- Published on
- Published on
New Summit Academy’s innovative Global Citizenship program engages students in critical-thinking activities throughout their year with us, developing perspectives that apply to all of their classes and, with hope, their worlds. Twice per quarter, students and teachers focus on one of the eight facets of Global Citizenship: Social Justice, Diversity, Interdependence, Conflict Resolution, Ecological Stewardship, Sustainable Development, Digital Citizenship, and – this quarter’s facet – Human Rights.
Our community dedicates two days to the study of each facet, and works with students to create plans of action to enact change in their communities, and guides them in developing facet projects in their classes. This Human Rights workshop is focusing on worker’s rights and how our actions and purchases affect others. It includes an analysis of the ground-breaking documentary film The True Cost, and a Skype interview with its director, Andrew Morgan.
Our community dedicates two days to the study of each facet, and works with students to create plans of action to enact change in their communities, and guides them in developing facet projects in their classes. This Human Rights workshop is focusing on worker’s rights and how our actions and purchases affect others. It includes an analysis of the ground-breaking documentary film The True Cost, and a Skype interview with its director, Andrew Morgan.
- Published on
In addition to beginning to study the Branches of Power and the Presidents Club from 1945 to 2017, NSA’s U.S. History class is taking advantage of the 2016 election that offers plenty of current political issues and controversy, as well as the current election process and interplay between congressional action, Supreme Court power and political makeup. This week, the class also spent time investigating candidates and their records and positions on pertinent issues. Using this information, students created ballot “cheat sheets” that could be used on Election Day at the polls.
This quarter in Literature and Composition, students are continuing their study of Shakespeare with “Hamlet.” As an introduction to the text, we have discussed several of the themes embedded within this tragedy and their relevance to current topics in politics, pop culture, and global citizenship. Students are looking forward to discovering the melancholy Dane’s influence on Disney movies, comic books, and TV shows among other works. By experiencing Shakespeare’s words themselves, watching the direct interpretation of the play, and analyzing several texts and films that recreate the story of Hamlet, students will gain a deeper understanding of the influence of literature in modern society.
- Published on
Classes, wrap-up meetings, Aventuras and meals - these facets of life at NSA make up a big part of our students' experiences. However, there are many more hours in the day and many interesting activities available that engage our guys in healthy recreational opportunities.
Clubs are one structured way students are able to pursue interests throughout the week. Wednesdays and Thursdays find students gearing up and embarking right after classes to hit the pitches or waves for the Climbing and Surfing Clubs. The Running Club organizes practice runs and competes in local races, while the Ultimate Frisbee Club - coached by our Experiential Ed mentor Samantha, recently scored a last-minute win over another local high school here on NSA's home field.
Each Sunday, Frank leads a dedicated group of gourmands in the Cooking Club, preparing Sunday night dinner for their peers. Clubs are student-created and driven enabling our guys to pursue their passions and interests.
- Published on
In Costa Rica, and throughout much of Latin America, Columbus Day is celebrated - not for the "discovery" of the Americas - but for the diversity of cultures throughout the continents created by our shared history. New Summit Academy is unique among high schools in that our students enroll from all corners of the United States, and that our international staff come to us from Costa Rica, the U.S., Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and other countries.
Each year, our Cultural Coordinator Daisy ensures that students learn about this important day and the impact diversity has on Costa Rica and on the students' everyday lives. In celebration of the cultural melange that makes up NSA, Daisy organizes our staff to create and share food and drinks with our students which represent the cultures from which we come.
Each year, our Cultural Coordinator Daisy ensures that students learn about this important day and the impact diversity has on Costa Rica and on the students' everyday lives. In celebration of the cultural melange that makes up NSA, Daisy organizes our staff to create and share food and drinks with our students which represent the cultures from which we come.
This year, students enjoyed traditional Caribbean meat patties, Columbian arepas, chicharrones from Costa Rica, Thai massaman curry, and hearty mid-western chili.
Food is a window into and celebration of this variety of cultures (not to mention the best way to interest teenage boys), so many thanks to Daisy for facilitating this enriching event!
Food is a window into and celebration of this variety of cultures (not to mention the best way to interest teenage boys), so many thanks to Daisy for facilitating this enriching event!
- Published on
The month of September is a special time in Costa Rica, as proud Ticos celebrate gaining their independence from Spain on September 15th, 1821. Our Cultural Coordinator, Daisy, ensures that students take part in every aspect of this patriotic celebration.
Typical Breakfast Celebration
On the day before Independence Day, faculty and staff arrive to campus extra early to prepare a typical Costa Rican breakfast for our students. As students awoke to the sound of live marimba music, they found their teachers ready to serve them such traditional foods as gallo pinto, huevos rancheros, and handmade corn tortillas.
Staff (and some of our braver students) danced to classic Tico tunes, punctuated by “bombas” – short, comedic poems recited by everyone involved.
Staff (and some of our braver students) danced to classic Tico tunes, punctuated by “bombas” – short, comedic poems recited by everyone involved.
Making Faroles and Supporting a Local Elementary School
On the evening before Independence Day, Costa Ricans celebrate the gathering of citizens by lantern light throughout Central America as the call for independence was raised in 1821.
Children fill the streets, carrying homemade “faroles” or lanterns in the colors of the Costa Rican flag for a magical parade.
NSA students traveled to a nearby small village called “Altos del Monte” to work with the students at a humble elementary school to construct their lanterns.
Our students then took part in the parade, and further supported the school’s yearly fundraiser by purchasing plates of traditional food.
