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New Summit Academy’s mission is to empower students toward healthier lifestyles through processing experiences and solving problems to become more relationship-based, goal-driven, resourceful global citizens.
The goal of helping young men develop into global citizens has guided the development of many of the most impactful and memorable components of the NSA program.
These experiences of stepping outside of our comfort zones, asking intelligent questions while building critical thinking skills, and immersing in the world around us are all woven throughout NSA’s personal growth, academic, and experiential education programs.
Below are just a few examples of how we do this at NSA:
Building Connections and Serving our Community: All New Summit Academy students engage in service throughout their stay (in fact, it’s a requirement of our program!)
Students participate in reforestation projects, care for children at Hogar de Vida, provide activities for Retirement Home residents, and teach English classes to locals in Atenas.
Cultural Engagement: Each weekend, after having learned about the activity in their Spanish classes, our students immerse in the Costa Rican culture through experiences that include trips to museums, parks, festivals, tours of coffee and chocolate farms, and sports days in the park.
Global Citizenship Workshops: Eight times a year, students participate in teacher-led, experiential workshops that examine the facets of Social Justice, Human Rights, Interdependence, Ecological Stewardship, and more.
These facets then serve as lenses through which students approach their core classes for each quarter.
The goal of helping young men develop into global citizens has guided the development of many of the most impactful and memorable components of the NSA program.
These experiences of stepping outside of our comfort zones, asking intelligent questions while building critical thinking skills, and immersing in the world around us are all woven throughout NSA’s personal growth, academic, and experiential education programs.
Below are just a few examples of how we do this at NSA:
Building Connections and Serving our Community: All New Summit Academy students engage in service throughout their stay (in fact, it’s a requirement of our program!)
Students participate in reforestation projects, care for children at Hogar de Vida, provide activities for Retirement Home residents, and teach English classes to locals in Atenas.
Cultural Engagement: Each weekend, after having learned about the activity in their Spanish classes, our students immerse in the Costa Rican culture through experiences that include trips to museums, parks, festivals, tours of coffee and chocolate farms, and sports days in the park.
Global Citizenship Workshops: Eight times a year, students participate in teacher-led, experiential workshops that examine the facets of Social Justice, Human Rights, Interdependence, Ecological Stewardship, and more.
These facets then serve as lenses through which students approach their core classes for each quarter.
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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!
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!
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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!
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!
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New Summit Academy celebrated a very special graduation day this spring, as we proudly sent eight young men into the world, prepared for success.
This graduating class served as leaders and role models for our students, and every student graduated with honors – a feat never before seen at NSA!
These students have been hard at work this past quarter, writing and polishing their transition plans, working side-by-side with their families to come to agreements on their plans, and meeting with the Transition Team and administrative staff to complete a final review. The grads then took one final trip together, celebrating their accomplishments at the summit of Chirripo, the highest peak in Costa Rica.
Some of our recent graduates will return to finish high school, while our senior graduates will be attending Juniata College, The University of Denver, Lehigh University, and the University of Oregon.
Congratulations to these amazing young men; we look forward to their many successes!
This graduating class served as leaders and role models for our students, and every student graduated with honors – a feat never before seen at NSA!
These students have been hard at work this past quarter, writing and polishing their transition plans, working side-by-side with their families to come to agreements on their plans, and meeting with the Transition Team and administrative staff to complete a final review. The grads then took one final trip together, celebrating their accomplishments at the summit of Chirripo, the highest peak in Costa Rica.
Some of our recent graduates will return to finish high school, while our senior graduates will be attending Juniata College, The University of Denver, Lehigh University, and the University of Oregon.
Congratulations to these amazing young men; we look forward to their many successes!
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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 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!
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Our May 2020 graduating class consists of nine young men who have left an indelible, positive impact on our community. That impact has been felt outside the walls of NSA, especially at our local children’s home Hogar de Vida.
These grads, and many of their peers, have dedicated afternoons and weekends throughout their stay to build connections with the children through play, sing-alongs, art projects, games and just having fun.
This week, the graduates carried ice cream and cake to the children for one final afternoon of fun. The children had plenty of hugs for our graduates, who have gained so much from their experiences with Hogar de Vida.
Many thanks to Daisy, who continues to facilitate our ongoing relationship with this tremendous organization!
These grads, and many of their peers, have dedicated afternoons and weekends throughout their stay to build connections with the children through play, sing-alongs, art projects, games and just having fun.
This week, the graduates carried ice cream and cake to the children for one final afternoon of fun. The children had plenty of hugs for our graduates, who have gained so much from their experiences with Hogar de Vida.
Many thanks to Daisy, who continues to facilitate our ongoing relationship with this tremendous organization!
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This past week, students returned from Integrated Aventuras in the rainforests and cloud forests of Costa Rica with stories to tell. Some of the highlights of the trips included:
Community Service
• Working hard on mangrove reforestation projects along the shores of the Golfo Dulce
• Learning techniques for finding the highest quality coconuts
• Developing the most efficient teamwork techniques for moving 4.5 cubic meters of gravel over two busy days to create rainy season-resistant flooring for new trails
Kayak
• Having the wind and current at their backs and high tides that coincided with arriving and leaving camp which made loading and unloading gear much easier
• Seeing a pod of at least 30 dolphin at sunrise while crossing the Golfo Dulce
• Catching mackerel, red snapper and tuna, and spotting sea turtles, different sting rays and even a whale shark!
