Semester Program Summary
CIRENAS is an independent academic program located within the Caletas-Ario
National Wildlife Refuge on Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula. Our semester program is
designed for sophomores, juniors and seniors in high school seeking an opportunity
to get out of the classroom and make a difference. At CIRENAS students are
exposed to Costa Rican culture, the complexities of sustainability, land use
management and how to conduct and implement meaningful research projects
related to these issues. Students will contemplate their own relationship to the
natural world and learn skills to help them become active environmental stewards.
Curriculum Overview
The curriculum at CIRENAS will take an integrated place-based learning approach,
where each subject will focus on the same issue for a two-week period of time. By
looking at each issue through a variety of subject lenses students will gain insight
into their complexity and the importance of understanding whole systems rather
than just their parts. Teachers will be encouraged to team teach and there will also
be a variety of off campus site visits, hands on learning experiences, research
projects, homestays and work study opportunities designed to add depth, develop
practical skills and give back to the world around. Each section will end with a
group project composed of the elements taught throughout the section. In addition
to the sectional projects students will conduct a final group research project to be
presented during the Research Symposium to a group of stakeholders.
Subjects
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Environmental Science/Ecology
Social Studies
Humanities
Mathematics
Spanish
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Areas of Focus
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History and Culture of Costa Rica
Watershed Studies
Marine Ecosystems
Sustainable Systems
Research Symposium
Semester One Calendar
January 3rd – March 24, 2012
Arrival and Expedition – Jan. 3 – 10
January 3rd – Arrive in San Jose
January 4th – Introductions, rules and expectations, teambuilding, sort gear
January 5th – Travel to Karen Mogensen Reserve, hike to waterfalls and cabins
January 6th – Tour of Reserve w/ guides, discussion about old growth forests
January 7th – Hike to first campsite, flora and fauna ID along the way
January 8th – Hike to Paquera transfer to Curu for kayaking
January 9thth - Kayak from Curu Wildlife Refuge to Cabo Blanco, Travel to CIRENAS
Sense of Place
January 10th – 11th - Campus Tour, Horse Tour, Surf Lesson, Student Check Ins
Section 1 – History and Culture of Costa Rica
January 12th – 25th
Section 2 – Marine Ecosystems
January 26th – February 8th
Community Service Event
February 9th – 16th
Section 3 – Watershed Studies
February 17th – March 2
Section 4 – Agriculture and Sustainable Systems
March 3rd – March 17th
Research Symposium and Prep
March 18th – March 21st - Symposium Preparation
March 22nd - Research Symposium
Departure
March 23rd – Pack and leave for San Jose
March 24th – Students depart
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Subjects
Environmental Science/Ecology
The Caletas-Ario National Wildlife Refuge and Marine Protected Area will supply
students and faculty with ample subject matter for ecological investigations.
Students will study a variety of ecosystems including tropical dry forest, mangroves,
coastal zones, marine areas, agricultural land, cloud forests and volcanoes.
Fieldwork and research will be blended with fundamentals of ecological
understanding and core concepts. All students will be taught how to conduct
research, create a workable thesis, compile their results and most importantly take
their research to the implementation phase.
Social Studies
The social studies curriculum at CIRENAS will be focused on people and their
connection to the land. Students will start off looking back at the history of land use
in Costa Rica and in particular the Nicoya Peninsula. Interviews and surveys will be
combined with homestays, service learning projects and readings to offer wellrounded insight into the complex relationship that Costa Ricans have with their
natural environment. Special focus will be given to agriculture, the fishing industry,
development, US/CR relations, conservation and the rise of the ecotourism industry.
Spanish
The best way to learn a language is to live it. At CIRENAS our bilingual staff will
interweave Spanish vocabulary and relevant verbs throughout their teaching. There
will also be a specific Spanish class designed to address questions such as
appropriate sentence structure, verb conjugations and local sayings. Time will be
set aside each day as Spanish only time in which students will practice with each
other, faculty, staff and the Costa Rican students. Certain projects will also require
students to write and/or orally present their topic in Spanish, pairing up stronger
Spanish speakers with beginners to serve as coaches.
Humanities
Artwork, scientific journaling, non-fiction writing and environmental literature will
help students gain a more personal and well rounded understanding of Costa Rica,
conservation, sustainability and our global community. Students will learn the
importance of different writing styles and the complexity of communicating
information to a variety of audiences and across disciplines.
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Mathematics
Our math curriculum will be similar to a high school probability and statistics
course except that our students will in most cases be the data collectors. Students
will be crunching data taken during field work and research projects as well as
learning the importance of the quantitative evidence for supporting a thesis,
providing measurable results and predicting outcomes. We will also look at the role
that probability and statistics play in our daily lives, policy, media and research.
