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Hello, community!
It is time for an update from NSA! Our parents have been receiving daily updates and weekly conference calls (as well as individualized calls) to process the situation, and they have been absolute troopers in making the tough decisions about whether to bring their sons home or leave them in Costa Rica to finish out the quarter as we shelter in place. Truth be told, we were conflicted about what to do, but we knew that if parents agreed, we could certainly shelter in place without losing our flow of academics, activities and therapeutic support. Almost all of our parents agreed, so here we are!
If you are curious about our decision-making processes and risk management protocols that we’ve been implementing since late February, feel free to reach out. We have back up plans in place and feel prepared for worst case scenarios, but we are optimistic and hoping for the best. Costa Rica took early preventative and precautionary measures and continues to implement policies that seem to be making a significant difference so far. We are proud of Costa Rica and our UN's representative's acknowledgment of our exceptional and innovative handling of the pandemic.
As for NSA, we are very proud of our team and how everyone came together to adapt and adjust to the “new normal” – from extra strict cleaning protocols (and additional cleaning staff and cooking staff in order to implement these protocols) …to inventing a whole new list of on campus activities. The students showed outstanding participation and ownership in building and setting up of all sorts of new on campus recreational activities like cornhole, frisbee golf, a horseshoe pit, a graffiti wall, bocce ball, ladder golf, etc. in addition to our already existing recreational options like basketball, ping pong, pool, etc.. It feels a bit like summer camp on the weekends and we’re grateful to be on 7 acres in a climate where we have plenty of space to be outdoors and active. At this point, boredom is a choice!
We understand that this is far from over. When the US issued a Level 4 Travel Advisory, we knew that we had a tough decision to make. We involved parents in the decision, and we found that almost all were more comfortable with their students staying here and continuing a healthy routine and progress towards graduation with therapeutic support, even if that meant not being able to fly home mid-May when the quarter ends. The various medical professionals in our parent group certainly helped confirm that decision. So with that collaborative decision made, we hunkered down and got to work.
Since the Costa Rican border is closed to incoming foreigners until April 13, we are not currently accepting enrollments, but we will continue to assess referrals and continue application processes. When the border does open, we will have a plan for enrolling new students that will take into account the global health situation at that time (and our responsibilities to do our part) and will communicate that directly with all applying families and referral sources. But for now, we are committed to providing the best possible outcomes for our current families, our staff, and our program as we do our very best to weather the storm and turn lemons into lemonade. And, let's be honest, our lemonade here is pretty tasty!
Take care & stay healthy!
Dr. Heather Tracy, EdD
It is time for an update from NSA! Our parents have been receiving daily updates and weekly conference calls (as well as individualized calls) to process the situation, and they have been absolute troopers in making the tough decisions about whether to bring their sons home or leave them in Costa Rica to finish out the quarter as we shelter in place. Truth be told, we were conflicted about what to do, but we knew that if parents agreed, we could certainly shelter in place without losing our flow of academics, activities and therapeutic support. Almost all of our parents agreed, so here we are!
If you are curious about our decision-making processes and risk management protocols that we’ve been implementing since late February, feel free to reach out. We have back up plans in place and feel prepared for worst case scenarios, but we are optimistic and hoping for the best. Costa Rica took early preventative and precautionary measures and continues to implement policies that seem to be making a significant difference so far. We are proud of Costa Rica and our UN's representative's acknowledgment of our exceptional and innovative handling of the pandemic.
As for NSA, we are very proud of our team and how everyone came together to adapt and adjust to the “new normal” – from extra strict cleaning protocols (and additional cleaning staff and cooking staff in order to implement these protocols) …to inventing a whole new list of on campus activities. The students showed outstanding participation and ownership in building and setting up of all sorts of new on campus recreational activities like cornhole, frisbee golf, a horseshoe pit, a graffiti wall, bocce ball, ladder golf, etc. in addition to our already existing recreational options like basketball, ping pong, pool, etc.. It feels a bit like summer camp on the weekends and we’re grateful to be on 7 acres in a climate where we have plenty of space to be outdoors and active. At this point, boredom is a choice!
We understand that this is far from over. When the US issued a Level 4 Travel Advisory, we knew that we had a tough decision to make. We involved parents in the decision, and we found that almost all were more comfortable with their students staying here and continuing a healthy routine and progress towards graduation with therapeutic support, even if that meant not being able to fly home mid-May when the quarter ends. The various medical professionals in our parent group certainly helped confirm that decision. So with that collaborative decision made, we hunkered down and got to work.
Since the Costa Rican border is closed to incoming foreigners until April 13, we are not currently accepting enrollments, but we will continue to assess referrals and continue application processes. When the border does open, we will have a plan for enrolling new students that will take into account the global health situation at that time (and our responsibilities to do our part) and will communicate that directly with all applying families and referral sources. But for now, we are committed to providing the best possible outcomes for our current families, our staff, and our program as we do our very best to weather the storm and turn lemons into lemonade. And, let's be honest, our lemonade here is pretty tasty!
Take care & stay healthy!
Dr. Heather Tracy, EdD
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At New Summit Academy, we are putting in Herculean efforts to keep our students and community safe and to maintain student engagement.
Academic classes and therapeutic groups are running as normal (though we have added additional therapeutic “check-ins for our students!), and all members of our community have come together as a family to create more opportunities for fun activities on campus.
Some recent projects include:
Academic classes and therapeutic groups are running as normal (though we have added additional therapeutic “check-ins for our students!), and all members of our community have come together as a family to create more opportunities for fun activities on campus.
