PROJECT: REACH OUT

Each year, the 5 – 12 school community is involved in two full days of service to community organizations. This began in the spring of 2010, when all students and staff participated in Project: Reach Out.  This full day of community service provided hundreds of hours of volunteer time for organizations and families in need.  In one case, a local organization saved over $10,000 in cost as a result of the NYA day of service.

The Upper School Program

Community service in the Upper School is woven into student life and is designed to involve students in the larger community beyond the Academy.  There are many opportunities to participate in service projects, depending on the individual student’s level of interest.  Students may volunteer off campus at local schools, day care centers and elderly care facilities during free periods.  A student may become involved in projects such as a walk-a-thon to raise funds for Juvenile Diabetes Research and volunteering at the Preble Street Resource Center in Portland.  Students in the Upper School help support families in need each winter through our Holiday Families Program with the Salvation Army. They team up with friends, family, or advisee groups to collect donations and purchase gifts to help make the season bright. 

As a finale to their four years of service at NYA, seniors take two to three weeks before graduation and volunteer through a local organization.  This project consists of 40 hours of service during the final weeks of May.  The senior social service experience is a continuation and reminder of our mission to serve others.

The Middle School Program

Community service in the Middle School exposes younger students to the concept of service and promotes a sense of teamwork among the students working together on a project.  In the fall, the Middle School students support needy families with food baskets for Thanksgiving. They join with the Upper School in the Holiday Families Program to collect necessities, supermarket gift cards, and gifts for families before winter break.  In the spring, the Middle School hosts a Special Olympics competition and ceremony at the Travis Roy Ice Arena on campus. Middle School students also raise funds throughout the school year for various local charities and have the opportunity to volunteer at the Preble Street soup kitchen.