"Defying the Odds" for Students in Newburgh, NY

Thanks to the donations of 46 individuals, San Miguel Academy of Newburgh succeeded in meeting both the number of donations and the dollar amount for the March 2015 Open Challenge by bringing in $5,656.00. With the assistance of many who shared the campaign challenge on Facebook, Twitter, and with emails, we achieved our goal on the third day, during the Bonus Day. The students, their families, and the staff of SMAN are grateful to all who participated. It was a learning experience for us all, as it was our first crowdfunding campaign. We found it to be fun, a bit of a challenge, and exhilarating to cross the finish line.

The money will be used to support our Place and Project Based Learning, Step Up After School Program, Graduate Support and High School Placement Program, Summer Scholars Program and our new College Access Program.  In September 2014, our first class of alumni went into post-secondary programs.  100% of our alumni from that class were accepted into a variety of programs including vocational training, two year and four year college programs.  

As spring approaches, all of our students will participate in Swim Safety classes, which will become a requirement for graduation.  Many of our students will be back on the Hudson River, learning how to row and be a part of a crew team.  Becoming skilled in something like rowing gives our students a rounded education so that when they apply to independent secondary schools, they are seen on a par with other students with whom they are competing.  The Step Up After School Program gives students the chance to experience arts, sports and clubs to broaden their experince base. In addition, after school tutoring is a time to lock in new concepts and skills developed in the academic day. Being a part of a team and conquering these life-enriching skills opens the doors not just to secondary school, but to college and jobs in the future.

One of our alumni, who is a freshman at a four year university in Connecticut, was part of a recent news interview in which he said that without San Miguel Academy, his mother is certain that he would have been absorbed by the gang culture or probably be a father by now.  Staying in the lives of these young men is crucial as they transition into adulthood, and with the support of individual donors, corporations and foundations, the school is able to do so. With that support, the students are discovering that they have their own futures and are becoming productive members of their community and role models for others.

Links:

• The website for San Miguel Academy