to think that he needed
to be away and it seemed hard on him and on our family -- financially and
personally.
Today I realize that was the very best decision we could have made. Every
penny spent and every moment he was missed at home were more than
worth it. What the staff, counselors and teachers did at New Summit
Academy changed my son's life for good. He's now a straight-A student
and he came home with excellent SAT scores. He is calm and peaceful
inside, cooperative at home and seems to have found himself by going
through this exemplary program. In short, he's a happy person now and
has more of the skills he needs to create a happy, healthy, productive life.
Our son left home a troubled teen and came
home a man who had matured 4 years in one year and we have a new
start as a family. I believe the culture of Costa Rica, the environment at
New Summit Academy, the experiential learning, the Harvard-educated
teachers, the Costa Rican counselors and the AMAZING people involved
in this school were the key. Mario, Danny, Heather, James, Roy, Andy and
everyone there helped our son in immeasurable ways. He saw places in
Costa Rica that no tourists ever see. He traveled in Central America and
South America -- even swam across the water from Costa Rica to
Panama. He had hated Spanish in his high
school classes, but after a year at New Summit Academy, his Spanish is
great.
His experiences with his homestay family were incredibly enriching.
Instead of traditional therapy, New Summit Academy integrates these
processes into the student's experience of the day. The counselors
develop relationships with the student during the afternoon and evening,
after the school day is done. The "Aventura's" or experiential education
provides both amazing physical and cultural experiences in the
environment and the ideal experience to open their minds in ways that
traditional therapy does not. Our son was opposed to "programs", but truly
bonded with and felt cared for the people at New Summit Academy. It was
not difficult for his dad and me to visit there and they made every
accommodation so that our experience in Costa Rica was
enriching, too. We fell in love with the country and the people, but more
than anything, we feel forever indebted to this small tribe of people who
are changing the lives of boys and supporting their skills and sense of
motivation, connection and love of life.
I would recommend New Summit Academy to any parent who was
considering sending their teen there. Our educational consultants said it
was head and shoulders above the other schools. They were right!
So please share with your parents two ideas: One, giving a troubled teen a
whole new environment can result in near magical changes in your child.
You are not sending your child away but opening doors to a brighter
future. The other is that if you can possibly find a good fit between your
son's needs and the New Summit Academy program, grab it! The
program and the people are unique and both your life and the life of your
child will be forever enriched.
Kathleen
lorimelody@yahoo.com
The amount of dedication that these people have to
each and every individual is extraordinary.
Throughout my experiences with Andy, Heather,
Mario, and James, I was given the opportunity to
thrive academically and emotionally in the healthy
atmosphere they provided. With the beautiful
country of Costa Rica as the setting for their school,
I was able to culturally enrich my life and studies
through interaction with the local people and
environment. Not only did I learn a significant
amount of Spanish, but I learned a lot about myself
and negative tendencies as a human being. With
the facilitation of my advisors, I recognized the
changes and courses of action I needed to make in
order to escape these destructive habits. While
accomplishing these necessities of life, I was
provided with a superior means of continuing my
academic studies and life in order to fully prepare
myself for the adventure that awaits me at university.
Looking back on my experiences with these great
people, I am sincerely thankful for their devotion to
the betterment of my life, and the others enrolled
with me.
--Eric W., 18, Texas and Vietnam
each and every individual is extraordinary.
Throughout my experiences with Andy, Heather,
Mario, and James, I was given the opportunity to
thrive academically and emotionally in the healthy
atmosphere they provided. With the beautiful
country of Costa Rica as the setting for their school,
I was able to culturally enrich my life and studies
through interaction with the local people and
environment. Not only did I learn a significant
amount of Spanish, but I learned a lot about myself
and negative tendencies as a human being. With
the facilitation of my advisors, I recognized the
changes and courses of action I needed to make in
order to escape these destructive habits. While
accomplishing these necessities of life, I was
provided with a superior means of continuing my
academic studies and life in order to fully prepare
myself for the adventure that awaits me at university.
Looking back on my experiences with these great
people, I am sincerely thankful for their devotion to
the betterment of my life, and the others enrolled
with me.
