Category: Aventuras

Kayaking into the sunset at NSA...

3/27/2021

Our newest student cohort embarked on a beautiful trip kayaking in the Osa Penninsula for a week last week... #aventura #riteofpassage #nsacr

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Aventura #2 ~ the Charm of Corcovado

3/26/2021

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Another wonderful rite of passage trip for the Corcovado cohort. #costarica #aventura #corcovado

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WAFA certification an annual event at NSA!

5/7/2020

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More Than College Prep: NSA is Life Prep!

2/20/2020

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Experiential learning, project and problem-based classes, rigorous standards, comprehensive student portfolios - there is no doubt that New Summit Academy’s Academic Program is college-prep.

But NSA is much more than college-prep; we prepare our students for life! Our students have struggled but developed the resilience to persevere. They have learned how they learn and how to advocate for themselves, have lived away from home in dorms (doing their own laundry and chores!) Our students have immersed in a different culture and language, have performed community service like no other, and have developed healthy coping mechanisms and re-connected with their families.

New Summit Academy graduates: PREPARED FOR LIFE!

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NSA in Peru & South Africa!

9/16/2019

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New Summit Academy continues to offer its students once-in-a-lifetime travel and immersion opportunities!

This past month, students and staff traveled to either Peru or South Africa, engaging with local cultures, performing community service, marveling at the beauty of these nations, and having some fun! Here are just a few of the activities that students experienced in their travels:

-Whitewater rafting the Apurimac River
-Learning how graffiti is used for positive social change
-Working in the Sacred Valley alongside the Amaru indigenous community
-Spotting hippos and rhino while on safari
-Hiking through the Andes on the Auzangate trek
-Exploring Machu Picchu

What a month for New Summit Academy!

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August Experiential Session at New Summit Academy

8/13/2019

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This month brings exciting, hands-on experiential learning for our students and staff!

Below is a quick introduction to the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that our community will be engaging in during the coming weeks:

Wilderness Advanced First Aid & CPR Certification
Students and staff will work together in this week-long, professional-level certification program, guided by the Wilderness Medicine Institute. Lessons on risk management and prevention, site surveys, CPR, and emergency treatment will be paired with hands-on simulated emergency scenarios where students will put their knowledge into action.

South Africa International Aventura
Some of our more senior students will travel to South Africa for what is sure to be a life-changing adventure. After getting to know Cape Town and introductions to local communities, students will participate in wildlife safaris, team-building exercises with local nonprofits, visits to museums and historical sites, and even a workshop with a local artist on using graffiti to bring positive change to communities!

Peru International Aventura
Many of our NSA students will travel to Peru to experience the Sacred Valley as few visitors ever get to do. The journey begins with an introduction to the ancient city of Cuzco and exploring the Incan site of Machu Picchu and Pisac. Students will then raft the Apurimac River before hiking the challenging but stunningly beautiful Ausangate Trek!

Costa Rica Orientation Aventura
Our newest NSA students will spend a week on two separate trips, with some relax time on campus in-between, getting to know the beauty and fun that Costa Rica has to offer. The first leg will introduce students to the Pacific Coast, where they will spend time on the beaches and sea kayaking. White water rafting on the world-famous Sarapiqui and zip-lining through the rainforests of Arenal make up the second trip. What a way to start at NSA!

SCUBA Certification in Bocas del Toro
To round out the August Experiential Session, a group of students and staff will travel to the archipelago of Bocas del Toro in Panama to earn their SCUBA Certifications. Bocas is world-renowned for its stunning beaches, coral reefs, and populations of marine mammals. This Aventura is sure to be remembered!

No other school on the planet engages its students in experiential learning like New Summit Academy!

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A Busy – and Fun! – July for NSA Students

7/11/2019

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The past weeks have been packed with engaging, interesting, and fun opportunities for our students at New Summit Academy.

Integrated Aventuras
At the start of the month, students and staff participated in our Integrated Aventuras, which combine experiential, hands-on learning with personal growth in some of the most beautiful places in Costa Rica.

Newer students spent the week learning about conservation while volunteering in reforestation projects in the Osa Peninsula.

A second cohort of students paddled around the Golfo Dulce, studying tidal fluctuations, watersheds, and coral reefs, along with fishing with hand lines and competing in the famous “Tent Partner Olympics.”

A third group of students hiked through Corcovado National Park, learning about forest succession and spotting exotic wildlife including tapir, anteaters and spider monkeys!

Weekend Activities
Last week, when NSA welcomed a new student into our community, a senior student pointed to our scheduling calendar and said “Just look at what we get to do this weekend!”

In just two days, our students had the opportunity to:

- Show off their moves at the Roller Disco
- Fish in the estuaries along the Pacific coast
- Spend the day immersed in Costa Rica’s culture with Homestay Families
- Visit the National Theater
- Expend some energy at the Trampoline Park
- Participate in Film Club

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Integrated Aventura Highlights

5/1/2019

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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

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New Summit Academy’s Integrated Aventuras

2/15/2019

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This February’s round of Integrated Aventuras engaged students in hiking, rafting, swimming, service work, and other amazing opportunities. While the physical challenge and natural beauty of NSA’s Aventuras are often highlighted in stories and photos, these experiences offer our students so much more.

Time away from campus and regular schedules to focus on individualized Personal Growth work
Experiential, immersive classes in the rainforest, coasts and cloud forests bringing concepts such as forest succession, interdependence of ecosystems, and conservation alive
Rites of passage that serve as opportunities for students to reflect on their processes and growth at NSA
Bonding opportunities among cohorts and with Aventura staff that strengthen our NSA community and milieu
Experiences that emphasize how lucky we are to live, study and work in a place as stunning as Costa Rica!

These reasons, combined with the physical challenge and connection with nature, are why NSA’s Integrated Aventuras are some of the most meaningful and impactful experiences for all of our students, and why our alumni continue to speak about them 10 years after graduation!

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What Is SCAFA at New Summit Academy?

2/1/2019

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SCAFA, which stands for Self, Community and Future Assessment, is New Summit Academy’s innovative system for supporting students in identifying areas for growth, setting goals and steps, supporting students to follow through with those steps, and assessing progress to guide future goals.

Here’s how our SCAFA system works:

During the admissions process, our talented team assembles all of the information from interviews, applications, testing and transcripts and identifies key areas of attention for student growth.

Those areas of attention are turned into goals for students and their families to work toward while part of the NSA community.

Those goals are turned over to a student’s SCAFA team – his go-to people at NSA – that consists of his Case Manager, Academic Advisor, and his Experiential Education Mentor.

Every student meets with his SCAFA team at the start of each quarter to look at his areas of attention, review his goals and progress, and to set concrete steps to take during the upcoming quarter to work toward achieving his goals.
New Summit Academy’s incredible program elements ARE those concrete steps!

So, while students are participating in academic planning meetings and project-based learning, while they are engaging in therapeutic groups and Honor Councils, and as they immerse in the Costa Rican culture, are challenged during Integrated Aventuras, and volunteer at Hogar de Vida, they are working toward their goals.

NSA’s Orientation program, its clubs and cultural activities, Family Workshops, Student Council, community life, Global Citizenship workshops, certification courses, proposal systems . . . each element that makes New Summit Academy special is intentionally created to help students build skills for success.

That’s the beauty of SCAFA!