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We are thrilled that New Summit Academy Costa Rica is featured in the Winter 2025 edition of International School Magazine. The feature story highlights our unique Supportive Immersion approach to learning and growth at our small boarding school.
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From the article:
"Nearly 2.4 million international tourists flock to the small tropical country each year in search of wellness and a bit of adventure. In the same way, New Summit Academy harnesses the therapeutic qualities of Costa Rica to empower students to adopt healthier lifestyles and to stretch their minds through experiences that rekindle motivation in school and in life."
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As we embark on our twentieth year of offering transformational Supportive Immersion experiences in Costa Rica, we are so grateful to receive messages like this one from alumni students and families:
“My son found the right place on Planet Earth to reset and rediscover his joyous, rewarding, and purposeful life.”
- Alumni Parent, 2024
Here is a look back at some of those moments of joy and purpose over the past year at our supportive boarding school's beautiful campus in Atenas:
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Our Executive Director, Heather Tracy, EdD and Danny Recio, Ph.D, Program Director of The Bridge Costa Rica were thrilled to join the latest episode of the Fear | Less podcast with Zack Schafer to discuss how Supportive Immersion sparks youth resilience.
Check out the episode now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Check out the episode now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Tune in to the episode to learn about:
🌴 The origin story and 20-year history of New Summit Academy Costa Rica and The Bridge Costa Rica
🌐 How Supportive Immersion empowers students to develop resilience, purpose, and agency
🌊 The role of Costa Rica’s warm, welcoming culture as a catalyst for transformative growth
💫 And much, much more!
From the episode description:
"Rather than pushing young people to meet unrealistic expectations of independence, New Summit Academy and The Bridge highlight interdependence, community, and meaningful contribution. This inclusive, values-driven approach encourages learners to step outside their comfort zones, embrace missteps as teachable moments, and ultimately reframe anxiety as a natural part of growth. Whether in the classroom, on an internship, or in daily life, Supportive Immersion showcases how authentic connection, gentle exposure to uncertainty, and steady mentoring fuel both personal and collective well-being."
🌴 The origin story and 20-year history of New Summit Academy Costa Rica and The Bridge Costa Rica
🌐 How Supportive Immersion empowers students to develop resilience, purpose, and agency
🌊 The role of Costa Rica’s warm, welcoming culture as a catalyst for transformative growth
💫 And much, much more!
From the episode description:
"Rather than pushing young people to meet unrealistic expectations of independence, New Summit Academy and The Bridge highlight interdependence, community, and meaningful contribution. This inclusive, values-driven approach encourages learners to step outside their comfort zones, embrace missteps as teachable moments, and ultimately reframe anxiety as a natural part of growth. Whether in the classroom, on an internship, or in daily life, Supportive Immersion showcases how authentic connection, gentle exposure to uncertainty, and steady mentoring fuel both personal and collective well-being."
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- 611 enrollments
- 78 graduation ceremonies
- 10,317,600 minutes on call
- 75 Aventuras (not including surf weekends, SCUBA certs, the pre-graduation summits of Mt. Chirripo, and many international trips to Belize, Panama, Peru, Cuba, Nicaragua and South Africa).
To say we’re honored and humbled by 20 years of so many families and professionals trusting us is an understatement.
I remember January 2005 like it was yesterday. A group of professional 20-somethings were entrusted with 11 young men eager to graduate high school and get started with their futures.
We all worked together to convert a farmhouse into staff offices and classrooms, to brighten cabin bedrooms with a fresh coat of paint, to build study desks, to write the handbook with Mario and Danny, and to design our activity curriculum with Andy. They played soccer, learned Spanish at homestay and cooked rice and beans with Roy. They hooked up their laptops to our frustratingly slow internet and read Shakespeare in English class with Heather and learned math formulas with James.
They loved the agency and ownership they shared in creating what New Summit Academy continues to be today - a relationship-focused, empowering, co-created supportive immersion experience in beautiful Costa Rica.
We honestly didn’t know if we’d continue beyond that first group of 11 who needed a semester to graduate high school. But thanks to countless people who believed in Costa Rica’s ability to heal and inspire growth and our ability to create powerful supportive immersion experiences, here we are - 20 years later.
We all worked together to convert a farmhouse into staff offices and classrooms, to brighten cabin bedrooms with a fresh coat of paint, to build study desks, to write the handbook with Mario and Danny, and to design our activity curriculum with Andy. They played soccer, learned Spanish at homestay and cooked rice and beans with Roy. They hooked up their laptops to our frustratingly slow internet and read Shakespeare in English class with Heather and learned math formulas with James.
They loved the agency and ownership they shared in creating what New Summit Academy continues to be today - a relationship-focused, empowering, co-created supportive immersion experience in beautiful Costa Rica.
We honestly didn’t know if we’d continue beyond that first group of 11 who needed a semester to graduate high school. But thanks to countless people who believed in Costa Rica’s ability to heal and inspire growth and our ability to create powerful supportive immersion experiences, here we are - 20 years later.
We just want to say THANKS.
And - calling all alumni for reunions March 2 and August 9 this year. Let’s get together and share, reconnect, create new support networks and opportunities for mentoring.
Let's do this!
Email us at admissions@newsummitacademy.com or connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram to let us know if you can come to Costa Rica to attend!
