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There is no experience more rewarding for our faculty and staff, and none more enriching for our current students, than to have an NSA alumnus return to our campus to share their successes after graduation.
One of our graduates, Jordan R., recently reached out to NSA requesting an opportunity to teach a workshop for our students.
One of our graduates, Jordan R., recently reached out to NSA requesting an opportunity to teach a workshop for our students.
After graduating from NSA in 2008, Jordan went on become a nationally-placed slam poet and battle rapper. His performance of his slam poem “Bullies” won third place at the national Slam Poetry competition in Berkeley. And even more impressive, Jordan is now completing a double honor’s major in English from the University of California Davis!
So of course, our answer was “yes!” Jordan rejoined our community last Friday for a workshop with our Visual and Performing Arts class on performance art. Students worked with Jordan to analyze the language of poetry and the spoken word, and read a number of poems aloud. The students were also treated to a live performance of Jordan’s “Bullies." Finally, students wrote and performed their own spoken-word pieces -- a fantastic culmination of the afternoon.
When we asked Jordan why he had returned, we heard our favorite answer: “I wanted to give back.”
When we asked Jordan why he had returned, we heard our favorite answer: “I wanted to give back.”
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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!
