Blog Archives

Students Earn Professional-Level Certification in WFA and CPR

9/23/2024

Last week, our students and staff engaged in experiential learning while working toward earning their Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and CPR certifications.

New Summit Academy partnered with the American Health and Safety Institute (ASHI) in facilitating this professional-level certification for students and staff as an opportunity to truly challenge themselves in an experiential, hands-on curriculum, as well as to help with our risk management during weeklong national park adventure trips in Costa Rica and international culture travel.

Throughout the week-long course, our dedicated ASHI instructors taught students and staff how to recognize and respond to a variety of situations that include:

Risk management and assessment
Patient assessment techniques
Injury management
Common wilderness medical problems

Whenever students engaged with classroom material, everyone jumped into action. Half of the students and staff scattered across campus simulating medical emergencies, while the other half served as first-aid responders, all guided by our ASHI instructors.

The WFA and CPR certification week truly exemplifies the value of experiential education at New Summit Academy!

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Experiential Spanish Language Learning at New Summit Academy

9/17/2024

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At New Summit Academy in Costa Rica, experiential Spanish language learning transforms traditional education into an immersive adventure.

Our Spanish Language program serves to enrich our students’ experiences in Costa Rica, combining classroom study and academic rigor with hands-on application of learning, fostering both language proficiency and cultural understanding.

New Summit Academy's approach to Spanish language education is rooted in practical application rather than rote memorization. Students carry their classroom study of Spanish into the real world as they explore local markets, engage in community service projects, cook traditional meals, and share daily experiences with their homestay families.

Our learners use Spanish in real-world contexts, enhancing their conversational skills and cultural awareness.

One incredible aspect of New Summit Academy is its location in and connection with Costa Rica, its natural beauty, and its cultural diversity as a living classroom. Students practice their Spanish hiking in the rainforest, practicing salsa in dance lessons, surfing on beach excursions, ordering at local restaurants, and even living on campus where the majority of our staff are bilingual. These experiences reinforce vocabulary and grammar development, but also deepen students' connection to Costa Rican culture and its rich biodiversity.

New Summit Academy's experiential Spanish language program exemplifies the Supportive Immersion approach to growth and learning, where students are provided the scaffolding needed to step outside of their comfort zones and develop skills, competencies, and insights in the real world.

By blending academic instruction with scaffolded, real-life experiences, students develop valuable skills that extend far beyond the classroom.

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New Summit Academy Teachers Pursue Lifelong Learning

9/10/2024

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New Summit Academy’s dedicated teachers work closely with students and advising teams to develop a sense of curiosity alongside academic skills for success in order to instill in our students a passion for lifelong learning. Teachers don’t simply teach these skills, however, but also act as mentors and models in their own lifelong learning pursuits.

Here are a few highlights of our incredible teachers’ continuous professional-development journeys:

Juan Diego Rodriguez, our Science Teacher and fitness coordinator, strives to integrate his passion for health and physical fitness into his curriculum, and even teaches a Fitness Science course as an elective! Juan Diego is currently completing a master’s degree in Sports Science, which includes classes in physiology, biomechanics, investigation methods, and meta-analysis of data, all which serve to enrich his classroom work with our students.

Our Documentary Filmmaking and Photography teacher, Stephen Kopels, is continuously studying the craft in order to stay abreast of the rapidly-evolving technologies in video and film editing software. NSA’s editing studio is equipped with Avid, the predominant leader in professional editing software in feature and documentary films, and Stephen’s mastery of these technologies is key to engaging our creative students in his classes.

Peter Gottovi, NSA’s Social Studies teacher and coordinator of our Music Studio and Music classes continuously strives to bring his classes to life by incorporating technologies and perspectives necessary to succeed as civic-minded citizens in our ever-evolving world. Recently, Peter has attended the GEMS Conference, focusing on gender equality, as well as participated in a number of humanities workshops offered by PBS, iCivics, The Representation Project, The Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab, Facing History & Ourselves, Climate Interactive and the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative, and Ad Fontes Media Literacy.

While teaching Spanish and helping to coordinate NSA’s Cultural Immersion program, Vianney Medina - who already holds a bachelor’s degree in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language - has now earned her associate’s degree in English, and is working toward a second bachelor’s degree in English, which proves very beneficial to Vianney in order to communicate and connect better with her students.

Yannick Pilgrim, New Summit Academy’s English Literature and Composition teacher, recently participated in a four-month professional development workshop called The Teacher as a Mentor, where teachers were encouraged to embrace their role as mentors for their students. This year, Yannick also completed a Neuroeducation Certification, guiding teachers to combine their knowledge of neuroscience, psychology, cognitive science, and the principles of education to create more impactful lessons. Yannick is currently earning a certificate in Agile Project Management by Google.

NSA’s Mathematics teacher and math genius, Tonny Garita, recently completed his (second!) master's degree in Mathematics Teaching at the Universidad de Antioquia in Colombia with Summa Cum Laude distinction. In doing so, Tonny singlehandedly wrote a textbook on differential calculus applied to agricultural sciences, which is currently being published in Costa Rica. Tonny presented his findings at international symposiums in Costa Rica and Colombia. Additionally, Tonny has recently trained in creating effective animated resources and classroom design using the inverted classroom methodology.

During his time working at New Summit Academy, Martin Naffziger, our Academic Director and College Guidance Counselor, has added to his bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Creative Writing by earning both a master’s degree in International Education as well as a graduate degree in College Counseling. Martin continues to research and share knowledge and education techniques, and has presented at national and international conferences on topics including Integrating Executive Functioning Training into the Classroom and how to use Goal-Driven Learning to Engage Students.

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Students Earn Professional-Level Certification in WFA and CPR

Last week, our students and staff engaged in experiential learning while working toward earning their Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and CPR certifications.

The WFA and CPR certification week truly exemplifies the value of experiential education at New Summit Academy!

Experiential Spanish Language Learning at New Summit Academy

At New Summit Academy in Costa Rica, experiential Spanish language learning transforms traditional education into an immersive adventure.

Our learners use Spanish in real-world contexts, enhancing their conversational skills and cultural awareness.

By blending academic instruction with scaffolded, real-life experiences, students develop valuable skills that extend far beyond the classroom.

New Summit Academy Teachers Pursue Lifelong Learning

Here are a few highlights of our incredible teachers’ continuous professional-development journeys:

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