North Yarmouth Academy

North Yarmouth Academy
North Yarmouth Academy's main building, Curtis Hall
Address
148 Main Street Yarmouth, Maine, 04096 USA
Coordinates	43°47′56″N 70°11′08″W / 43.798839°N 70.185535°W / 43.798839; -70.185535Coordinates: 43°47′56″N 70°11′08″W / 43.798839°N 70.185535°W / 43.798839; -70.185535
Information
Type	Co-ed, prep school
Established	1814
Head of School	Brad Choyt
Faculty	37 class = 14 students [1]
Enrollment	265 total [1]
Student to teacher ratio	10:1 [1]
Color(s)	Black and Orange
Athletics	16 interscholastic sports [2]
Mascot	Panther
Website	www.nya.org

North Yarmouth Academy (Also known as "NYA") is an independent, co-ed, college preparatory day school serving students in grades 5-12 located in Yarmouth, Maine. The school offers a structured program that sets clear standards and high expectations in an environment that emphasizes values of mutual respect, trust and community. North Yarmouth Academy is dedicated to fostering integrity, character and intellect in young adults. The current Head of School is Brad Choyt, with Richard Abbondanza heading the Board of Trustees. NYA has 265 enrolled students with an average class size of 14 students. NYA offers 16 interscholastic sports for both Boys and Girls at the Varsity and Junior Varsity Level.

NYA students carry five academic courses plus electives each year and are required to participate in athletics or theatre each trimester. In 2011, 85 students took 146 Advanced Placement Exams in 15 subjects. Eighty-two percent scored a 3 or higher, 56% scored a 4 or 5. In 2011, NYA had 27 Advanced Placement Scholars: 10 Advanced Placement Scholars, 6 Advanced Placement Scholars with Honor, 11 Advanced Placement Scholars with Distinction, and 1 Advanced Placement Scholar. NYA offers 16 Advanced Placement courses.

NYA student athletes participate on a variety of varsity athletic teams, and since 2000, NYA teams have won 38 state championships. NYA believes that valuable life lessons are learned through team sports. All NYA students in grades 6-12 participate in team sports or approved alternatives 3 seasons per year. More than 40% of graduates continue to play intercollegiate sports. NYA students also are accomplished musicians and actors. One hundred percent of Middle School students and 73% of Upper School students participate in a musical ensemble.

NYA develops each student's sense of accountability, responsibility, and citizenship through ongoing campus jobs and community service. During the 2010-2011 school year, NYA students gave more than 4,500 hours to community service, assisting more than 55 community and civic organizations in the Greater Portland, Maine area.

Virtually 100 percent of NYA graduates go immediately on to a four-year college or university. In recent years, NYA students have been accepted and have attended: American University, Amherst College, Bates College, Bowdoin College, Brown University, Carnegie Mellon, Colby College, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Davidson College, Duke University, Harvard University, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Williams College, Middlebury College, Northeastern University, Northwestern University, Boston College, University of Virginia, Wake Forest University, Johns Hopkins University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, MIT, and Yale University as well as many others.

In the past ten years, NYA has built a $3M state of the art science center (the Peter W. Mertz Science Center, 2006), has renovated the oldest building on campus (Russell Hall, 2009) into a technologically advanced foreign language center, has added an all-weather athletic (turf) field, has built a modern, efficient Middle School (The Priscilla Savage Middle School, 2003) and increased endowment for faculty enrichment and student diversity. These projects were completed through successful capital campaigns that included all members of the greater NYA community and incurred no additional debt for the Academy.

Facilities

The NYA campus consists of 10 Academic/Art buildings and 2 Athletic Buildings. The campus also has 2 athletic fields, 3 tennis courts, and a baseball/softball field.^[3]

• Priscilla Savage Middle School - Grades 5-8, nurse's office
• Peter W. Mertz Science Building - Science, and some math, classes for both the Middle and Upper Schools
• Higgins Hall - The choral and instrumental music building, also includes functionality for a black box theater
• Russell Hall - Current foreign language center, Edgar F. White '38 Athletic Hall of Fame, and former science building
• Academy Hall - Former 7th and 8th grade building, currently empty
• Bates House - Admission office, as well as Middle School art and Upper School photography
• Weld House - Office building, including web master, information technology, archival office
• Dole House - Office building, including alumni relations, development, communications, and business offices
• Curtis Building - Main building for Upper School students, includes library, student lounge, gymnasium, and Safford Center (cafeteria and stage)
• Storer House - Auction volunteer office, Former 6th grade building

Athletics

North Yarmouth Academy has an athletic requirement that each student to participate in an athletic program every season throughout the school year. Exceptions to this policy include the ability to participate in the arts once a year.^[2]

Sports

NYA offers 16 interscholastic sports for both Boys and Girls, each at the Varsity and Junior Varsity level.

Fall

• Golf
• Field Hockey (women's only)
• Soccer
• Cross Country
• Volleyball (women's only)
• Sailing

Winter

• Basketball
• Ice Hockey
• Indoor Track
• Nordic Skiing
• Swimming and Diving

Spring

• Baseball (men's only)
• Lacrosse
• Softball (women's only)
• Tennis
• Outdoor Track and Field

Facilities

Gymnasium

NYA's gymnasium is located behind, and attached to, Curtis Hall. The gym includes the athletic director's office, two locker rooms, and the Hall of Awards. The gym is used for men's and women's basketball, women's volleyball, and for large assemblies, including all school gatherings, and senior speeches.

Fields

In 2006, NYA completed transforming Lewis Field from grass to turf. NYA currently has two athletic fields, one turf and one grass (Denney Field). Since its completion, Varsity and Junior Varsity Lacrosse, Soccer, and Field Hockey play all their home games on Lewis. NYA uses Knight Field for its Baseball and Softball programs.

Travis Roy Ice Arena

The North Yarmouth Academy Ice Arena was built in 1975. In 1998 it was remodeled and re-named to the Travis Roy Ice Arena in honor of Travis Roy. It contains a fitness room, heated viewing area, locker rooms, and a pro shop. It is home to the NYA Boys and Girls Ice Hockey teams as well as the Yarmouth High School ice hockey teams. The facility is also used by Casco Bay Hockey for its ice hockey programs.

Rivalries

NYA maintains two local rivalries. The first is with hometown public school Yarmouth High School, most notably in men and women's lacrosse and hockey, among other sports. As well, NYA has a rivalry with other local private school Waynflete School, particularly in women's lacrosse and men's and women's soccer.

Notable alumni

• Ernie Coombs C.M., children's television entertainer and Order of Canada recipient
• Eric Weinrich 1985, former NHL defenceman
• Leonard Swett, close friend of President Abraham Lincoln, organizer for the 1860 Republican National Convention in Chicago
• Oliver O. Howard, Union general during the Civil War and founder of Howard University
• Travis Roy, ice hockey player

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c} http://www.privateschoolreview.com/school_ov/school_id/11968
2. ^ ^{a b} http://www.nya.org/athletics/athletics.asp
3. ^ http://www.nya.org/mapdirect/mapdirect.asp

External links

• NYA School Website