What people are saying about Nawa

"Our son returned from Nawa's Adventure Summer School full of stamina, positive attitude and self-confidence. He also picked up great hobbies such as fishing, rockclimbing, and backpacking. He is how eager to go discover more adventures on his own."

- Myrian Gomez, Parent & Teacher (8-6-09)

Michelle Cvitanovich Testimonial (6-1-09)

" Before my enrollment in Nawa Academy, I attended Dana Middle School in San Pedro, California. At the time, I was not sure of who I wanted to become and what career path I wanted to pursue. As my eighth grade year came to an end, the stress of entering high school came upon me. My father was skeptical about me attending San Pedro High in the fall because of the actions of my older stepbrother. In my childhood, my brother made some poor decisions. He chose the wrong people to associate himself, which was evident in the way he acted toward others. He also dropped out of high school his junior year to move away and become a gang member with some of his fellow classmates. Years later, after never taking back control of his life, he was unfortunately shot and killed. I was only nine at the time, but repercussions of his death haunted me for years after. My father voiced his opinions about me attending San Pedro High and his fears of the same things happening to me. He explained to me how he needed to keep me safe, and that San Pedro High was not a safe school for me to attend because of the previous events.

A month before September came around my father started looking into alternative schooling. He received recommendations of boarding schools, but unfortunately these were all out of state and he wanted me to be somewhat close to home. After weeks of research, he stumbled upon a school located in northern California called Nawa Academy. Nawa Academy is a small boarding school with the motto "learning has no boundaries". My father was immediately drawn to the atmosphere that Nawa Academy provided for their students. Nawa Academy offered an international program and a snowboarding team (SUSA). I was very interested in the snowboarding team and soon after enrolled into the freshman class of Nawa Academy.

Nawa Academy has offered me the opportunity to compete on the SUSA team for the first three years of my high school experience. This year as a senior I wanted to experience more. Nawa Academy offers an incredible program in which twelve students travel to seven countries a year and immerse themselves in the local culture of that country. My father and I decided that this would be a good way to end my high school career. So far, I have had amazing experiences in this program. I have traveled to Baja Mexico, Guatemala, Egypt, The Philippines, Ecuador, Oaxaca Mexico, and China. Spending time out of the country has given me the opportunities to spiritually grow and become culturally aware. My two teachers, Matt and Kalan, have been very supportive to everyone in this program. They have helped me decide what I want to be in life. Since attending Nawa Academy, I have grown into an independent mature young woman ready to face the world. I am very grateful for that my father took the initiative to enroll me at this school. I will carry all of the exceptional experiences that I have had for a lifetime and never forget about them. As the year finishes up and I graduate from Nawa Academy, I will use the tools I have learned to continue reaching out for a more independent learning experience in college."

"After two weeks in the Girls on the Go summer school program, my daughter called home and said, 'Mom, I really, really, really, really want to go to Nawa for the school year.' Now at their boarding school, my daughter has said, 'The teachers at Nawa teach me the way I learn.' The staff is unfailingly positive about her, even when dealing with her mistakes. They provide the kind of 24/7 structure and consistency that is helping her flourish. " Christine Sleight, Parent, California
"I spent a year-and-a-half at Nawa Academy where I enhanced my communication skills and my confidence in working with people in different environments. I benefited from the pure American culture and values of my teachers and students." Kobe Gong, Graduate, Class of 2007, China"
"After two local private schools and the public school system couldn't help my son, who has acute dyslexia, dysgraphia and ADHD, work up to grade level, I consulted an educational psychologist. Based on extensive testing, she told me that although David had an above average IQ, his learning differences were so severe that, even with an IEP, he probably wouldn't graduate high school.

At that point I found Nawa. The Nawa staff told me they could and would help David, that he wasn't the problem (as I had been told before); the problem was with the limitations of the traditional educational system.

