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.  Students also have the opportunity to work with the Make-A-Wish Committee, organizing events and fundraisers to help grant the wish of a child with a life-threatening illness.  With the help of the entire NYA community, the Make-A-Wish Committee has raised nearly $40,000, just granted a seventh wish, and is currently working towards their eighth wish.

Students in grades nine, ten, and eleven organize a class service project each year. The ninth and tenth grades host a Red Cross Blood Drive each fall and spring.  The junior class organizes a day of events, including sports, art projects, steel drums, and lunch, for children in the Boys and Girls Club.  These projects are usually accomplished after school or on weekends.

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, students and faculty volunteer a school day to prepare sites for summer activity, the 6th grade at Bradbury Mountain State Park and the 7th and 8th grades at Camp Tall Pines, a camp for the Special Olympics.  In addition, 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.