All Categories - New Summit Academy Costa Rica

Global Citizenship Workshops

9/1/2018

NSA continues to engage students in rigorous, thought provoking investigation of the facets of Global Citizenship and of important social issues that shape our world.

This month, our learning community has been investigating the complexities of Interdependence and Conflict Resolution. Teachers act as facilitators of research, debate, and application of ideas and skills that contribute to the development of a global perspective and 21st-century skills.

August Aventura Report

8/21/2018

New Summit Academy’s August Aventuras provided students and staff with once-in-a-lifetime experiences! Some kayaked the Golfo Dulce, some hiked through Corcovado National Park, while others performed community service helping in reforestation and conservation efforts.

Students waded rivers, caught fresh fish on hand lines, learned about biological relationships and watershed ecology, spotted tapir and sea turtles and -- most importantly -- grew as a community and returned to campus ready to continue that growth!

Mother’s Day Celebrations at NSA

8/16/2018

Mothers are sacred in Costa Rica; in fact, Mother’s Day is a national holiday! To celebrate and say thank you, NSA hosted our yearly Mother’s Day dinner, inviting homestay and staff moms.

Students pitched in to set up the dining hall, serve dinner to their Costa Rican mothers, and spent the evening entertaining and dancing with their guests to show their appreciation for everything that these wonderful ladies do to make student experiences more meaningful.

The New Summit Academy Family

8/15/2018

This month, the team at New Summit Academy will gather for our yearly all-staff workshop and training week in our efforts to continue to improve the services that we offer to students and their families.

As part of that week, we thought that hearing from our families who have graduated from NSA and sharing those communications with our staff would help them to realize that they are doing and continue to do great work, and that their efforts make real changes in the lives of our students and their families.

We couldn’t help sharing a few of those communications:

--- “When we brought (our son) to you, and sat in the cafeteria space meeting everyone for the first time, I became filled with hope that he would find the help and support he needed to sort out and heal from his confusion. NSA felt safe and warm to me; I felt at home from the first.”

--- “Rarely does a day go by where I don't think about NSA. In fact, today I was wearing my NSA t-shirt while at the gym! Every person I met at NSA and got to know, impress me. This is very unusual for any organization. NSA has been important for (our son) and our family. I believe he was at his best there with you all. This has been a true gift for us. Bless each and every one of you. We love you all! ”

---- “(Our son) let go of the old, sad, negative self-image and tried and accomplished something new!! THANKS!!! I believe you ALL are the TRUE teachers of this world!! These are not adequate words to express my gratitude to all of YOU!!! Much love.”

--- “As I sit here thinking of special memories from our time at NSA, I feel warmth and love for each and every one: pulling the most delicious mangoes I’ve ever eaten from the lush trees, watching boys struggle to overcome their demons, connecting with parents who were in as much pain as we were and having no idea how we got there or what would come next, feeling silly trying to dance with Diana while full of joy at watching my son participate, sitting in awe of the leadership of NSA with a clear vision and passion for helping lost boys become confident young men. We learned how we got there and how to heal and to move forward with the tools and support of every person at NSA, including the staff, faculty, and even the other students.”

--- “Magic is happening at NSA and we are so grateful to have been touched by it."

New Summit Academy Students – Outside the Classroom!

8/1/2018

A major major part of our students' lives and learning is focused on what they are doing outside of the classroom, from interacting with their homestay families to volunteering with local organizations.

Clubs
Students at NSA are able to propose and form their own clubs based on their interests and passions. These clubs meet weekly, and often create after school or weekend opportunities. Current student-created opportunities include Biking, Rock Climbing, Surfing, Art, Chess, Spanish, and Cooking Clubs.

Cultural Activities
Sundays for newer students are dedicated to immersion in the Costa Rican culture through activities that tie in to their Spanish language classes. Each week may find students visiting a coffee farm, exploring museums, hiking through a national park, or floating down the river on a crocodile tour.

Homestay Program
For students who have completed the Cultural Immersion program and have advanced to a communicative level in their Spanish classes, Sundays are spent with a Costa Rican homestay family.

These local families take our students into their homes where they can join in on soccer games, family barbecues, birthday parties and, of course, delicious home cooking.

Volunteering
NSA students have many opportunities to give back to the community that hosts our school, including working with turtle conservation organizations, participating in beach clean-ups, animal rescue fundraising, and planting trees for water conservation.

Our most frequent opportunity and most rewarding experience comes from our students’ volunteer work with Hogar de Vida, our neighboring children’s home. Weekly volunteer opportunities and frequent NSA-hosted parties and events ensure that our students develop meaningful relationships with the children and staff.

Recreational Activities
Fun is a crucial part of being a student at NSA. Students plan their own recreational activities, working with their Student Council and our Experiential Education team.

Weekend excursions can include beach days, trips to the movies, bowling and laser tag. NSA students also organize game nights and BBQs on campus.

