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The month of September is a special time in Costa Rica, as proud Ticos celebrate gaining their independence from Spain on September 15th, 1821. Our Cultural Coordinator, Daisy, ensures that students take part in every aspect of this patriotic celebration.
Typical Breakfast Celebration
On the day before Independence Day, faculty and staff arrive to campus extra early to prepare a typical Costa Rican breakfast for our students. As students awoke to the sound of live marimba music, they found their teachers ready to serve them such traditional foods as gallo pinto, huevos rancheros, and handmade corn tortillas.
Staff (and some of our braver students) danced to classic Tico tunes, punctuated by “bombas” – short, comedic poems recited by everyone involved.
Staff (and some of our braver students) danced to classic Tico tunes, punctuated by “bombas” – short, comedic poems recited by everyone involved.
Making Faroles and Supporting a Local Elementary School
On the evening before Independence Day, Costa Ricans celebrate the gathering of citizens by lantern light throughout Central America as the call for independence was raised in 1821.
Children fill the streets, carrying homemade “faroles” or lanterns in the colors of the Costa Rican flag for a magical parade.
NSA students traveled to a nearby small village called “Altos del Monte” to work with the students at a humble elementary school to construct their lanterns.
Our students then took part in the parade, and further supported the school’s yearly fundraiser by purchasing plates of traditional food.
Children fill the streets, carrying homemade “faroles” or lanterns in the colors of the Costa Rican flag for a magical parade.
NSA students traveled to a nearby small village called “Altos del Monte” to work with the students at a humble elementary school to construct their lanterns.
Our students then took part in the parade, and further supported the school’s yearly fundraiser by purchasing plates of traditional food.
September 15: Independence Day Parade
On the morning of Independence day, students traveled to the center of town to witness the culminating event of the yearly celebrations: the Independence Day parade. The streets of Atenas are closed off to automobile traffic to allow for crowds of locals (and our school) to line the sidewalks, cheering as grade school students march in choreographed formations, as high school marching bands fill the streets with song, competing with the sirens of firetrucks and police cars. And of course, since a theme of our students’ Costa Rican cultural immersion is food, we indulged in traditional street treats including granizados (imagine a snow cone covered in condensed milk), churros and the requisite meat-on-a-stick!
Many thanks to our Costa Rican community for including us in their Independence Day celebration, and to Daisy, for organizing such a rich series of experiences for our students.
Happy Independence Day, Costa Rica!
Happy Independence Day, Costa Rica!
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Mother’s Day is a national holiday in Costa Rica. To honor our Costa Rican surrogate mothers, both staff moms and homestay mothers who provide our students with needed hugs and plates of delicious food, NSA holds an annual Mother’s Day Dinner.
This year, staff and homestay moms were treated to five-star service, receiving invitations to join students for a formal dinner on campus. While the gourmet meal was prepared by our chefs, our students did not sit idly by. NSA’s young gentlemen were each charged with hosting a different mother, serving and clearing her dishes, engaging her in conversation, and some brave students even hit the dance floor with their guests!
This year, staff and homestay moms were treated to five-star service, receiving invitations to join students for a formal dinner on campus. While the gourmet meal was prepared by our chefs, our students did not sit idly by. NSA’s young gentlemen were each charged with hosting a different mother, serving and clearing her dishes, engaging her in conversation, and some brave students even hit the dance floor with their guests!
Many thanks to the Experiential Education team and to Daisy, our Cultural Coordinator, for organizing this wonderful event to recognize just how important our Costa Rican moms are to our community at NSA!
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New Summit Academy’s students and staff have just returned from an inspiring round of Integrated Aventuras: Community Service in the Osa Peninsula, kayaking the Golfo Dulce, and hiking through Corcovado National Park. Each Aventura – integrated with Experiential Education activities, engaging Academic classes, and Personal Growth work – challenges students to step outside of their comfort zone to develop important life skills while surrounded by the beauty of Costa Rica.
Below are some of the trip highlights.
Below are some of the trip highlights.
Community Service Conservation Efforts
- Working side-by-side with Osa Conservation in reforestation, self-sustaining permaculture, and organic farming projects
- Collaborating with a local community to build a new sea turtle hatchery
- Patrolling beaches at night to collect turtle eggs for safe hatching
- Building trails for future visitors to make turtle-conservation efforts more possible
- Growing closer as a community of Orientation and newer students, and bringing those new connections back to NSA’s campus
Golfo Dulce Kayak Aventura
- Honing open-water kayak skills to paddle an average of a dozen kilometers per day on the gulf waters flanked by primary rainforest
- Learning about tides, mangrove ecosystems, coral reefs, and watersheds in a spectacular “living classroom”
- Being escorted on our journey by dolphins, sea turtles, schools of fish, and even sighting humpback whales
- Setting and achieving a group goal of not allowing negativity to influence the sense of wonder experienced in such an extraordinary setting
Exploring Corcovado National Park
- Holding classes in the middle of the rainforest which, based on student feedback, was a highlight of the trip
- Spotting a baby white-collared peccary with its mother, dubbed the “cutest thing ever”
- Sighting a massive crocodile feeding at the mouth of the Sirenas
