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As New Summit Academy’s midterm week came to a close, the entire Academic faculty and student body turned the final day before Aventura into a unique learning experience. Students traveled in four groups – based on their cohort from the Global Citizenship Foundation Course – to different sites in the Central Valley to explore real-life situations where the facets of Global Citizenship are being promoted.
Newer students traveled with Adam, our Global Citizenship coordinator and organizer of the event, to Costa Rica’s University for Peace. At this United Nations-mandated higher education institution, the students performed community service, met with current UPeace students to exchange ideas about Global Citizenship, and engaged in a workshop on the Earth Charter. The Earth Charter is a declaration of fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century. The Earth Charter International Secretariat is located at the UPEACE Campus in Costa Rica.
Newer students traveled with Adam, our Global Citizenship coordinator and organizer of the event, to Costa Rica’s University for Peace. At this United Nations-mandated higher education institution, the students performed community service, met with current UPeace students to exchange ideas about Global Citizenship, and engaged in a workshop on the Earth Charter. The Earth Charter is a declaration of fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century. The Earth Charter International Secretariat is located at the UPEACE Campus in Costa Rica.
A second group of students – delving into the topic of sustainable development – traveled to a nearby organic farm. Here they learned from the farm manager – a young man who is transforming the “traditional” methods of farming using chemicals and genetically-modified foods. Students learned about his efforts to reintroduce ancient farming techniques using methods of permaculture, natural pesticides and organic fertilizers. Students also pitched in, helping to build planter boxes for future crops.
The third group traveled to the office of The Tico Times, the largest English-language newspaper in Central America. With the goal of exploring ideas of social justice and digital citizenship (the Times went 100% digital in recent years), students interviewed journalists at the newspaper about recent articles. Students were also excited to learn that this respected newspaper was started in the mid-1950’s by young students at the very same high school where they take their SAT and ACT exams!
NSA’s oldest students traveled to the Puriscal Valley reserve of Quitirrisi – home to the indigenous Guetares people. Students learned that the Guetares were once the largest, most dominant group of natives in Costa Rica, but that the Spanish conquest had diminished their population from tens of thousands to a mere 1,800 today. The son of the chief welcomed students into the village, and gave them an oral history of the people. Students then gathered firewood for a traditional spiritual cleansing ceremony, before working together with the chief’s son to clean the streets of litter.
Each group returned to campus with stories to tell about their Global Citizenship experiences. The Academic faculty plan to make these Field Learning trips a tradition for each mid-quarter week, which will only help enrich our one-of-a-kind program!
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Aventuras will depart at the end February, and students and staff are getting ready mentally and physically for experiential learning which become highlights of students’ careers at NSA.
New Summit Academy takes an integrated approach to our program, and Aventura preparation is no different! Our experiential education staff have designed Physical Education classes and activities to develop strength and flexibility for kayaking, hiking, and community service work. The department also holds pre-trip meetings for students, so that they are comfortable with trip itineraries and expectations. Our therapeutic staff work with students in their cohort groups to process community issues related to the upcoming Aventuras.
Our teachers are also hard at work, preparing for the experiential, hands-on classes which engage students on each trip. Look for a report on each Aventura in the next edition of the NSA newsletter.
New Summit Academy takes an integrated approach to our program, and Aventura preparation is no different! Our experiential education staff have designed Physical Education classes and activities to develop strength and flexibility for kayaking, hiking, and community service work. The department also holds pre-trip meetings for students, so that they are comfortable with trip itineraries and expectations. Our therapeutic staff work with students in their cohort groups to process community issues related to the upcoming Aventuras.
Our teachers are also hard at work, preparing for the experiential, hands-on classes which engage students on each trip. Look for a report on each Aventura in the next edition of the NSA newsletter.
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NSA’s Academic Department mission states that we are working to develop in students a global perspective to apply knowledge to their own lives, their communities and their world. One method for accomplishing this mission is through our Global Citizenship program, which guides students to see their classes and projects through the lens of the eight facets of Global Citizenship: diversity, human rights, social justice, environmental stewardship, digital citizenship, sustainable development, conflict resolution and interconnectedness.
Adam, our Global Citizenship coordinator, works with all new students to develop a foundational knowledge of these facets – and apply that knowledge to class projects throughout the year. Adam has now organized quarterly enrichment field trips so that students are able to see these facets at play not just in their studies, but in the communities of Costa Rica.
This quarter, students will be learning about the Earth Charter in a tour of the University for Peace, exploring diversity with the indigenous community of Quitirrisi, investigating sustainable development at the organic farm La Nueva Era, and examining social justice issues with the Tico Times – Central America’s largest English language publication.
