The mission of the North Yarmouth Academy Experiential Education Program is to help students through active participation in adventure-based learning experiences to cultivate self-reliance, leadership, responsibility and a greater concern for both their own and the larger surrounding communities.  This philosophy is implemented through class trips, smaller group trips and community service projects.  The program offers a flexible variety of options in order to appeal to a wide range of students’ interests.

The Upper School Program

The ninth grade takes part in a class trip before the start of classes.  The goal of the trip is for students to get to know their small class community, and develop confidence, respect and a sense of responsibility toward their peers and the larger natural environment.  This trip is enhanced by working with organizations such as AMC and Outward Bound that understand our program’s goals and needs.  Students experiment with risk-taking and decision-making in small, focused group settings.

At the Upper School level, a variety of trips and activities are also offered throughout the year.  Activities might include hiking, white-water rafting, volunteering, rock-climbing, environmental activism, sea-kayaking, study and discussion of environmental literature, and team-building activities.  As students engage in these activities, the program’s focus on community awareness, teamwork, responsibility and self-reliance is constantly reinforced.

The Middle School Program

The Middle School Experiential Education Program focuses on developing a young person’s capacity to make responsible decisions, increasing self-confidence, raising individual aspirations, and building a sense of community within and among Middle School classes.  Most of the Middle School programs run in mid-September.  The sixth grade class participates in an overnight experience at Myers’ Farm in Yarmouth, as part of their orientation to NYA. The overnight includes teambuilding challenges and experiences for students to get to know each other better.  The seventh grade participates in a day of high ropes course challenges and teambuilding activities at Kieve Leadership School.  The eighth grade participates in a sea kayaking adventure focused on leadership skills that is also run by the Kieve Leadership School.  Finally, the Leadership Academy is a five day backpacking trip in the White Mountains that is open to 7th and 8th graders in August.  The Middle School Experiential Education Program is designed to build on each previous experience.  The lessons learned through these programs are reinforced throughout the year at NYA.