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

2. Location Caletas-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 Liberia San Jose CIRENAS

3. 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

4. Our Campus Off the grid Solar Powered Local Materials Hand Built Sustainable

5. 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

6. Semester Overview January 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

7. Place-based Courses Tropical Ecology Research, Fieldwork, Projects Social Studies / History Costa Rican culture, Worldview, US/CR Relations English Scientific journaling, Non-fiction writing, Environmental literature Mathematics Statistics, Research data, Tutoring Spanish Immersion, Costa Rican literature Leadership & Community Teamwork, Public Speaking, Active Listening

8. Tropical Ecology Marine Ecosystems Watershed Studies Research Field work Projects

9. Social Studies Costa Rican History Costa Rica/US Relations Local Interviews Homestays Projects

10. Spanish Focus on Conversational Spanish Teaching English Local Interviews Homestays Projects

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

12. Mathematics Data Collection and Analysis Statistics Tutoring Projects

13. 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

14. Past Projects Watershed Educational Model Holistic Pasture Management Grey Water Recycling Chickens & Coop Medicinal Plant Garden & Recipe Book Solar Ovens Turtle Nursery Business Plan

15. Activities

16. Tucker Szymkowicz Co-Director& Founder/English Master’s of Education: Curriculum and Instruction University of Washington, WA. USA Certificate Non-Profit Leadership UPEACE, Costa Rica BA English and Religion Colorado College, CO. USA Caroline Grew Co-Director & Founder/Outreach BS Communications Minor Latin American Studies Cornell University, NY. USA Certificate Non-Profit Leadership UPEACE, 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

17. Our New Semester Faculty Andy Winters Program Director/Social Studies The Compass School, VT MS Education Integrated 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 McLean Spanish/Service Learning Ed.M: Learning & Teaching Harvard University Graduate School of Education BA: Environmental Studies and Education University of Vermont James DiCarlo Mathematics/Science Phillips Exeter Academy Masters of Science, Applied Physics Stanford University, CA BS Physics & Engineering Sciences Dartmouth College, NH

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

19. For More Information www.cirenas.orgwww.cirenas.org | cirenascr@gmail.com