Thanks to Adam and the entire teaching team for continuing to enrich the innovative Academic program at New Summit Academy!
Adam, our Global Citizenship coordinator, works with all new students to develop a foundational knowledge of these facets – and apply that knowledge to class projects throughout the year. Adam has now organized quarterly enrichment field trips so that students are able to see these facets at play not just in their studies, but in the communities of Costa Rica.
This quarter, students will be learning about the Earth Charter in a tour of the University for Peace, exploring diversity with the indigenous community of Quitirrisi, investigating sustainable development at the organic farm La Nueva Era, and examining social justice issues with the Tico Times – Central America’s largest English language publication.
Thanks to Adam and the entire teaching team for continuing to enrich the innovative Academic program at New Summit Academy!
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This month, at the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP) conference in La Jolla, California, Academic Director Martin Naffziger and Executive Director Heather Tracy delivered a presentation on how to design a program that intentionally develops Executive Functioning skills.
Because Executive Functioning is such an essential and elemental set of processes which help determine success in so many areas, NSA works holistically with students who struggle so that these skills are intentionally strengthened and consistently applied in academic work, community life, therapeutic interventions, and the development of key life skills. This daunting task cannot be accomplished by a lone therapist, a favorite teacher, or a passionate mentor alone, as this approach would isolate skill development to only one type of task – homework completion, flexibility in changing plans, or incorporating feedback.
Martin and Heather’s presentation outlined how a program can develop an integrated approach to strengthening Executive Functioning skills. This approach begins with an intentional, systemic structuring of how students – and the professionals with whom they work – are guided in problem-analysis, goal-setting and management of steps, daily time management, self-monitoring, and more – so that the very programmatic steps students engage in build Executive Functioning skills by applying them throughout the day, every day.
The presentation provided concrete techniques and structures – using our one-of-a-kind program as examples – which allow teachers, therapists, experiential educators to collaborate in developing an integrated, whole-program approach to building Executive Functioning skills.
When we consider that students will need to, after transition, apply these skills in every facet of their adult lives, no approach but an integrated one can succeed.
Because Executive Functioning is such an essential and elemental set of processes which help determine success in so many areas, NSA works holistically with students who struggle so that these skills are intentionally strengthened and consistently applied in academic work, community life, therapeutic interventions, and the development of key life skills. This daunting task cannot be accomplished by a lone therapist, a favorite teacher, or a passionate mentor alone, as this approach would isolate skill development to only one type of task – homework completion, flexibility in changing plans, or incorporating feedback.
Martin and Heather’s presentation outlined how a program can develop an integrated approach to strengthening Executive Functioning skills. This approach begins with an intentional, systemic structuring of how students – and the professionals with whom they work – are guided in problem-analysis, goal-setting and management of steps, daily time management, self-monitoring, and more – so that the very programmatic steps students engage in build Executive Functioning skills by applying them throughout the day, every day.
The presentation provided concrete techniques and structures – using our one-of-a-kind program as examples – which allow teachers, therapists, experiential educators to collaborate in developing an integrated, whole-program approach to building Executive Functioning skills.
When we consider that students will need to, after transition, apply these skills in every facet of their adult lives, no approach but an integrated one can succeed.
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Spring is an exciting time for students, families and staff at New Summit Academy as college decisions begin to arrive.
Though most decisions will be made in February and March, we have received acceptances for some of our seniors from amazing schools including:
Keep an eye out for many more acceptances in the coming months!
Though most decisions will be made in February and March, we have received acceptances for some of our seniors from amazing schools including:
- Manhattan College
- Augsburg College
- Lynn University
- Curry College
- Whittier College, and
- Western Washington University.
Keep an eye out for many more acceptances in the coming months!
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NSA’s January Health term is an intensive, three-week series of workshops and classes that focus on a holistic view of healthy young adulthood.
The first two weeks of the term consist of a collaborative effort -- with all staff from each department facilitating rich learning experiences based on our new student assessment system, which details characteristics of a healthy Self, healthy Community and healthy Future.
The Personal Growth department’s therapists and case managers engaged the students in workshops and hands-on activities relating to Identity, healthy Relationships, and Executive Functioning in the teenage brain.
The Experiential Education mentors conducted courses on Physical Health, Nutrition and Mindfulness.
And the Academic Department’s teachers worked with students in Career Exploration and Application Skills using Initiative workshops where students wrote themselves into their personal Hero Journeys, and in Resilience activities.
