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Corcovado National Park, one of the planet's most biodiverse locations, was the backdrop for this physically challenging 5-day camping and trekking adventure. Students study lowland rainforest ecology, symbiosis and forest succession on this extreme journey that entails some exciting river crossings, including one high tide crossing where waters were nearly chest level!
Wildlife sightings are one of the best parts of exploring Corcovado. During their week-long adventure, the guys saw Tapir, sea turtles, four species of monkey, wild pigs, coatimundi, caimans, crocodiles and a skunk! The group also got to experience the wonders of the Snow Moon Eclipse, watching the sun rise as the moon lit up the night sky.
Wildlife sightings are one of the best parts of exploring Corcovado. During their week-long adventure, the guys saw Tapir, sea turtles, four species of monkey, wild pigs, coatimundi, caimans, crocodiles and a skunk! The group also got to experience the wonders of the Snow Moon Eclipse, watching the sun rise as the moon lit up the night sky.
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Students and staff who spent their winter holidays with New Summit Academy had no shortage of exciting activities to keep them busy. The two-week holiday break was divided into two separate Aventuras: one week on the wild Pacific coast of Costa Rica, and one week of adrenaline-pumping adventure in the Arenal Volcano area.
On the coast, students surfed, spotted wildlife while kayaking among mangroves, and rode mountain bikes on the beach. The areas surrounding Arenal Volcano are famous for their outdoor activities, and students took full advantage, rappelling and rock climbing, zip-lining, horseback riding, and white-water rafting their way through the countryside.
In between these Aventuras, students and staff gathered at one of our dedicated teacher’s homes in Atenas to celebrate the holiday, sharing a traditional meal and exchanging gifts.
NSA hopes that everyone in our extended family had a wonderful holiday as we kick off 2017 with renewed energy and optimism for another banner year!
On the coast, students surfed, spotted wildlife while kayaking among mangroves, and rode mountain bikes on the beach. The areas surrounding Arenal Volcano are famous for their outdoor activities, and students took full advantage, rappelling and rock climbing, zip-lining, horseback riding, and white-water rafting their way through the countryside.
In between these Aventuras, students and staff gathered at one of our dedicated teacher’s homes in Atenas to celebrate the holiday, sharing a traditional meal and exchanging gifts.
NSA hopes that everyone in our extended family had a wonderful holiday as we kick off 2017 with renewed energy and optimism for another banner year!
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Eight proud program graduates (five of them also high school grads) recently embarked on their culminating Aventura at New Summit Academy: summiting Chirripo, the highest peak in Costa Rica.
Their journeys began more than one year ago, when they participated in the first of their Integrated Aventuras, learning about and serving the Costa Rican community which would become their second home.
Throughout the following months, these students have worked hard, developed the skills they need for success, and now move forward to college or to finish high school.
On Friday, December 16th, New Summit Academy celebrated their efforts at our Winter Graduation Ceremony. Congratulations to our graduates, we look forward to hearing about your many upcoming successes!
Their journeys began more than one year ago, when they participated in the first of their Integrated Aventuras, learning about and serving the Costa Rican community which would become their second home.
Throughout the following months, these students have worked hard, developed the skills they need for success, and now move forward to college or to finish high school.
On Friday, December 16th, New Summit Academy celebrated their efforts at our Winter Graduation Ceremony. Congratulations to our graduates, we look forward to hearing about your many upcoming successes!
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The first in NSA’s series of Integrated Aventuras engages students in an orientation to the culture of Costa Rica as they perform community service to protect the flora and fauna of their host country.
On this Aventura, students worked together to protect key sea turtle nesting sites, reforesting important coastal areas, performing night patrols to monitor nesting, as well as collecting turtle eggs and releasing new hatchlings into the Pacific.
On this Aventura, students worked together to protect key sea turtle nesting sites, reforesting important coastal areas, performing night patrols to monitor nesting, as well as collecting turtle eggs and releasing new hatchlings into the Pacific.
Students were able to interact with researchers from Cornell University, and were commended by the coordinator of Osa Conservation on their resiliency and work ethic throughout the challenging but rewarding service work.
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The “Sweet Gulf” of southern Costa Rica provides the setting for students’ second Integrated Aventura, as they kayak around this untouched marine wilderness. NSA’s teachers provide hands-on learning experiences throughout the Aventura, with students learning about subjects in which they are immersed: the tides, coral reefs, watersheds, and mangrove ecosystems.
During daily paddles, our students were accompanied by dolphins and sea turtles, did their best to bring in dinner with hand lines, and marveled at the bioluminescence during a night crossing of the Gulf.
