Partner Spotlight - Neighboring Academy
The Neighboring Academy breaks cycles of poverty by creating a pathway to homeownership that combines local neighborhood capital with 21st Century skills for Steelton-Highspire high school students. We think about "neighboring" as a verb and use a two-part definition: 1) how we relate interpersonally with those around us; 2) how systems and structures relate to each other to create neighborhoods.
Neighboring Academy program directors (Kevin & Dale) meet with Cohort I students (current 10th graders during the last two periods of the school day) M-F and with Cohort II students (current 9th graders during the two periods right before) to help students learn design thinking skills (see attached). Students are enrolled in workforce development and each have bank accounts where they can deposit their earnings and learn fiscal responsibility. They are given opportunities to apply design thinking skills in a variety of projects (like renovating a church on Pine Street, building sheds, designing a Neighboring Academy campus, etc.) as well as in different experiences (Visiting Washington DC, Harrisburg University, local petroleum manufacturing plants, etc.).
The Neighboring Academy invites all Steelton-Highspire 8th grade students to apply for a 6-week summer Neighboring Academy program before entering their 9th grade year. A cohort of about 10 rising 9th grade students are then selected based on their applications & interviews to complete the 6-week program to determine their fit and eligibility. Upon successful completion of the summer program, students are then invited to become Neighboring Academy candidates during their 9th grade year. At the completion of their 9th grade year, candidates in good standing are then invited to apply & interview to enter the Neighboring Academy. (Good standing relates to the "ABC's" - Attendance, Behavior, and Class Completion)
At the completion of each year in the Neighboring Academy, students in good standing are eligible to receive a scholarship to continue their education post high school.
We look forward to welcoming our next cohort of rising 9th graders this summer!