To celebrate the two weeks, the departments collaborated with our resident Master of Games, Matthew, to learn about and realize the importance of play in our lives. Students dueled it out in lip-sync contests (teachers set the bar with The Who’s Baba O’Riley), inventing games, and in an epic competition of capture-the-flag!
The third week of the Health Term has students and staff working with members of the Wilderness Medicine Institute to earn professional certifications in Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA).
The first two weeks of the term consist of a collaborative effort -- with all staff from each department facilitating rich learning experiences based on our new student assessment system, which details characteristics of a healthy Self, healthy Community and healthy Future.
The Personal Growth department’s therapists and case managers engaged the students in workshops and hands-on activities relating to Identity, healthy Relationships, and Executive Functioning in the teenage brain.
The Experiential Education mentors conducted courses on Physical Health, Nutrition and Mindfulness.
And the Academic Department’s teachers worked with students in Career Exploration and Application Skills using Initiative workshops where students wrote themselves into their personal Hero Journeys, and in Resilience activities.
To celebrate the two weeks, the departments collaborated with our resident Master of Games, Matthew, to learn about and realize the importance of play in our lives. Students dueled it out in lip-sync contests (teachers set the bar with The Who’s Baba O’Riley), inventing games, and in an epic competition of capture-the-flag!
The third week of the Health Term has students and staff working with members of the Wilderness Medicine Institute to earn professional certifications in Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA).
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New Summit Academy is continually working to innovate and provide the best possible experiences for all of our students, parents, staff and educational partners. Each year, the Academic, EE and Personal Growth departments all set goals for improving our program. 2015 was a fantastic year for the New Summit Academy community – with achievements including:
- The building of a recording and editing studio for students’ creative endeavors
- The start of solar panel installations to help reduce our environmental footprint
- The development of Transition and Second Summit Programs
- More frequent and thorough Family Workshops
- The development of our student growth assessment system focusing on healthy Self, Community and Future
2016 is looking to be a banner year for us as well, and as we develop our goals – guided by our organizational values – we would like to thank our community of students, families, educational consultants, faculty and staff, homestay families and the community of Atenas for the support and dedication they have provided to make New Summit Academy the amazing program it is today.
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by Dr. Heather Tracy, EdD
One reflection that resonated with several parents during this Thanksgiving's parent workshop was the idea of redefining "success." I encourage to you think about these questions and analyze how you have communicated (either implicitly or explicitly) your own definition of success to yourself, your son, your family and your friends.
If we all stick to one definition of success that is defined FOR us by society or our communities... then where is the room for unique talents and strengths? We cannot ALL be "successful" according to the mainstream's competitive definition. It is not even rationally possible if we all attempt the same goal within the same parameters. Someone has to "lose" and we don't all get a trophy. However, we all have something to contribute in our own way.
Part of NSA's philosophical foundation is based on Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences. This theory posits that we all have 8-9 aptitudes for learning, but we all exhibit those aptitudes at different levels...which is what makes us unique and different. We can all learn in various ways, but our strengths and challenges create a unique learning profile and approach that is not often validated or harnessed in traditional classrooms or work settings. Part of what NSA does is help students understand their unique profile so that they can better engage in learning and envision their own unique way of contributing to truth, goodness, and beauty to produce meaningful contributions to their lives, communities, and the world at large.
So... What is success to you? What is success to your son? What CAN success be? What forms does it take? How do we readjust our definitions of success so that we all, like a group of puzzle pieces, can have our own unique shapes and colors can collaborate to create and contribute to one "whole"?
If we all stick to one definition of success that is defined FOR us by society or our communities... then where is the room for unique talents and strengths? We cannot ALL be "successful" according to the mainstream's competitive definition. It is not even rationally possible if we all attempt the same goal within the same parameters. Someone has to "lose" and we don't all get a trophy. However, we all have something to contribute in our own way.
Part of NSA's philosophical foundation is based on Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences. This theory posits that we all have 8-9 aptitudes for learning, but we all exhibit those aptitudes at different levels...which is what makes us unique and different. We can all learn in various ways, but our strengths and challenges create a unique learning profile and approach that is not often validated or harnessed in traditional classrooms or work settings. Part of what NSA does is help students understand their unique profile so that they can better engage in learning and envision their own unique way of contributing to truth, goodness, and beauty to produce meaningful contributions to their lives, communities, and the world at large.
So... What is success to you? What is success to your son? What CAN success be? What forms does it take? How do we readjust our definitions of success so that we all, like a group of puzzle pieces, can have our own unique shapes and colors can collaborate to create and contribute to one "whole"?