Some recent projects include:
- Organizing and holding basketball tournaments
- Building a “cornhole” set
- Constructing a graffiti wall for student artistic expression
- Building a “ladder golf” game
- Digging horseshoe pits
- Holding evening campfires (and making s’mores!)
- Creating Nature Art in Global Citizenship
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This spring has been an exciting time for our seniors! After months of hard work developing and honing their college lists, writing and editing essays, visiting and interviewing, and completing their applications (all while maintaining good grades), their hard work has paid off!
Here is a sample of just some of the schools that have offered admission to our talented seniors.
Here is a sample of just some of the schools that have offered admission to our talented seniors.
Our students are also proving that - through their journeys of learning and growth - they have developed into the types of students that colleges want on their campuses. The offers of merit scholarships are proof of that.
Our seniors have, up to this point (and we will surely see more), been offered a total of more than $800,000. Congratulations, seniors!
Our seniors have, up to this point (and we will surely see more), been offered a total of more than $800,000. Congratulations, seniors!
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Hello, everyone!
Our current parents have been receiving updates every couple of days about the precautions we've been taking on campus since February 28 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but we thought it might be time to update the larger community.
We are proud of how our staff & students have been collaborating to come up with "fun bubble" activities to keep us all engaged on the weekends while we continue our normal academic schedule. Marco Arce, our Medical Coordinator, has been a champ at communicating with students and overseeing that all protocols are being followed to ensure our health and safety. The rest of our staff has been positive, proactive, and collaborative in keeping a sense of normalcy to avoid panic while adapting and adjusting to any new situations and information to provide good risk management.
We are also proud of how Costa Rica reacted and responded swiftly and thoroughly to the first reported case on March 6. Because of Costa Rica's quick decisions to cancel large public events and authorize quick testing, only 41 cases have been confirmed and 615 have been discarded.
Because Costa Rica has been prioritizing prevention, the government today declared a national state of emergency. Although anyone may leave... as of Wednesday, March 18, only Costa Rican citizens and residents may enter Costa Rica through April 12. Therefore, we will not be enrolling any new students from March 18 - April 12.
We will continue our "epidemic protocols" which have been in place since February 28. Our next school break is not scheduled until May 14, so we will hunker down and keep up our academic schedule through then if all goes well. If things do not go well, then we have back up plans in place to address the various paths that this pandemic may require. We have been in with the Ministry of Health on a daily basis, have discussed our situation with the USA Embassy, and are stocked up with supplies as well. We do hope you know that the safety and health of our students and staff is our priority, and at this moment, it appears that "staying put" is our best course of action.
We will continue to keep you updated as to any significant developments in our little community as well as when we are free to enroll students again. For now, it's "school as usual" with modified recreational activities (which we've also been doing since Feb 28) to keep us within our little fun bubble to protect our community and prevent the spread of any illnesses. The students are handling it well and excited to use our "weekend rec" budget to implement some fun "leisure sports" areas on campus - like bocce ball, horseshoes, and some games I hadn't even heard of like "gaga ball"! They are being very collaborative and we are grateful that they are seeing this as an opportunity to actively engage to improve their community from the inside out!
Please reach out if you have any questions about our protocols. Otherwise, we will continue to communicate via email to our currently enrolled families every couple of days.
Thanks!
Dr. Heather Tracy, Ed.D.
Our current parents have been receiving updates every couple of days about the precautions we've been taking on campus since February 28 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but we thought it might be time to update the larger community.
We are proud of how our staff & students have been collaborating to come up with "fun bubble" activities to keep us all engaged on the weekends while we continue our normal academic schedule. Marco Arce, our Medical Coordinator, has been a champ at communicating with students and overseeing that all protocols are being followed to ensure our health and safety. The rest of our staff has been positive, proactive, and collaborative in keeping a sense of normalcy to avoid panic while adapting and adjusting to any new situations and information to provide good risk management.
We are also proud of how Costa Rica reacted and responded swiftly and thoroughly to the first reported case on March 6. Because of Costa Rica's quick decisions to cancel large public events and authorize quick testing, only 41 cases have been confirmed and 615 have been discarded.
Because Costa Rica has been prioritizing prevention, the government today declared a national state of emergency. Although anyone may leave... as of Wednesday, March 18, only Costa Rican citizens and residents may enter Costa Rica through April 12. Therefore, we will not be enrolling any new students from March 18 - April 12.
We will continue our "epidemic protocols" which have been in place since February 28. Our next school break is not scheduled until May 14, so we will hunker down and keep up our academic schedule through then if all goes well. If things do not go well, then we have back up plans in place to address the various paths that this pandemic may require. We have been in with the Ministry of Health on a daily basis, have discussed our situation with the USA Embassy, and are stocked up with supplies as well. We do hope you know that the safety and health of our students and staff is our priority, and at this moment, it appears that "staying put" is our best course of action.
We will continue to keep you updated as to any significant developments in our little community as well as when we are free to enroll students again. For now, it's "school as usual" with modified recreational activities (which we've also been doing since Feb 28) to keep us within our little fun bubble to protect our community and prevent the spread of any illnesses. The students are handling it well and excited to use our "weekend rec" budget to implement some fun "leisure sports" areas on campus - like bocce ball, horseshoes, and some games I hadn't even heard of like "gaga ball"! They are being very collaborative and we are grateful that they are seeing this as an opportunity to actively engage to improve their community from the inside out!
Please reach out if you have any questions about our protocols. Otherwise, we will continue to communicate via email to our currently enrolled families every couple of days.
Thanks!
Dr. Heather Tracy, Ed.D.