Areas of Focus
History and Culture of Costa Rica
Costa Rica plays an interesting role in today’s world, known for both its
conservation efforts and agricultural exports such as coffee, bananas and
pineapples. Which rely heavily on agrochemicals for their production. Costa Rica is
also known for its lack of a military and for having a larger middle class than most
Central American countries. Students will learn about the evolution of “Central
America’s Switzerland,” from its geological creation to present day. Coursework will
be augmented by interviews, field trips to National Parks, visits to farms and
indigenous reserves.
Marine Ecosystems
Bordered by both the Pacific and Caribbean Costa Rica has always had a strong
connection to the ocean. Important for shipping and trade as well as both artisanal
and commercial fishing the coastal waters of Costa Rica serve as the lifeblood for
many Costa Ricans. In recent years however the fishing and shipping industries
have come under closer scrutiny for their practices as tourism and conservation
focused NGO’s have come to compete for this limited resource. Semester students
will take part in Sea Turtle conservation efforts, interview commercial and artisanal
fishermen, visit aquaculture projects, learn to surf, conduct tide pool investigations
and study tourism related business ventures dependent on the ocean in order to
gain perspective on this complex issue.
Watershed Studies
The Bongo Ario watershed where the CIRENAS campus is located is one of the most
important watersheds on the Nicoya Peninsula. Currently AyA (Costa Rica’s
National Water Company) is tapping into the Bongo-Ario aquifer to provide water to
the rapid and unplanned developments of Santa Teresa and Mal Pais to the south.
Students will study the central role that water plays in an area that has very distinct
dry and rainy seasons, issues surrounding agriculture, development and
deforestation and learn what restoration efforts can be taken in order to help
conserve this essential resource for future generations.
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Sustainable and Regenerative Systems
The impacts of the petrochemical industrial revolution have taken an extreme toll
on the earth’s environment. In order to be able to ensure a healthy, safe future for
future generations active steps need to be taken towards not only sustainable but
regenerative systems. Costa Rica has pledged to be the first carbon neutral country
by 2020 and has long been host to a variety of incredible sustainability initiatives.
Students will visit a few sustainability initiatives in order to provide examples of
existing projects, inspire students and give them ideas to take back to the BongoArio watershed. During this section students will learn about whole systems design,
permaculture techniques, evaluate and improve upon our sustainable systems at
CIRENAS and design and construct various appropriate technologies to be used on
campus and within the local communities.
Activities and Opportunities
At CIRENAS learning takes place in a variety of settings and circumstances. Our goal
is to help students step out of their comfort zones by exposing them to new
activities and various opportunities that will challenge them both mentally and
physically. These challenges are designed to help students gain personal strength,
learn new skills and accentuate their course content. Each student will gain a better
understanding of their leadership style and how they interact within a team
environment. Through teambuilding, sense of purpose and achievement students
will form lifelong friendships built upon the knowledge that together they have
made a positive impact on the world around them.
List of Activities and Opportunities
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Horseback Riding
Environmental Restoration
Green Design Build
Homestays
Hiking
Backpacking
Kayaking
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Teaching English at Local Schools
Surfing
Yoga
Ziplining
Mountain Biking
Work Studies
Permaculture Projects
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Student Evaluations
Due to our small class sizes an emphasis will be made on thorough written
evaluations as well as periodic personal check ins that give students a more well
rounded understanding of their grades, progress and expectations. In addition to
written evaluations each student will also be assigned an overall grade for each
course to make the transference of all of their hard work easier for sending schools
to integrate into their own systems. Students will also compile portfolios of the
work that they accomplish while at CIRENAS to show to sending schools, parents
and college admissions offices. Advisors will be assigned to each student in order to
help them document their semester in a manner in which is truly reflective of that
student’s unique experience.
Skills on which students will be assessed
Teamwork
Due to the project oriented nature of many of our courses and close living quarters a
large part of a student’s success at CIRENAS is dependent on their ability to work
with others. Students will learn about their strengths and weaknesses in team
environments, identify the roles in which they are typically the most comfortable
and then asked to challenge themselves by taking upon roles in which they are less
familiar.
Creativity
We are very interested in how a student is able to interpret information creatively
and in a manner in which is appealing intellectually, artistically and to a variety of
audiences. As the world continues to become more globalized we believe it is
necessary for students to stand out, take chances and make their mark on the world
around them.
Problem Solving
Our goal is to create active problem solvers equipped with the skills and mindset
that there is always a solution. Students are encouraged to think outside of the box
in order to create new ideas, strategies and innovations.
Real World Application
At CIRENAS the beauty of the Caletas-Ario National Wildlife Refuge and surrounding
communities is our classroom. Students are assigned traditional reading and
writing assignments but the true test will always be how it is applied to the world
around us. We place great value on action and transitioning subject material into
real world scenarios.
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