Ages: 15-18
Grades: 9-12
Gender: All boys

Strengths of NSA students include: Goal of attending college Passionate about an interest Desire to improve relationships & environment Artistic &/or musical Intelligent Active & athletic Technology savvy Ability to be introspective & empathetic Creative Accountable for decisions Interested in gaining healthier coping mechanisms & learning how to take healthier risks in their lives

Challenges of NSA students include: Anxiety &/or depression Identity, adoption, or attachment Self-esteem & confidence Decision-making & problem-solving Learning motivation & engagement Different learning styles Slower processing speed Attention difficulties Unhealthy coping skills, including isolation or substance abuse Sense of entitlement Parent-Child Relational Conflict Oppositional attitude Social anxiety, awkwardness,or isolation

Students come directly from home, from wilderness programs, or from successful completion of another therapeutic boarding school or program.  NSA helps them integrate what they have learned previously into their lives through milieu therapy & personal growth goals, college-prep academics & support, & experiential education activities that not only build confidence, identity, & a sense of cultural awareness, but also give them a "resume" of unique experiences for college applications.

Students have shown a desire to gain more self-awareness, insight, independence, and better decision-making skills. They  benefit from a step-down therapeutic environment before a transition back home or to college.  

They are also open to living in a cooperative, supportive family style environment that encourages students to take healthy risks by exploring, learning about, and embracing the Costa Rican community.

In order to take advantage of the academic, therapeutic, and experiential opportunities that we require that students enroll for at least one year.

Students are accepted on a rolling admissions basis (at any time during the year depending on space availability).

Please contact admissions@newsummitacademy.com for details on enrollment fees, tuition, deposits & ancillary charges.

Tuition is paid at the beginning of each month and includes room & board, classes, therapy, Aventuras, & experiential education activities & certification courses.

Ancillary Costs: Extra costs are billed additionally each month and may include:

• medical appointments and transportation to medical appointments,
  
• SAT/ACT registration and exam expenses,
  
• allowances (up to $20 per week depending on chore completion),
  
• optional parent-approved student club expenses (such as surf club, rock climbing club, etc.),
  
• other "optional" parent-approved activities that are not a part of the regularly scheduled recreational activities (such as SCUBA trips), and
  
• parent-approved charges such as shopping for Aventura gear or daily clothing needs.

Parents can make payments to our account in the USA via check, wire transfer, or counter credit at local bank branches.

In order to learn productive methods to create healthy changes around them, students gain important skills in learning to balance their individual needs and wants with those of the larger community in which they live.

INTRAPERSONAL:  Boarding school creates a rich environment for daily observations and feedback about one's own personal growth process, one's identity, one's behavior, one's relationships, and the image that one presents to the people around them.  Students learn a lot about who they are, who they want to be, and how to be more self-aware, self-sufficient, and better problem-solvers.  

ANALYTICAL:  Problem-solving is a part of life.  Not only does our academic approach focus on enhancing creativity, skill set development, common sense, and resourcefulness to solve problems, our social atmosphere also emphasizes using perspective-taking, empathy, and taking the time to actually process issues before proposing creative & individualized solutions.

SOCIAL SUPPORT:  Our students get used to being supportive of each other, no matter what their individual differences may be.  Students learn how important it is to create a support system for themselves.

CULTURAL AWARENESS.... which brings us to our next questions:

WHAT IS THE BENEFIT OF STUDYING IN COSTA RICA?
What could be more important in today's society that learning another language and learning about another culture?  Homestay families, Aventuras, and regular recreational activities in our Costa Rican community are key in helping students not only become aware of how other people live, but also become more reflective about their own culture.

WHAT IS THE BENEFIT OF A BOARDING SCHOOL? Students who have attended boarding school show an easier transition to college dormitory life as they have already lived away from home with peers of different backgrounds. Because NSA is a boarding school, we offer consistent guidance from professionals who are available to the students at all hours of the day and night.

NSA is committed to working with families to help create the most appropriate transition plan for our students. We are not caught up in our statistics of college acceptances or SAT scores.  We want our graduates to do what is best for their future, not what is best for our ranking. Students may transfer back home to complete their Senior year of high school.

1. Students may transfer back home to complete their Junior or Senior year of high school.
2. Many of our graduates go on to 4-year colleges and universities.
3. Some attend community college with the intention to transition to a 4-year school after community college.
4. Some students (those who graduate in December or those who need a "gap year" experience) attend transitional programs such as study abroad programs, internship programs, independent living programs, or vocational programs before going to college.

Recent graduates have attended universities such as:

• George Washington University
  
• University of Richmond
  
• Saint Louis University
  
• University of California
  
• University of California Davis
  
• Northern Arizona University
  
• University of Nevada
  
• Suffolk University
  
• Millsaps College
  
• San Francisco Art Institute
  
• University of San Fransisco
  
• College of Santa Fe
  
• Fort Lewis College
  
• St. John's College
  
• University of Central Florida
  
• Dalhousie University
  
• Pacific University
  
• University of Colorado at Boulder
  
• Sierra Nevada College
  
• Western Washington University
  
• Northern Arizona University
  
• The University of Washington
  
• The University of Central Washington
  
• North Texas University
  
• The University of Texas Arlington
  
• The University of Texas San Antonio
  
• The University of Idaho
  
• Boise State
  
• St. Thomas
  
• Hope College
  
• Savannah College of Art and Design
  
• Columbia College of Chicago
  
• University of Santa Fe
  
• University of Vermont
  
• Norwich University
  
• Wittenberg University
  
• The Citadel
  
• Indiana University
  
• University of Kentucky
  
• University of Montana
  
• University of Oregon
  
• University of Arizona
  
• Xavier
  
• James Madison
  
• Evergreen
  
• Oregon State
  
• St. John's

Some students (those who graduate in December or those who need a "gap year" experience) attend transitional programs such as study abroad programs, internship programs, independent living programs, or vocational programs before going to college.