Blog Archives - New Summit Academy Costa Rica

NSA Goes Green with Solar Panel Installation

4/27/2016

Ecological Stewardship is our Global Citizenship focus this quarter, and students have been able to witness putting this into practice, as phase two of our solar panel installation was completed.

Modeling Eco-Stewardship is an important facet in our mission to develop global citizens, and this project – developed in two phases – is a big part of those efforts. Phase one consisted of installing solar water heaters on dormitory roofs. Water is traditionally heated in Costa Rica with electricity, and since our students love their long, hot showers, these solar heaters have cut our monthly electricity usage by some 35%.

Phase two of the project was the installation of dozens of solar cells on the roof of our Academic Building. The power generated by these panels should cover nearly all of our campus electrical needs, dramatically reducing our carbon footprint!

Student Diplomats Address Human Rights

4/15/2016

Students in Model United Nations class began research last week for a simulation of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Students first chose a UN member state to represent before completing a research report on that country.

Once they were familiar with the history, strengths, and current challenges facing their countries, the student delegates - representing Ireland, Argentina, Belgium, Norway, Djibouti, Germany, and Japan - voted on a debate topic, ultimately deciding on "Strengthening Prevention Measures and Criminal Justice Responses to Human Trafficking." The US State Department recently estimated that there are between 20-36 million slaves in the world today, with human trafficking generating $150 billion in illegal profits each year.

Students have been researching their country's position on this issue, which coincides with the current school-wide global citizenship theme of human rights, and they are currently preparing formal position papers and three-minute speeches that outline national policies for preventing human trafficking while providing possible solutions to this global challenge. The work is preparing students for their participation in a full Model UN simulation next quarter.

Exploring Culture in Immersion Spanish

4/15/2016

Cultural immersion Spanish class is offered to students who have advanced language skills. These students are researching topics of interest based on diversity and heterogeneity. One student chose Costa Rican food, another student chose solid waste management and burning as a way of disposal of household trash in the Atenas canton.

After having done online research, they will now be collecting field information through interviews. In the case of Costa Rican food, the student is interviewing NSA staff from Costa Rica, young people, and adults in Atenas who are recognized for their experience in culinary arts. The interviews on solid waste management will include the environmental agent from the municipality, a representative of the local firefighter station, and people from Atenas and NSA. The final product will be a written text and an exhibition presented to NSA students and staff.

Student Council Elections Foster Student Ownership of Their Community

4/15/2016

Last week, our Experiential Education mentor and Student Council facilitator Matthew organized campaign speeches for students running for office. NSA’s Student Council includes a President and Vice-President, an Activities Representative, a Proposals representative, as well as a liaison with the Academic and Operations departments.

These positions have been intentionally created so that students are able to take part in the formation of their community and experiences while enrolled at New Summit Academy. Students, through their Student Council representatives, are able to organize their own cultural and recreational opportunities, can write proposals to make changes to the student handbook, and have the chance to manage their student monthly budget to make purchases to improve their daily lives.

Elections will be held soon, keep an eye out for the results!

April Recreational Aventura Takes on Volcan Arenal

4/15/2016

This month, students and staff traveled to Costa Rica's northern zone to explore Arenal – a once highly active volcano that periodically rumbles to life – and the surrounding area, famous for its beauty and adventure opportunities. When students were asked about their favorite part, each answered differently, with highlight quotes including:

“We swam in the crater of an extinct volcano. [Volcan Chato] Who gets to do that?”

“The best part was hanging out with Tom.”

“The whitewater rafting was amazing, even though it is the dry season.”

Besides navigating mighty rapids and crater-lake swimming, students hiked to and swam in the 200-foot La Fortuna waterfall, handled snakes at a serpentarium, and enjoyed quality time with Tom! The students all returned positive and energized for the upcoming quarter.

Hogar de Vida Continues to Enrich Students’ Lives at NSA

4/15/2016

New Summit Academy is privileged to have the community at Hogar de Vida as our neighbors. The amazing children who are cared for by a dedicated staff of tias, or aunts, welcome our students into their home weekly with hugs, shouts of joy, and energy which wears out even our guys!

New students visiting the children’s home for the first time may be shy to begin with, or afraid to hold an infant or feed a toddler, but surrounded by the spirit of these children, each student eventually bonds with his “favorites” through play, arts & crafts and fun outdoor activities.

Many thanks to Daisy, our Cultural Coordinator, for working to develop this relationship with Hogar de Vida, and for introducing such an enriching experience to our students.

U.S. History: The Savage Wars of Peace

4/12/2016

NSA’s U.S. History class is analyzing small U.S. led military engagements that sought to pursue U.S. empire building, promote and negotiate expanding economic markets and policies, protect corporate investments in foreign lands, conduct scientific, oceanographic, and geological exploration, and occasionally noble pursuits like the encouragement and spread of democratic principles, political stability, infrastructure soundness and public facilities (customs houses, schools, administrative structures, road and highway systems, bridges, and hospitals), bureaucratic transparency and fairness, and basic modern sanitation systems and standards.

Organic Chemistry

4/6/2016

Chemistry class has been studying functional groups as part of our Organic Chemistry Unit. Students have been practicing drawing, naming and recognizing molecules, as well as studying the relationship of Organic Chemistry with daily life (hydrocarbons, steroids, pheromones, and pharmaceutical drugs, just to name a few.) The class is currently researching different types of drugs and their chemical structures, in order to put the knowledge learned in class in context; they will be presenting their findings to the class next week as part of their final evaluation for the quarter.

Empowering Students to Enrich Their Community: LEAD Club

4/4/2016

This quarter at NSA, students came to a realization of how important developing leadership skills could be for individuals as well as for our community. In response to this epiphany, students took the initiative to work with staff to organize a weekly club which develops those critical leadership skills.

Each week, the LEAD Club meets to learn about and discuss topics which include assertive communication, leading by example, effective body language, and public speaking.

The student-created LEAD Club is not only a great example of NSA students being empowered to develop programmatic aspects, but a valuable resource for them and our community.

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