Category: Experiential Education - New Summit Academy Costa Rica

NSA in Peru & South Africa!

9/16/2019

New Summit Academy continues to offer its students once-in-a-lifetime travel and immersion opportunities!

This past month, students and staff traveled to either Peru or South Africa, engaging with local cultures, performing community service, marveling at the beauty of these nations, and having some fun! Here are just a few of the activities that students experienced in their travels:

-Whitewater rafting the Apurimac River
-Learning how graffiti is used for positive social change
-Working in the Sacred Valley alongside the Amaru indigenous community
-Spotting hippos and rhino while on safari
-Hiking through the Andes on the Auzangate trek
-Exploring Machu Picchu

What a month for New Summit Academy!

We are Accredited by AEE!

9/11/2019

As of 2019, New Summit Academy passed the high standards set by the Outdoor Behavioral Health council and the Association for Experiential Education. We are so proud of all of our staff and students who made this a possibility.

A special thanks goes to Andy Myers, Experiential Education Director, and his amazing team - especially Eric Cano, Miguel Varela, Tom Hutten, Sam Forti, James Mas, and our other departments - Personal Growth, Administration, and Academics - who all made this possible with their never ending quest for high standards!

Congrats, NSA!

August Experiential Session Part I: WAFA

8/21/2019

This past week, our students have been engaged alongside out staff in working toward earning their Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA) certifications.

New Summit Academy has been pairing with the Wilderness Medicine Institute for years in facilitating this professional-level certification for students and staff as an opportunity to truly challenge themselves in an experiential, hands-on curriculum, as well as to help with our risk management during Integrated, Recreational, and International Aventuras.

Throughout the week-long course, our dedicated WAFA instructors teach students how to recognize and respond to a variety of situations that include:

- Risk management and assessment
- Patient assessment techniques
- Injury management
- Common wilderness medical problems

Each time students learned classroom content, everyone sprang into action, with half of our students and staff simulating medical emergencies on campus, and the other half acting as the first-aid responders, with the support of our teachers and instructors throughout the process. This is true (and very valuable) experiential education!

August Experiential Session at New Summit Academy

8/13/2019

This month brings exciting, hands-on experiential learning for our students and staff!

Below is a quick introduction to the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that our community will be engaging in during the coming weeks:

Wilderness Advanced First Aid & CPR Certification
Students and staff will work together in this week-long, professional-level certification program, guided by the Wilderness Medicine Institute. Lessons on risk management and prevention, site surveys, CPR, and emergency treatment will be paired with hands-on simulated emergency scenarios where students will put their knowledge into action.

South Africa International Aventura
Some of our more senior students will travel to South Africa for what is sure to be a life-changing adventure. After getting to know Cape Town and introductions to local communities, students will participate in wildlife safaris, team-building exercises with local nonprofits, visits to museums and historical sites, and even a workshop with a local artist on using graffiti to bring positive change to communities!

Peru International Aventura
Many of our NSA students will travel to Peru to experience the Sacred Valley as few visitors ever get to do. The journey begins with an introduction to the ancient city of Cuzco and exploring the Incan site of Machu Picchu and Pisac. Students will then raft the Apurimac River before hiking the challenging but stunningly beautiful Ausangate Trek!

Costa Rica Orientation Aventura
Our newest NSA students will spend a week on two separate trips, with some relax time on campus in-between, getting to know the beauty and fun that Costa Rica has to offer. The first leg will introduce students to the Pacific Coast, where they will spend time on the beaches and sea kayaking. White water rafting on the world-famous Sarapiqui and zip-lining through the rainforests of Arenal make up the second trip. What a way to start at NSA!

SCUBA Certification in Bocas del Toro
To round out the August Experiential Session, a group of students and staff will travel to the archipelago of Bocas del Toro in Panama to earn their SCUBA Certifications. Bocas is world-renowned for its stunning beaches, coral reefs, and populations of marine mammals. This Aventura is sure to be remembered!

No other school on the planet engages its students in experiential learning like New Summit Academy!

Sneak Peek at our August Experiential Session

7/30/2019

This month, NSA will celebrate the graduation of four young men, ready to venture into the world and experience continued success.

After graduation, our students and staff will engage in a month of experiential learning, including the Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA) certification course, international Aventuras to Peru and South Africa, and a SCUBA certification in Bocas del Toro, Panama.

Stay tuned for more updates on these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities!

Staff Spotlight: Miguel Varela

7/16/2019

Miguel Varela, or “Migue” as our students call him, has played an important role in the Experiential Education department since he joined NSA in 2009.

Born in Argentina, Miguel brings his passions for sports, cooking, travel, and community service to his position as an EE Mentor and student advisor.

In addition, Miguel coordinates our Homestay program as well as weekend cultural activities, and serves as a trip leader on Integrated Aventuras.

Miguel’s presence on our campus is so impactful to our students, who often refer to him in their graduation speeches as a father figure while they are away from their families.

Miguel gets plenty of practice at home, raising five (5!) children of his own, but returns to NSA each day full of energy and positivity, and models engagement, common sense, and the ability to balance fulfilling his responsibilities with a sense of humor that our students truly appreciate.

