Scarborough Middle School Alums Return to the School to Volunteer with JA Maine

Author: Jaimie Crawford
Community Involvement
Published: Monday, 17 Mar 2025

Sharing

two women standing in front of a classroom

Image caption: The business community was well represented with volunteers coming from MEMIC, Tyler Technologies, IDEXX, Systems Engineering, Katahdin Trust, Shunk Child Care, MaineHealth Maine Medical Center, Geels Norton, Shepherd Financial LLC and Redfern Properties LLC. Participation from employees in learning experiences like JA In A Day helps students realize the career pathways available to them in Maine and pairs them with mentors they may aspire to be like.

Twenty members of the community joined the Scarborough Middle School sixth grade class to bring Junior Achievement learning experiences to the students. What the volunteers each had in common was attending Scarborough Middle School themselves as students.

The Scarborough Middle School classes from 2003 all the way to 2017 were represented at this all-day JA Maine volunteering event, known as JA In A Day (JAID). A high-impact day where an entire JA curriculum is taught in a single-day, the volunteers taught “JA It’s My Future.” Its learning objectives focus on workforce readiness, helping students identify future careers, and developing skill sets to needed to earn a job.

The business community was well represented with volunteers coming from MEMIC, Tyler Technologies, IDEXX, Systems Engineering, Katahdin Trust, Shunk Child Care, MaineHealth Maine Medical Center, Geels Norton, Shepherd Financial LLC and Redfern Properties LLC. Participation from employees in learning experiences like JA In A Day helps students realize the career pathways available to them in Maine and pairs them with mentors they may aspire to be like.

This JAID was especially impactful by having Scarborough Middle School alums showcase their professional insight and career paths to current students of the school. Students walked away with clearer ideas of their career interests, potential pathways to reach their career aspirations, and were empowered with skill sets to reach their goals.

Companies can participate in JA In A Day by “adopting” a school, and sending a team of employees to teach a JA learning experience. JA In A Day is an incredible team building tool, and shares similar benefits for the students. To learn more about partnering and volunteering with JA Maine visit jamaine.org or reach out to Jill Jamison, jjamison@jamaine.org.