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Every five weeks, the Academic team engages our students in the investigation and study of one of the eight facets of Global Citizenship, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to explore all facets during their time at New Summit Academy.
Last week, students chose subtopics of personal interest that fit under the facet of Sustainable Development – including local and global water issues, renewable energy, and pollution. Student groups each produced multi-media presentations guided by Art teachers, which were shared with the community. Presentations included interviews and films about Atenas’ water situation and podcasts addressing electric cars and sustainable energy sources.
Last week, students chose subtopics of personal interest that fit under the facet of Sustainable Development – including local and global water issues, renewable energy, and pollution. Student groups each produced multi-media presentations guided by Art teachers, which were shared with the community. Presentations included interviews and films about Atenas’ water situation and podcasts addressing electric cars and sustainable energy sources.
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To celebrate International Book Day, our English teacher Brooke teamed up with Daisy and Vianney, our Spanish Teachers and Cultural Coordinators, to bring more reading opportunities to the communities of Atenas.
Students first organized a Spanish and English language book drive to collect reading materials for the community. Students and staff then collaborated to install a “Book Deposit Box” in front of Atenas’ municipal building as well as distribute “Lost Books” around town for residents to discover, read, and pass on to others.
Thank you to our students and teachers for your creativity and passion in celebrating literacy!
Students first organized a Spanish and English language book drive to collect reading materials for the community. Students and staff then collaborated to install a “Book Deposit Box” in front of Atenas’ municipal building as well as distribute “Lost Books” around town for residents to discover, read, and pass on to others.
Thank you to our students and teachers for your creativity and passion in celebrating literacy!
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New Summit Academy’s Integrated Reading and Writing Program engages students in the investigation of driving questions through reading and responding to a variety of texts while developing increasingly-complex critical thinking skills.
Each quarter, students choose the focus of the driving question, and then vote on staff and student-suggested texts for our entire community to read.
This quarter’s question, “Who Am I?” – will be explored through reading, discussing, and writing about texts including Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin, Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, The Book (On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are) by Alan Watts, and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.
Each quarter, students choose the focus of the driving question, and then vote on staff and student-suggested texts for our entire community to read.
This quarter’s question, “Who Am I?” – will be explored through reading, discussing, and writing about texts including Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin, Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, The Book (On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are) by Alan Watts, and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.
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Soccer. Cooking. Birthday Parties. Barbecues. Our students have the unique opportunity to participate in these activities and much more with their beloved Costa Rican homestay families.
Each family, carefully selected to match student interests and personalities, opens their home to one of our students every Sunday and shares their lives and culture with them.
To thank them, NSA hosted our always-anticipated homestay family picnic this past week, which included an impressive karaoke contest, delicious lunch, and the ever-popular bingo tournament. Many thanks to our Atenas community for providing our students with a home away from home!
Each family, carefully selected to match student interests and personalities, opens their home to one of our students every Sunday and shares their lives and culture with them.
To thank them, NSA hosted our always-anticipated homestay family picnic this past week, which included an impressive karaoke contest, delicious lunch, and the ever-popular bingo tournament. Many thanks to our Atenas community for providing our students with a home away from home!
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NSA’s signature Aventura program consists of five integrated adventures exploring the diverse and beautiful ecosystems of Costa Rica while providing students a chance to reflect on their growth and return to campus recharged.
The Aventuras are intentionally designed to begin at sea level and progress to the students’ final experience: summiting the highest peak in Costa Rica, Cerro Chirripo.
Each student makes the climb alone, beginning before dawn, silently contemplating his process. After climbing nearly 10,000 feet, graduating students meet at the summit to celebrate their efforts – both on the mountain and in their time at New Summit Academy.
As a reminder that this moment is the beginning of their journeys, students are reminded of the Zen proverb “When you reach the top of a mountain, keep climbing!”
The Aventuras are intentionally designed to begin at sea level and progress to the students’ final experience: summiting the highest peak in Costa Rica, Cerro Chirripo.
Each student makes the climb alone, beginning before dawn, silently contemplating his process. After climbing nearly 10,000 feet, graduating students meet at the summit to celebrate their efforts – both on the mountain and in their time at New Summit Academy.
As a reminder that this moment is the beginning of their journeys, students are reminded of the Zen proverb “When you reach the top of a mountain, keep climbing!”
