Beyond the Classroom

Students connect with experienced professionals through AYA’s Mentorship Program. Each mentor is carefully paired with a student based on interests and passions. Mentors provide additional support and guidance through the student’s AYA journey during regular on-campus meetings and some off-campus mentor/mentee events.

AYA’s seventh and eighth graders embark on the annual Civil Rights and College Tour each fall. The purpose of this transformative, multi-day trip is to widen students’ perspectives allowing them to make connections between what is learned in the classroom with real-life experiences. Each school year brings an opportunity for students to visit a new state in the southeast. With a focus on the Civil Rights Movement and Black History, students engage in rich discussion and investigation about this important time in our nation’s history. In addition, students are exposed to a variety of schools ranging from large, public universities to small, private colleges.

During the annual Career Week, industry leaders are invited to campus to teach students about their particular career. By providing a glimpse into various professional fields, Career Week illuminates possible career paths for students and also enforces the habits of perseverance, hard work, and risk-taking.

Taught by the President and the Dean of the AYA, Leadership Class provides students in middle school to actively engage in critical discussions regarding leadership and citizenship. By the time a student graduates from AYA, he/she will be able to identify their own leadership style, the traits of positive and negative leadership, and ways to engage as a community member and leader.

Focusing intentionally on the 21 Century skills that are needed for success, AYA middle school students take regular classes in public speaking and etiquette. Students learn and practice important communication skills, social etiquette, and table manners that allow them to navigate modern day circumstances with poise and confidence. The commitment to learning these new skills is celebrated with a culminating event, a fine dining luncheon where students dine and converse with local professionals.

AYA seeks to expose students to a variety of boarding and day schools, both locally and in the southeast. The goal of this program is to assist families as they seek the next “best fit” for each child after graduating from AYA. The Dean of Academy leads this program which exposes students to approximately 15 independent (private) high schools in a student’s middle school career.