Three years later, David graduated from Nawa as the salutatorian. And no, it wasn't always easy for him or me, but most worthwhile ventures aren't easy. The thing is – Nawa didn't give up on him. David is now in college, earning Bs and working part-time at a career-related job he loves.

Coincidentally, I've had two Nawa graduates in one of the college classes I teach. Not only were they well prepared for college-level work, but they demonstrated a higher level of maturity than other first-year college students. I attribute that maturity to the confidence Nawa teachers and staff instill in their students."
Beth Grobman, Parent, California

"When we placed our son, John, at Nawa Academy it was like a breath of fresh air. Nawa and it's dedicated, creative, and caring staff installed renewed hope and excitement back into John's life. With a dedication to prepare students with diverse learning needs to meet challenges and complexities of the future, Nawa surpasses their goal by offering heartfelt encouragement in an exciting learning atmosphere. John thrived at Nawa and we will always be eternally grateful. Thank You Nawa Academy!", Jill Mahoney and Pat Mahoney, Parents, California
"I'm so grateful to have found a school where my son can thrive. He loves learning, but the traditional high school program just did not work for him. His self-confidence has soared since he started at Nawa. He also was able to make up lost credits and will graduate with his friends." Janice Wood, Parent, California
"Robby has gained self-esteem by the guidance he has received and the acceptance. You have given him the self-assurance to be himself and care for others. He has a gentle, caring side that nurtures others. Thank you for fostering this caring attitude and allowing him to feel good about his good deeds." Meg Greenwell, Parent, Hawaii
"Please know that our family greatly appreciates all that Nawa has done for its' students. We believe that Nawa offers a very unique program, requiring a great deal of patience and support from faculty and staff. Personally, we have seen so much growth in our daughter Stephanie, who is in her first year at Nawa, attending the extraordinary International Program. Her self-esteem, independence, and confidence have flourished in such a short amount of time. We can't say enough about your wonderful staff. These kids are blessed to have had all that Nawa has given them. Many of these kids will look back upon their experiences at Nawa with extreme gratitude and a feeling of being rescued during the very difficult teen years. With this, many will give back to society in some way, and/or make us all very proud. Nawa is making a difference. Keep up the good work!" Kim Driggs, Parent, Maryland
"Our son Travis age 16, spent the summer of '02 going to summer school to pass algebra which he was failing now for the third time. He was to do summer school in '03 again, for the same class. Travis has some mild learning differences which I know didn't help. On top of this, he was not motivated to do much, his love and passion of backpacking, camping, fishing (which we all did as a family) seemed to lessen, he was hanging with a crowd of kids that had NO motivation at all, and were starting to make some bad decisions.

So, my search for something for Travis to do in the summer of '03 began. When I found Nawa's summer programs (a place he could do the things he loved like rock climb, backpack, rafting, cave dwelling and it was a California accredited school and he could also take algebra) I was hoping we hit the jackpot. The only thing left was to tell him he was going. Travis is pretty adaptable so he agreed with some hesitance.

After his summer experience, when we went to pick him up there was a sparkle in his eyes that we hadn't seen in a long while and he wanted to stay for the next session. He did, however, end up only going to one summer session.

I knew something had changed when on our 4 1/2 hour drive home Travis did not stop talking about the most wonderful time he had, and the truly awesome staff at Nawa. Travis also passed algebra with an "A". Not only that, he got to study on a mountain top, one-on-one with his teacher. Travis wanted to go back and hopefully do both summer sessions the next year.

Summer of '04 he went back to do both summer sessions with the Lassen Expedition and loved it. Then we got a wonderful opportunity to send Travis to Nawa's International Academy for his senior year 2004-2005. What a whirlwind, he was so excited.

What an unbelievable learning experience... and that's an understatement.

Travis's time with Nawa really taught him to become an independent person, to follow through with things, and to be accountable for his actions. He also wanted to continue on to College, which was not one of his goals before Nawa.