Highlights from Our Amazing Peru International Aventura

7/15/2018

July is perhaps our most exciting month at New Summit Academy as the summer brings our annual International Aventura to Peru! This year’s trip was especially meaningful as students engaged with a curriculum created by our Aventura teachers, therapists and Experiential Education mentors with a view toward building a greater sense of community among students and staff to bring back to our NSA campus.

After arriving in Peru, students began their journey with a tour of the colonial town of Cuzco before traveling by train to Machu Picchu, which is always a highlight of the trip.

Next, students split into two groups and, with their staff group leaders, followed the same itinerary, but in reverse order. One group began a high-altitude trek in the Auzangate region of the Andes, learning about the sacred gods – or Apus – of the mountains. The hikes were demanding, but the views made them worth the effort!

The second group began their trip with a 3-day whitewater rafting adventure, navigating class III and IV rapids (plus portaging around the class V’s), and camping along the spectacular river banks. Our English teacher, Brooke, was impressed with the way students cooperated in navigating the challenging portages.

The two groups reunited in the middle of their journeys in the indigenous village of the Amaru people, who welcomed them with a traditional ceremony complete with flutes and drums. Both groups spent the day working side-by-side with the Amaru helping them prepare fields for planting. The day culminated in a celebratory lunch prepared by the villagers.

NSA’s summer International Aventura has always been an unforgettable experience for those who participate. The students, now back on campus with stronger bonds within their community and ready to begin the school year, will be telling stories of their trip for weeks to come.

Recreational Aventura to Manuel Antonio

7/3/2018

After a rigorous school semester, students and staff are ready for some fun and relaxation, and the recreational Aventura delivered!

Students traveled to Manuel Antonio National Park and spent their days swimming in the ocean, hiking to spectacular waterfalls, playing soccer on the wide beaches, and exploring the park, one of the most beautiful in Costa Rica. Students returned to campus ready for their next adventure: Peru!

Academic Fair Highlights

7/1/2018

Each semester, our students and teachers have an opportunity to show off the results of their project-based classes during an Academic Fair.

The turnout for this year’s Fair was wonderful, and included over 40 student family members!
Their dynamic projects included:

- Reflection videos from our Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) class
- A podcast created through a collaboration between writing and music classes
- A LARPcast (Live Action Role Play Broadcast, an NSA invention) for World History
- A student music concert and a math-based interpretive dance

Thanks to the students and their teachers for another great academic year!

June Graduation Celebration

6/22/2018

New Summit Academy celebrated another successful school year this month with the graduating class of June 2018. The festivities began with students and their families having dinner out with our homestay families, who have been a major part of students’ lives at NSA.

The following morning, 10 high school and program graduates earned their diplomas and certificates, and gave emotional speeches thanking their families, and the NSA faculty and staff for their hard work, dedication and support.

We will miss this class, but look forward to hearing of their many future successes!

Interview with an Alumnus

6/14/2018

New Summit Academy is fortunate to have many of our students return to “give back” to the program and to serve as interns and valuable mentors for our current students. This summer, we proudly welcomed a 2016 graduate, Zach, who has joined our team during a college break. Zach, who is double majoring in Physics and the Classics, was generous enough to share some of his experiences with us

What was your transition like after NSA?
After graduating in December I had nothing to do and no one to do it with. When I went home my friends were all in the middle of their freshman years at college.

I was still living with my parents until I would go to university in Washington the next August. I had to actively create obligations for myself. It didn't help that my first week was spent recovering from a wisdom teeth extraction, which gave me a great excuse to sit in front of my computer all day like the days of old. It was different of course, than before attending New Summit. I was spending time with my family, sleeping regularly, remaining healthy.

After Christmas I printed off about forty resumes and walked around town, giving them to any business that would take one. I received offers from a few places, and I ended up working at a
frozen yogurt shop. I also took Intro to Ethics at my local community college.

What was your biggest challenge in your transition?
In December and January, when I was slipping toward pointlessness, I did roughly what I had planned in my transition quarter. I was sensible. In May after my class ended, 19 hours a week standing behind a register weighing cups of yogurt wasn't enough to stave off that hollow feeling of existential drifting. I, somewhat impulsively, decided to go adventuring. I used some of the money I had earned to buy a plane ticket to Ketchikan, Alaska and found a job on a fishing boat until August.

What advice would you give to current NSA students?
In general I advise making a specific and achievable plan that advances whatever short or long term goals you have while bringing you some degree of happiness. That being said, I also advise testing yourself. Test your will, your resiliency. You will then be better able to plan for yourself having an honest self-assessment of your character.

What are your strongest memories of your time at NSA?
The Aventuras are doubtlessly the most memorable part of my stay at New Summit. I often think back nostalgically to those beaches, kayaks, trails, and especially to the company. I am grateful to have had those experiences. Sweat-saturated clothing, sore feet, burned skin, a knot in my back, blisters on my hands, sand in my shoes and pack, tired arms, tired legs all tested my patience.

I chose to maintain a positive attitude (most of the time), reminding myself that these burdens are temporary and that I have the strength to persist. I learned to take complete ownership of my life. Everything I do, whether I succeed or fail, is a product of the effort I apply.

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