--Eric W., 18, Texas and Vietnam
From a Student:
15 Nov 2007
Tim has been doing great. It’s hard to believe that
in a few weeks he will have been home for 1 year.
The transition went well and although it has not
been perfect, we have used the communication
skills we learned from Danny to effectively work
through any issues.
About a month ago, I was asking Tim what he
wanted for his birthday on Dec 11th as he will be
turning 18. He said that thought it would be nice to
travel to Costa Rica to visit New Summit Academy
on his 1 year anniversary of graduating from the
program. He wanted to see all of you (Heather,
Mario, Danny, Andy, and Woody) and share his
experiences of the past year. He had looked at the
calendar and realized that he has final exams
around that time and it would not be a good time to
miss some days of school. I think it is a testament
to you and your team that he has such great
memories and desire to visit you with all of you.
New Summit Academy has left a lasting
impression on Tim. He grew into a man, learned
tolerance, patience, anger management and
gained a strong sense of self worth. I am so glad
that I heard about New Summit and that Tim had
the chance to live and learn with all of you for a
year. So what is new with him….?
He is in the final stages of college applications. He
is applying to Cal Poly, Berkeley, UC San Diego,
UC Irvine, U of Arizona, U of Colorado – Boulder.
He decided against Stanford but has Berkeley as
his first choice. We are still working with Whitney
and she is terrific. Tim has had some challenges
with his courses here in Arizona. His grades are
mostly A and B’s which has frustrated him at times
because he wants to get all A’s.
He has been working as a valet parking cars at the
Marriott which he loves. He was recently promoted
to supervisor which gave him some leadership
opportunities and a chance to earn more money.
He played football and did well. No injuries and he
had fun. The team was not the best and only won 2
games but Tyler played a lot and had a good
attitude.
As Danny may recall, Tim had a few short term
goals for this year. He wanted to get a car and find
a girlfriend, which he did. We still have debates
about curfew and some of my “foolish” rules but
overall we work through these challenges and have
reached a comfortable and reasonable
agreement. Happy Thanksgiving & I will keep all of
you in my prayers. Best, Tim's mom
Tim has been doing great. It’s hard to believe that
in a few weeks he will have been home for 1 year.
The transition went well and although it has not
been perfect, we have used the communication
skills we learned from Danny to effectively work
through any issues.
About a month ago, I was asking Tim what he
wanted for his birthday on Dec 11th as he will be
turning 18. He said that thought it would be nice to
travel to Costa Rica to visit New Summit Academy
on his 1 year anniversary of graduating from the
program. He wanted to see all of you (Heather,
Mario, Danny, Andy, and Woody) and share his
experiences of the past year. He had looked at the
calendar and realized that he has final exams
around that time and it would not be a good time to
miss some days of school. I think it is a testament
to you and your team that he has such great
memories and desire to visit you with all of you.
New Summit Academy has left a lasting
impression on Tim. He grew into a man, learned
tolerance, patience, anger management and
gained a strong sense of self worth. I am so glad
that I heard about New Summit and that Tim had
the chance to live and learn with all of you for a
year. So what is new with him….?
He is in the final stages of college applications. He
is applying to Cal Poly, Berkeley, UC San Diego,
UC Irvine, U of Arizona, U of Colorado – Boulder.
He decided against Stanford but has Berkeley as
his first choice. We are still working with Whitney
and she is terrific. Tim has had some challenges
with his courses here in Arizona. His grades are
mostly A and B’s which has frustrated him at times
because he wants to get all A’s.
He has been working as a valet parking cars at the
Marriott which he loves. He was recently promoted
to supervisor which gave him some leadership
opportunities and a chance to earn more money.
He played football and did well. No injuries and he
had fun. The team was not the best and only won 2
games but Tyler played a lot and had a good
attitude.
As Danny may recall, Tim had a few short term
goals for this year. He wanted to get a car and find
a girlfriend, which he did. We still have debates
about curfew and some of my “foolish” rules but
overall we work through these challenges and have
reached a comfortable and reasonable
agreement. Happy Thanksgiving & I will keep all of
you in my prayers. Best, Tim's mom