Cloud Forest
• Creating the perfect shelter in a two-hour “team-building” exercise (though it miraculously didn’t rain, so the final design unfortunately wasn’t put to the ultimate test)
• Celebrating two student birthdays, marked by setting an NSA record completing an excruciating 3km hike in just 37 minutes
• On the last day of Aventura, making a bonfire by the river and roasting s’mores Costa Rican style
• Students being vulnerable with each other about the bittersweet feelings of moving on, processing the great connections they’ve made during their time at NSA and preparing for the transition as graduation approaches
Community Service
• Working hard on mangrove reforestation projects along the shores of the Golfo Dulce
• Learning techniques for finding the highest quality coconuts
• Developing the most efficient teamwork techniques for moving 4.5 cubic meters of gravel over two busy days to create rainy season-resistant flooring for new trails
Kayak
• Having the wind and current at their backs and high tides that coincided with arriving and leaving camp which made loading and unloading gear much easier
• Seeing a pod of at least 30 dolphin at sunrise while crossing the Golfo Dulce
• Catching mackerel, red snapper and tuna, and spotting sea turtles, different sting rays and even a whale shark!
Cloud Forest
• Creating the perfect shelter in a two-hour “team-building” exercise (though it miraculously didn’t rain, so the final design unfortunately wasn’t put to the ultimate test)
• Celebrating two student birthdays, marked by setting an NSA record completing an excruciating 3km hike in just 37 minutes
• On the last day of Aventura, making a bonfire by the river and roasting s’mores Costa Rican style
• Students being vulnerable with each other about the bittersweet feelings of moving on, processing the great connections they’ve made during their time at NSA and preparing for the transition as graduation approaches
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Our talented seniors at New Summit Academy have received all of their college decisions this month, and most have made the exciting decisions of where to enroll.
This process began last May, when students and families began developing comprehensive lists of characteristics that they believed would lead to continued student success.
Using these characteristics, individualized lists of schools were developed for each student, and the intensive process of honing these lists began.
Alongside this process, students worked on resumes, essays, requesting letters of recommendation and – sometimes at the last minute! – submitting applications that highlighted their strengths and their growth processes over the last year.
New Summit Academy is proud to share some of our College Application stats for the fall of 2019!
Seniors accepted to college: 100%
Acceptance rate of all colleges applied to: 79%
Total Merit Aid Offered: $970,000.00
Acceptances into Colleges that Change Lives: 5
The impressive list of schools – as unique as our students – where our seniors have enrolled or intend to enroll:
Loyola University Chicago, Lynn University, Juniata College, Christopher Newport University, Quest University, University of Oregon, University of Denver, and Lehigh University
Thanks to all of our supportive families and consultants whose participation helped to make this such a successful season!
This process began last May, when students and families began developing comprehensive lists of characteristics that they believed would lead to continued student success.
Using these characteristics, individualized lists of schools were developed for each student, and the intensive process of honing these lists began.
Alongside this process, students worked on resumes, essays, requesting letters of recommendation and – sometimes at the last minute! – submitting applications that highlighted their strengths and their growth processes over the last year.
New Summit Academy is proud to share some of our College Application stats for the fall of 2019!
Seniors accepted to college: 100%
Acceptance rate of all colleges applied to: 79%
Total Merit Aid Offered: $970,000.00
Acceptances into Colleges that Change Lives: 5
The impressive list of schools – as unique as our students – where our seniors have enrolled or intend to enroll:
Loyola University Chicago, Lynn University, Juniata College, Christopher Newport University, Quest University, University of Oregon, University of Denver, and Lehigh University
Thanks to all of our supportive families and consultants whose participation helped to make this such a successful season!
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New Summit Academy has committed to ensure that student interests drive Club formation and weekend activities. This past weekend, four of our most popular Clubs participated in three-day adventures around Costa Rica.
The Fishing Club traveled to the Central Pacific coast, where they trolled the mangroves and estuaries spin casting and fly fishing. Though the action was light, a number of students were able to hook into some red snapper.
The Art Club spent the weekend immersing in the vibrant culture of San Jose. Students attended a play, visited art galleries, took in an independent movie at an art house theater, and had time to work on their own creative endeavors.
The Climbing Club ventured to the eastern side of Costa Rica, to the town of Cachi, famous for its rock walls. The students report that they had an amazing weekend of challenging climbs, and have sore forearms to prove it!
Finally, the Surfing Club took to the northern beaches – Playa Grande to be specific – to take advantage of the area’s world-renowned waves. Soccer on the sand and evening barbecues added to the fun!
The Fishing Club traveled to the Central Pacific coast, where they trolled the mangroves and estuaries spin casting and fly fishing. Though the action was light, a number of students were able to hook into some red snapper.
The Art Club spent the weekend immersing in the vibrant culture of San Jose. Students attended a play, visited art galleries, took in an independent movie at an art house theater, and had time to work on their own creative endeavors.
The Climbing Club ventured to the eastern side of Costa Rica, to the town of Cachi, famous for its rock walls. The students report that they had an amazing weekend of challenging climbs, and have sore forearms to prove it!
Finally, the Surfing Club took to the northern beaches – Playa Grande to be specific – to take advantage of the area’s world-renowned waves. Soccer on the sand and evening barbecues added to the fun!
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The recent student benefit concert and fundraiser, SummitFest, turned out to be a major success. Students have been volunteering at Caritas – a local soup kitchen that feeds up to 60 people per day. A lack of a freezer and needed supplies make their efforts challenging, and students recognized that need. Funds raised online and at the concert were used to purchase a new refrigerator, a deep freezer, and contribute to the ongoing food needs of the organization.
The delivery of the new appliances was overseen by our Experiential Education staff, Miguel, who also helped guide the students in organizing the concert. Great work, Miguel and NSA students!
The delivery of the new appliances was overseen by our Experiential Education staff, Miguel, who also helped guide the students in organizing the concert. Great work, Miguel and NSA students!
