Semester Program in Costa Rica January 3 – March 20, 2013.

Semester Program in Costa Rica

January 3 – March 20, 2013

LocationCaletas-Ario National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica

• 5 Hours to San Jose

• 3 Hours to Liberia

• 20 Minutes North of Santa Teresa & Mal Pais

• 30 Minutes to Cobano

LiberiaSan Jose

CIRENAS

Caletas-Ario National Wildlife Refuge

• Created in 2006• Co-Managed National Wildlife Refuge

• MINAEM, CIRENAS, PRETOMA, Stakeholders• 750 Acres of Coastal Land• 12 Nautical Miles of Marine Protected Area• Two of the Largest Rivers on Nicoya Peninsula• 4 Species of Nesting Sea Turtles• 250 Species of Birds: Migratory & Native

Our Campus

• Off the grid• Solar Powered• Local Materials• Hand Built• Sustainable

Our Students

• 12-14 Total Students• From Public, Private, Charter & Home Schools Worldwide

• US, International & Costa Rican Students

• Need Blind Application Process•Based on merit, determination &

character

Semester OverviewJanuary 3 - March 20, 2012

• 12-14 Students; • 5 Core Teaching Faculty, • 5 Staff • Visiting Faculty and Lecturers• 6 Day Weeks• Place-based, Interdisciplinary Courses• CPR First Aid Certification Course• Group Expedition• Week-long Site Visits to Parks, Education Centers and Projects • Work Study Programs • Community Service Projects - Total of approximately 75 hours• Final Project Symposium

Place-based Courses

• Tropical EcologyResearch, Fieldwork, Projects

•Social Studies / HistoryCosta Rican culture, Worldview, US/CR Relations

•EnglishScientific journaling, Non-fiction writing,Environmental literature

•MathematicsStatistics, Research data, Tutoring

•SpanishImmersion, Costa Rican literature

•Leadership & CommunityTeamwork, Public Speaking, Active Listening

Tropical Ecology

• Marine Ecosystems• Watershed Studies• Research• Field work• Projects

Social Studies

• Costa Rican History • Costa Rica/US Relations• Local Interviews• Homestays• Projects

Spanish

• Focus on Conversational Spanish• Teaching English• Local Interviews• Homestays• Projects

English• Essay Writing• Poetry (taught by Matt Miller, Exeter)• Journaling• Environmental Literature• Public Speaking• Projects

Mathematics

• Data Collection and Analysis• Statistics • Tutoring• Projects

Integrated, Project Focused Curriculum

• Turtle Conservation•Research, Fieldwork, Interviews, Data

Collection, Scientific Journaling & Essay Writing

• Identification Guide for National Wildlife Refuge

•Flora & Fauna Identification, Data Collection, Ethnobotanical Use of Plants, Artwork, Interviews, Field Guide Composition & Layout

• Sustainable Systems• Ecological Restoration• Journaling & Blog• Final Project

Past Projects• Watershed Educational Model• Holistic Pasture Management• Grey Water Recycling• Chickens & Coop• Medicinal Plant Garden & Recipe Book

• Solar Ovens•Turtle Nursery Business Plan

Activities

Tucker SzymkowiczCo-Director& Founder/English

Master’s of Education:Curriculum and Instruction

University of Washington, WA. USA

Certificate Non-Profit LeadershipUPEACE, Costa Rica

BA English and ReligionColorado College, CO. USA

Caroline GrewCo-Director & Founder/Outreach

BS Communications Minor Latin American Studies

Cornell University, NY. USA

Certificate Non-Profit LeadershipUPEACE, Costa Rica

Annette Fischel Program Coordinator/Science

Masters of Applied Science, Natural Resource Management. James Cook University, Australia

BS Biology: Major Ecology and Sustainable Development. University Latina, Costa Rica

Our Returning Faculty

Our New Semester Faculty

Andy WintersProgram Director/Social Studies

The Compass School, VT

MS EducationIntegrated Curriculum Development, Leadership and Community, Cultural

Anthropology Lesley University,

Audubon Expedition Institute, MA

BS General Science Biology, Secondary Education Certification

Michigan State University, MI

Elissa McLeanSpanish/Service Learning

Ed.M: Learning & Teaching Harvard University

Graduate School of Education

BA: Environmental Studies and Education

University of Vermont

James DiCarloMathematics/Science

Phillips Exeter Academy

Masters of Science, Applied PhysicsStanford University, CA

BS Physics & Engineering SciencesDartmouth College, NH

Gracias!

Thank you to all of our supporters, alumni, family & friends!

For More Informationwww.cirenas.org | [email protected]