After graduating from Nawa in June, Travis went to a NOLS WEMT (National Outdoor Leadership School, Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician) Course and now is an EMT. He is starting college classes at our local J.C. and applying to Humboldt State and Prescott Colleges. His attitude is so much better at home; he is respectful and helpful.?WOW, WOW, WOW! Thank you so much Nawa.", Michelle & Scott Foster, Parents, California

"It's really quite simple. Nothing else was working. We tried different schools, tutors, consultants, therapists and the situation was getting worse and worse. We were desperate. Our son was failing everything, had no self-esteem, and was becoming depressed. We were frightened. We thought we had run out of alternatives. Yet we believed that somewhere inside that head of his, he was capable of learning and even enjoying it. We had noticed that when he did learn things he went about it differently. We weren't exactly sure what was going on. But we definitely knew what didn't work.

All the schools he had been in used the same old standard way of teaching that hasn't changed much in a hundred years. The student sits still in a classroom for hours of lectures and note taking and produces hours of homework. How laughable as we look back.

We couldn't threaten him anymore to produce. There was nothing left to take away from him. No punishments worked. He stopped caring. We started loosing control... and our sanity.

You can guess the rest. We found Nawa. They figured out that he learns differently. They taught him differently. He experienced success for the first time. In addition, his attitude changed. For instance, he loved snowboarding and quickly figured out a simple Nawa lesson. Do your work... go snowboarding. Don't do your work... sit on campus all weekend. We could never pull that off at home.

Nawa is a pioneer in experiential learning. That, it turns out, is how our kid likes to learn. I will leave the details of why non-traditional learners respond to the experiential approach to the experts and professionals at Nawa. I can't express our amazement, when at parents weekend, we met with our son's teachers and looked at his work. Finally, something was working.

There is another ingredient that needs to be discussed and is very important to me. It's about the people... the staff at Nawa... the emotional environment. The warmth and caring came across immediately. I was so impressed meeting with our son's teachers. The commitment and pride was evident from the first moment we stepped on campus.

Bottom line. Perhaps we didn't know all of this when we chose Nawa, but we certainly know it now." Dean Edell, M.D. ,Parent, California

To faculty and staff at Nawa, "We feel very fortunate that our grandson Max is attending Nawa as he has only been at the school for the last 8 months, including 2 summer sessions, and in that time has made a remarkable turnaround. From failing in his school studies, being depressed and unmotivated, he is now making excellent grades, participating in school activities and is on the student council. We owe this incredible improvement to the excellent teaching, guiding, care and concern of the teachers and staff at Nawa. Thank you so much.", Maureen (Mo) & Joe Blumenthal, Grandparents, California
"Our son Edward attended Nawa Academy for two-and-one-half years. Prior to that, he had attended several private schools in northern Virginia. The schools in this area are, in general excellent. However, we had never found a good "match" for Edward. He was not doing well academically and starting to have social problems.

We saw a very positive change in Edward during his time at Nawa. His academics improved and he seemed enthusiastic about learning for the first time. The teachers were creative and very conscientious in helping him. The very small class size and the emphasis on "learning by doing" made this a great 'fit' for Edward.

His social skills improved in his relationships with others, as did his relationship with us when he came home. Prior to leaving for Nawa, Edward was often uncooperative, didn't listen, and rude to his parents and to teachers. He started Nawa in February of the 10th grade and then went through the summer program that year. When he came home at the end of the summer, friends commented on his changed outlook on life and his improved interactions with others.

Edward graduated in June 2005. It was a bittersweet time for all of us. We were all sad to leave the wonderful environment that Nawa had provided for Edward. However, it gave him a great foundation and he is now enrolled in a college internship program in Illinois. We will be forever grateful to Nawa for what they did for our son." , Del & Joyce Sargent, Parents, Virginia

Nawa Academy Promotes
--- Global Learning | Hands-on | Dynamic Learning | Individualized Instruction ---
-- Friendship | Mentoring | Extreme Education --