Thank you, Miguel, for your dedication and contributions to our family at NSA!

A Busy – and Fun! – July for NSA Students

7/11/2019

The past weeks have been packed with engaging, interesting, and fun opportunities for our students at New Summit Academy.

Integrated Aventuras
At the start of the month, students and staff participated in our Integrated Aventuras, which combine experiential, hands-on learning with personal growth in some of the most beautiful places in Costa Rica.

Newer students spent the week learning about conservation while volunteering in reforestation projects in the Osa Peninsula.

A second cohort of students paddled around the Golfo Dulce, studying tidal fluctuations, watersheds, and coral reefs, along with fishing with hand lines and competing in the famous “Tent Partner Olympics.”

A third group of students hiked through Corcovado National Park, learning about forest succession and spotting exotic wildlife including tapir, anteaters and spider monkeys!

Weekend Activities
Last week, when NSA welcomed a new student into our community, a senior student pointed to our scheduling calendar and said “Just look at what we get to do this weekend!”

In just two days, our students had the opportunity to:

- Show off their moves at the Roller Disco
- Fish in the estuaries along the Pacific coast
- Spend the day immersed in Costa Rica’s culture with Homestay Families
- Visit the National Theater
- Expend some energy at the Trampoline Park
- Participate in Film Club

A Closer Look at NSA Employees & Staff

6/13/2019

Our newsletters often highlight the cool activities that our students experience week to week at New Summit Academy.

But it felt important to also highlight the PEOPLE that our students get to experience and interact with on a regular basis. Everyone who visits our Atenas campus expresses how amazing it is that our team functions like a well-oiled machine.

Yet, we’re not a machine. We are a network of hearts and souls dedicated to making our community a better place - one where students feel seen, heard, challenged, and supported to be their best self -- a self that opens their mind to experience, learns from mistakes, and sets goals and achieves them.

What makes this possible isn’t great leadership or air tight protocols (although we have those too). It’s the people who make NSA their home - day in and day out - and give their energy, intelligence, and hard work to make New Summit Academy, approaching its 15th year, what it is today.

We hope you enjoy some stats about NSA staff:

--Total number of Employees: 49.5 (the .5 reflects a couple of part-time employees)

--Youngest 25, Oldest 73
--6 under age 30
--20 age 30-40
--18 age 40-50
--6 age 50-60
--1 age 60+

Again, what a beautiful balance of age and experience to guide our students through what often feels like a difficult stage of life - adolescence!

Retention:
--28% of our Employees have worked for over 10 years at NSA (14) - Yes, that’s right! Almost 1/3 of our staff have been at NSA for over a decade!
--28% (14) Employees have worked for 5-10 years at NSA
--16% (8) Employees have worked for 3-5 years at NSA
--28% (14) Employees have worked for under 3 years at NSA

We are very proud that we have such great retention of employment -- 56% of our staff have been working at NSA for over 5 years!

We have such a mix of experienced veterans and new professionals who bring creative ideas and lots of fresh energy to our campus.

And 32% of our Employees are female, which lends a nice balance to an all-male school.

These statistics may not mean much to you, but they mean a lot to us. Our future newsletters will be highlighting some of these wonderful people who make NSA what it is - an amazing growth experience for our students!

SCAFA Day – Beginning the Quarter Planning for Success

6/1/2019

NSA students are beginning the quarter by planning for their continued growth with their SCAFA (which stands for Self, Community, and Future) Teams.

On the first day of each quarter, NSA has a special schedule that allows students to each meet with their Academic Advisor, Experiential Education Mentor, and Case Manager – who make up their SCAFA Team – to review their quarterly goal plans and set concrete steps to achieve those goals.

When not attending SCAFA Meetings, students are working to unpack from their home visits or Recreational Aventuras, organizing their iPads for the upcoming quarter, participating in community service in Atenas, and expending some adolescent energy on the basketball court, on the soccer field, or in the gym.

SCAFA Day is one way we work to set up our students for success this quarter!

NSA Leading the Way in Non-Traditional Education

5/14/2019

NSA has always believed that non-traditional education is the most effective way to reach a greater variety of learners and to better prepare them for our rapidly-evolving world. We have spent the past 15 years engaging students in experiential, collaborative, problem-based learning, and now we are sharing it with the world!

This May, Heather Tracy and Martin Naffziger, our Executive Director and Director of Learning and Outcomes, traveled to Chicago to present: Why (and How) Non-Traditional Education Must Be the New Traditional.

The presentation, given in front of a crowd of diverse educators, outlined the trends in adolescents and the world we are preparing them for, and how a different set of skills must be developed to best set them up for success.

While in Chicago, we also had the chance to host a current and alumni parent meet-up, sharing updates and memories. Families of graduates from as far back as 2013 met and mingled with families of students graduating this May, so it was a truly special occasion.

Thanks to all of our families for your continued support!

This website was made by a collaborative effort between two students (SK and JA) and NSA staff.
All pictures are real photographs taken from student experiences at NSA. Thank you for taking the time to peruse our site!
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