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Students and staff brought their own sense of holiday spirit to the cloud forests of Costa Rica, trekking in reindeer antlers and Santa hats – definitely a first in NSA history. After a challenging hike through the mountains, the crew was rewarded with exhilarating Class IV rapids of the world-famous Pacuare River, and even had a fish jump into their raft during the whitewater adventure.
Students worked with their teachers to learn about the importance of interdependence, both in this unique ecosystem and in their own lives. The Cloud Forest students’ culminating challenge was their “cool kid” contest, a feat of endurance designed to test who could stand beneath a frigid waterfall, making for truly memorable photo opportunities!
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The third Integrated Aventura – based in the rainforest of Corcovado National Park – is a wilderness and wildlife adventure. Students study treefalls, light gaps and forest succession so that they can better understand and appreciate the truly magnificent biodiversity of this area.
As they hiked, students and staff encountered macaws, toucans, three species of monkeys, a Baird's tapir and – a highlight for everyone – a puma resting in the forest. Even in the rainforest, our students contribute their own uniqueness, and managed to convert a nearby river into a day spa, complete with a variety of burbling pools and volcanic mud masks!
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Arriving at a new place can be overwhelming for anyone, especially when that place is a new school, with a new group of peers, new staff, and different rules – and in an entirely foreign country!
In order to help enrolling students make the adjustment to NSA, our comprehensive Orientation program guides them in getting to know our community so that they can continue their processes of personal growth. From day one, an Orientation team – Experiential Education mentors, an Academic Advisor, a Case manager and peer mentors – help new students in these steps. Orientation students actually begin their stay by leaving campus – traveling to a nearby dormant volcano with peers and staff to review the student handbook and get an overview of the program.
Throughout the following month, students meet to review their Academic transcripts and course plans, learn about their learning styles and areas of attention, review and complete a quiz on the student handbook – steps designed intentionally for them to get their bearings and feel comfortable in their new, supportive community.
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New Summit Academy’s students and staff have just returned from an inspiring round of Integrated Aventuras: Community Service in the Osa Peninsula, kayaking the Golfo Dulce, and hiking through Corcovado National Park. Each Aventura – integrated with Experiential Education activities, engaging Academic classes, and Personal Growth work – challenges students to step outside of their comfort zone to develop important life skills while surrounded by the beauty of Costa Rica.
Below are some of the trip highlights.
Below are some of the trip highlights.
Community Service Conservation Efforts
- Working side-by-side with Osa Conservation in reforestation, self-sustaining permaculture, and organic farming projects
- Collaborating with a local community to build a new sea turtle hatchery
- Patrolling beaches at night to collect turtle eggs for safe hatching
- Building trails for future visitors to make turtle-conservation efforts more possible
- Growing closer as a community of Orientation and newer students, and bringing those new connections back to NSA’s campus
Golfo Dulce Kayak Aventura
- Honing open-water kayak skills to paddle an average of a dozen kilometers per day on the gulf waters flanked by primary rainforest
- Learning about tides, mangrove ecosystems, coral reefs, and watersheds in a spectacular “living classroom”
- Being escorted on our journey by dolphins, sea turtles, schools of fish, and even sighting humpback whales
- Setting and achieving a group goal of not allowing negativity to influence the sense of wonder experienced in such an extraordinary setting
Exploring Corcovado National Park
- Holding classes in the middle of the rainforest which, based on student feedback, was a highlight of the trip
- Spotting a baby white-collared peccary with its mother, dubbed the “cutest thing ever”
- Sighting a massive crocodile feeding at the mouth of the Sirenas
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New Summit Academy students and staff have just returned from an extraordinary experience exploring ancient and modern cultures in Belize and Guatemala!
To prepare for the trip – to be travelers rather than tourists – teachers engaged students in a week of workshops, studying the history of the area and current issues affecting the people. Students also participated in workshops focusing on how our senses are heightened through travel. The objective of this guiding theme is to help raise student awareness of the human experience, both through their travels and in their day-to-day lives at NSA and back home.
While traveling in Belize and Guatemala, students engaged in once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, including:
- Exploring the breathtaking Mayan sites of Caracol, Tika and Xunantunich
- Performing community service in the tropical gardens at their jungle lodge
- Spelunking the Cave of the Stone Sepulcher, home of Mayan sacrificial objects
- Snorkeling in the second-largest reef on Earth (including Shark Ray Alley!)
- Documenting their experiences in a film which will premiere in September
Students returned to campus energized by this amazing opportunity, and ready to begin the quarter. Keep an eye out for our upcoming Documentary Film Premiere issue at the end of the quarter, and a shared link of the student film!