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Students and staff spent an arduous week working side-by-side to learn and master the content and skills needed to earn their WAFA and CPR certifications. Our fabulous instructors are adept at interspersing classroom learning with real-life, hands-on application of wilderness medicine essentials including:
- Scene and situation evaluation
- The ABC’s of airway, breathing and circulation evaluation
- Comprehensive patient assessment
- Stabilization and treatment techniques
Our community worked to dress fake (but so realistic!) wounds, splint broken bones, diagnose heat stroke and more on their way to earning professional level WAFA and CPR certification cards.
Congratulations on everyone’s hard work and success!
- Scene and situation evaluation
- The ABC’s of airway, breathing and circulation evaluation
- Comprehensive patient assessment
- Stabilization and treatment techniques
Our community worked to dress fake (but so realistic!) wounds, splint broken bones, diagnose heat stroke and more on their way to earning professional level WAFA and CPR certification cards.
Congratulations on everyone’s hard work and success!
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Each of NSA’s cultural immersion opportunities, supported by classroom Spanish language study, are enriching for our students’ Costa Rica experience, but none is as important as our relationship and work with Hogar de Vida. Dedicated student volunteers continue to spend each Tuesday afternoon performing community service by helping to improve the facilities and, more importantly, by spending time with the children.
Our students convert into big kids themselves as they color, swing, make clay models, and run around the grounds of the children’s home.
Our community is so grateful for the relationship we have with Hogar de Vida, and thank Daisy, our Cultural Coordinator, and all the Hogar staff for making it happen.
Our students convert into big kids themselves as they color, swing, make clay models, and run around the grounds of the children’s home.
Our community is so grateful for the relationship we have with Hogar de Vida, and thank Daisy, our Cultural Coordinator, and all the Hogar staff for making it happen.
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Pursuing healthy passions is an important part to living a full, balanced life, and our Clubs enable our students to advocate for their particular interests in that pursuit. Any student can start a Club with enough interest and by passing a proposal with the Experiential Education team. Once a Club is approved, student and staff leaders facilitate a quarterly Club Fair for student sign-ups.
This quarter’s Clubs include Cooking, Gardening, Chess, Comic Books, Biking, Climbing, Music Makers, and Backcountry Skills.
Clubs then collaborate to organize and schedule weekly meetings and weekend outings, developing student advocacy, organization and follow through while having fun!
This quarter’s Clubs include Cooking, Gardening, Chess, Comic Books, Biking, Climbing, Music Makers, and Backcountry Skills.
Clubs then collaborate to organize and schedule weekly meetings and weekend outings, developing student advocacy, organization and follow through while having fun!
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The next two weeks are exciting ones for our students, families and staff of NSA! Newer students will be off adventuring and relaxing in the untouched forests of Sarapiqui and on the shores of Lake Arenal. They will be spending the week zip-lining, playing soccer, stand-up paddle boarding and horseback riding in some of the most beautiful areas of the country.
Another group of students will be traveling to South Africa for two weeks of impactful cultural immersion and community building.
Next week, our students and staff will be hard at work studying and applying their learning hands-on in their efforts to earn their Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA) and CPR certifications. Stay tuned for stories and photos from these upcoming activities!
Another group of students will be traveling to South Africa for two weeks of impactful cultural immersion and community building.
Next week, our students and staff will be hard at work studying and applying their learning hands-on in their efforts to earn their Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA) and CPR certifications. Stay tuned for stories and photos from these upcoming activities!
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Four young men celebrated their journeys and growth this week as they return to their families with program certificates and high school diplomas.
These seniors deserve our recognition as they begin the next phases in their journeys, which include one graduate enrolling in Montana State University with a merit scholarship, another considering (among many choices) Tulane University, where he was invited to join the Honors Program, and the others ready to test their new skills returning to complete high school in their home towns.
Congratulations to our graduates; we are proud of you and look forward to your many certain successes!
These seniors deserve our recognition as they begin the next phases in their journeys, which include one graduate enrolling in Montana State University with a merit scholarship, another considering (among many choices) Tulane University, where he was invited to join the Honors Program, and the others ready to test their new skills returning to complete high school in their home towns.
Congratulations to our graduates; we are proud of you and look forward to your many certain successes!