Children fill the streets, carrying homemade “faroles” or lanterns in the colors of the Costa Rican flag for a magical parade.
NSA students traveled to a nearby small village called “Altos del Monte” to work with the students at a humble elementary school to construct their lanterns.
Our students then took part in the parade, and further supported the school’s yearly fundraiser by purchasing plates of traditional food.
September 15: Independence Day Parade
On the morning of Independence day, students traveled to the center of town to witness the culminating event of the yearly celebrations: the Independence Day parade. The streets of Atenas are closed off to automobile traffic to allow for crowds of locals (and our school) to line the sidewalks, cheering as grade school students march in choreographed formations, as high school marching bands fill the streets with song, competing with the sirens of firetrucks and police cars. And of course, since a theme of our students’ Costa Rican cultural immersion is food, we indulged in traditional street treats including granizados (imagine a snow cone covered in condensed milk), churros and the requisite meat-on-a-stick!
Many thanks to our Costa Rican community for including us in their Independence Day celebration, and to Daisy, for organizing such a rich series of experiences for our students.
Happy Independence Day, Costa Rica!
Happy Independence Day, Costa Rica!
- Published on
Mother’s Day is a national holiday in Costa Rica. To honor our Costa Rican surrogate mothers, both staff moms and homestay mothers who provide our students with needed hugs and plates of delicious food, NSA holds an annual Mother’s Day Dinner.
This year, staff and homestay moms were treated to five-star service, receiving invitations to join students for a formal dinner on campus. While the gourmet meal was prepared by our chefs, our students did not sit idly by. NSA’s young gentlemen were each charged with hosting a different mother, serving and clearing her dishes, engaging her in conversation, and some brave students even hit the dance floor with their guests!
This year, staff and homestay moms were treated to five-star service, receiving invitations to join students for a formal dinner on campus. While the gourmet meal was prepared by our chefs, our students did not sit idly by. NSA’s young gentlemen were each charged with hosting a different mother, serving and clearing her dishes, engaging her in conversation, and some brave students even hit the dance floor with their guests!
Many thanks to the Experiential Education team and to Daisy, our Cultural Coordinator, for organizing this wonderful event to recognize just how important our Costa Rican moms are to our community at NSA!
- Published on
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
- Published on
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!
- Published on
As our largest graduation ever quickly approaches, it is a perfect time to reflect on what makes up a student’s experience graduating the New Summit Academy program. While attention is often given to exciting Aventuras, engaging classes, and Personal Growth, it is important to understand the results of these programmatic aspects.
In other words, what does the resume of a New Summit Academy Graduate look like?
In other words, what does the resume of a New Summit Academy Graduate look like?
Resume of a New Summit Academy Graduate
Service:
Students perform over 100 hours of community service (many much more!), on projects ranging from working with children at Hogar de Vida to protecting endangered sea turtles in the Osa Peninsula.
Students perform over 100 hours of community service (many much more!), on projects ranging from working with children at Hogar de Vida to protecting endangered sea turtles in the Osa Peninsula.
Academic Achievement:
Graduates have succeeded in a college-preparatory learning environment, and have not only developed impressive critical thinking skills, but have learned how they learn to take charge of future success.
Graduates have succeeded in a college-preparatory learning environment, and have not only developed impressive critical thinking skills, but have learned how they learn to take charge of future success.
International Travel Experience:
Costa Rica is a rich classroom for learning independence and cultural sensitivity, and students also have opportunities to travel to Panama, Nicaragua, Belize, Peru and Guatemala!
Costa Rica is a rich classroom for learning independence and cultural sensitivity, and students also have opportunities to travel to Panama, Nicaragua, Belize, Peru and Guatemala!
Real-World Skills:
Students engage in classes and workshops to prepare them for independent living, which include cooking courses, car maintenance, budgeting and finances, dating 101, and resume development.
Students engage in classes and workshops to prepare them for independent living, which include cooking courses, car maintenance, budgeting and finances, dating 101, and resume development.
Global Citizenship:
Our Global Citizenship program engages students in the study and application of ethical decision making in areas of Social Justice, Human Rights, Sustainable Development, Digital Citizenship, Conflict Resolution, and more.
Our Global Citizenship program engages students in the study and application of ethical decision making in areas of Social Justice, Human Rights, Sustainable Development, Digital Citizenship, Conflict Resolution, and more.
Professional-Level Certifications:
Our Health term includes all students earning their Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA) Certification, and summer Aventuras may have them earning open water SCUBA certifications!
Our Health term includes all students earning their Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA) Certification, and summer Aventuras may have them earning open water SCUBA certifications!
Cultural Immersion:
Costa Rica provides an opportunity to develop cultural awareness through our Spanish Language program, cultural events and celebrations, and weekly homestay program.
Costa Rica provides an opportunity to develop cultural awareness through our Spanish Language program, cultural events and celebrations, and weekly homestay program.
College Applications:
Graduating seniors apply to and – no surprise considering their resumes – are accepted to colleges which provide them with a chance to continue their success. This fall, our seniors will be attending: St. Louis University, Montana State University, Southern Methodist University, Central Washington University, Western State Colorado University, The University of Vermont, and Fordham University.
Graduating seniors apply to and – no surprise considering their resumes – are accepted to colleges which provide them with a chance to continue their success. This fall, our seniors will be attending: St. Louis University, Montana State University, Southern Methodist University, Central Washington University, Western State Colorado University, The University of Vermont, and Fordham University.
The class was offered a total of over ONE MILLION DOLLARS in scholarships this year.
It’s amazing what a resume can do!
It’s amazing what a resume can do!