A Quality, Individualized Educational Opportunity

April 2007

Making the Grade

Every student that comes to our program has different academic needs. The reason that Northwoods is considered a quality, individualized educational opportunity is, in part, how we address these different needs. Northwoods provides a variety of educational options to suit each students and families needs.

With students ranging from 8th grade to recent high school graduates, the academic opportunities need to be flexible and diverse. Students at our Sagle Farm and Costa Rica campuses are enrolled in classes from the University of Nebraska Lincoln, Keystone, Calvert, BYU, Clonlara or CompuHigh to meet their needs. These classes can be paced to meet the skill level of the student taking them. Instruction is provided and the students work with their teacher to set the pace for each class they take.

For the students at our Bonners Ferry campus there is an opportunity of attending public high school. The advantages of this are many. First the student is in a small school, 550 students, so the students don’t get lost in the system. Second it is a valuable piece in the reintegration process, allowing the young men to practice their skills in a public setting that is still controlled. The small school setting allows the students to get help and assists them in establishing a successful foothold on the academic and social portion of their transition.

Whether it is the self paced classes or the small public high school Northwoods has opportunities to fit a students individual academic needs. For Northwoods students, the classroom can truly be wherever they are.

A Spotlight on: Mark Reiner

Mark Reiner is a graduate of the University of California. He has his Masters of Arts with a major in music and received his teaching credential from California State.

What Mark enjoys about his job is the 1 on 1 teaching that the Northwoods classroom avails and working with students with a variety of learning disabilities. He also likes the flexibility of the program to meet each students learning style.

Mark also teaches a shop class for the students at the Sagle Farm. In the woodshop he focuses on keeping the kids engaged in their projects and making sure they are safe. This class allows the students a chance to learn hands on skills in a directed envrionment. Mark's students creations have made for a more beautiful and functional Northwoods.

What he admires about the students is their incredible energy and inquisitiveness. What he enjoys most are those "Ah-haa, I get it" moments from his Northwoods students.

Travel Studies:Costa Rica

By: Dave Yeats
Northwoods Founder

Since the first Northwoods group traveled to Costa Rica 9 years ago, this experience has come to define our travel studies curriculum. In some ways, little has changed. La Tigra still serves as our base, and our relationship with that community still provides the greatest value to the visiting students and then, so much has changed.

We have our beautiful tropical hardwood lodge and cozy cabins, flanked by the Children’s Rainforest Reserve. The fleet of vehicles put either the Pacific or Caribbean coasts within a half day drive, compared to the two day, four bus and a ferry, expedition it once was.

Our groups typically travel down for a four month stay, as opposed to the original six week trips. We now own 100 acres, 30 of which is primary rainforest, including 10 acres on the Tenorio River in Guanacaste, and 90 acres bordering the La Tigra River in San Carlos. Both of these properties are multi-use, with sizeable portions set aside for conservation, arable sections suitable for food production and reforestation, and a couple of building sites for future development. We have always been a hands on kind of place, and these properties open up unlimited opportunities to continue that direction.

There is quite a geographical and cultural contrast between rural Costa Rica, where we operate in Idaho, and where our students are from. Our purpose in Costa Rica is to get the kids out and involved in this new community, gain at least a basic knowledge of the language, and develop relationships with our neighbors there. Those that live with Host Families often form bonds that last for years. When I talk to a former student years down the road, they invariably ask about their friends in Costa Rica. I also have families there telling me about a recent call they received from a former student.

We encourage our client families to visit Costa Rica during their sons stay. Our students have the opportunity to plan and guide their families adventure, and the families have an opportunity to experience a part of Costa Rica rarely experienced by a typical tourist. Often times, this is the first overwhelmingly positive experience our families have had together in several years.

I often reflect back on how much my world view expanded when I first traveled abroad almost 30 years ago. I believe that Northwoods Travel Studies is providing that same opportunity to our students, allowing them to develop a more accurate view of where they stand in the world.

For admissions information contact:
(208)659-3455 Matt Fitzgerald
matt@northwoodsidaho.com