Change is hard. Add a new country, new peers, new teachers, and a new place to live and it can certainly seem overwhelming, especially to a teenager. That’s why at New Summit Academy the orientation phase begins before a new student even sets foot on an airplane! Prior to enrollment, applicants are set up with a Student FAQ packet and then a video chat with 3-4 current students who answer all their questions and create an initial social connection before arrival.
Once on Pura Vida soil, current students mentor new students to learn the ropes and settle in. What’s my schedule? What are the rules here? How do I ask for what I need? When do I get to use my cell phone? The Orientation period can feel overwhelming and also exciting. The latter (exciting!) is what our most recent new students experienced this past weekend when they embarked on their first Aventura with their peer mentors to Poas Volcano and La Paz Waterfall.
In three short days, students enjoyed a coffee tour, shared life stories, visited Poas volcano, completed a high ropes course, and snacked on the delicious local strawberries while going over NSA handbook rules, tasting local casados and cafecito, and hiking La Paz waterfall gardens and wildlife refuge.
It is surely an orientation trip they will not forget as they packed in great memories with their peers as they immersed in Costa Rican culture.
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