Our newest student cohort embarked on a beautiful trip kayaking in the Osa Penninsula for a week last week... #aventura #riteofpassage #nsacr
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Another wonderful rite of passage trip for the Corcovado cohort. #costarica #aventura #corcovado
 Staff training and collaboration was a highlight this week as we explored DEI and our honest and authentic personal, professional and programmatic experiences within the systems of privilege and opportunity (or lack of). We are so proud to be a part of a team that continues to embark on our own personal and professional growth journeys to shift communities to become more inclusive and supportive.
 Enjoy some photos from our recent surf lessons and surf outings!
  As we reopen, we are taking all precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on our campus. Luckily, the rainy season is ending and we will be soon entering the dry season. What does that mean? That we will be able to be outdoors as much as possible! Learning more about the aerosol spread of the virus has encouraged us to take many precautions such as:
We're excited to reopen and feel optimistic about all that Costa Rica and NSA has to offer during this stressful global pandemic. December 1 is our 4th album release in almost 16 years! We've sold some tickets for our December concert and are fine-tuning our playlists with the band, back up singers, stage hands and all the rest! Let's take a look back at the first 3 albums and why you're going to love the 4th even more...  NSA 1.0 was released on January 1, 2005, when NSA first opened its doors to 11 students and their families. Young, inspired, energetic and ambitious, we pumped ourselves up with hits like: - Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Something," - "Let's Get it Started" by the Black Eyed Peas, & - "Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac.  NSA 2.0 was released in 2012 as we moved into our newly built campus and opened our young adult Bridge program. We psyched ourselves up with: - the Jefferson's theme song, "Moving On Up" - and then slowed it down with hits like "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel & - "Home" by Phillip Phillips  NSA 3.0 - The 2020 COVID COHORT! The COVID lockdown brought out our inner divas as we discoed our way through - "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees, - Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" and - REM's "It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)" ... all while playing corn hole, horseshoes, ladder golf, and gathering to make S'mores around our fire pit.  NSA 4.0 - Now, as we prepare for our post-covid-lockdown December 1st release, we are inspired to begin again - with a return to our roots, an even more powerful purpose, and lots of inspiration. Listen to our rendition of - "Don't Stop Believin'" (no, it's not as good as the Glee cast!), - "I'll Rise" by Ben Harper (a la Maya Angelou) - "Stronger" by Kelly Clarkson, & - "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles One of the the things of which we are proud is our commitment to life-long learning, and that isn't only for our students! Each version of NSA is a result of a reflective, systemic process of self-examination, feedback from our stakeholders, and research on best practices.
NSA 4.0 is a result of this process in our team as we decided to take advantage of the opportunity that the COVID hibernation brought us. You will not be disappointed as NSA 4.0 brings to the forefront:
 Martin Naffziger, M.Ed., and Dr. Heather Tracy, Ed.D., presented in early 2020 at the annual NATSAP conference. The topic? Once through wilderness, how do we guide students back into the realities of our technological world? Dr. Tracy presented the latest research on the positive and negative effects of technology use as well as presented a framework for how to assess and discuss intentionally moderate use. Martin Naffziger then outlined how New Summit Academy re-introduces technology into student lives in an intentionally gradual way using process-based scaffolding. Enjoy! NSA was one of 4 therapeutic boarding schools that our Ed Consultant recommended. We were hesitant at first because of the distance and were concerned with the ease of getting our son back and forth (as well as ourselves) for visits. We quickly realized it was faster to get to Costa Rica than it was to some of the schools in Utah given they’re so far from the airport. My husband and I said no less than 10 times - “thank god we picked NSA.” It was amazing and we credit that school with saving our son. He had issues with severe anxiety and low self esteem. The entire staff was amazing. The teachers weren’t just teachers - they helped to counsel our son. The therapists were amazing. Everyone from the chef to the security felt like family to our son. He mentioned every single person in his graduation speech. He cried his eyes out when he had to leave everyone because he loved them so much and they loved him. He plans to go back as a mentor! That speaks volumes to the school. We chose NSA because the other schools seemed like they also had good therapists and education ...but NSA had the best vibe. The others seemed too restrictive and more prison-like. And let’s face it - being in a lush environment is therapeutic in itself. Our son definitely wanted to be home, but he also knew the other places he could have gone would have been so much worse. He’s been home a year now, and things are going really well. We still are so thankful we found and chose NSA and we’re not convinced things would have gone this well if we had chosen one of the other schools that were recommended.  |
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