New York Military Academy

Academics

the New vision

Credit Where Credit is Due

At NYMA we teach many subjects, but one that infuses all we do is leadership. Good leaders give credit where credit is due, so it’s important to thank our faculty. Confronted with the complications of COVID-19, other schools are doing less for their students. I am proud to tell you that at NYMA, this challenge has prompted us to find ways to do even more for the young men and women entrusted to us.

Instead of changing our schedule so that students have fewer days of in-person instruction, our cadets will continue to have class Monday through Friday and now on Saturday mornings as well. The Saturday classes reflect our desire to keep our students on campus in order to minimize their exposure to people who have not been tested for the coronavirus.

Yet our tireless faculty also understands that even our energetic cadets need time to regroup and reconnect with loved ones. That’s why we’ve moved from the semester system to the trimester system, which allows for longer breaks and more uninterrupted time at home.

The trimester system also enables our cadets to take more classes and earn more credit hours in a single school year. This provides them with important advantages, including opportunities for academic reinforcement when necessary and, when possible, even more academic enrichment through an expanded slate of elective courses, including new subjects such as Latin, religion, philosophy, forensics, horticulture and landscape architecture, African American history, Ancient Greek, art history, and genetics.

We teach our cadets that good leaders view challenges as opportunities to make themselves stronger, smarter, more nimble, and better, Higher hurdles make possible even higher expectations.

-Christine C. McDonald, Dean of Academics

Character - Scholastic Attainment - Intellectual Development

Trimesters at NYMA

Trimesters give our NYMA cadets flexibility for electives, the ability to reinforce curriculum, and uniquely offer the opportunity to cover essential materials. For instance, a student who struggles in algebra may take Algebra in the fall, the Essentials of Algebra in the winter, and complete the course in the spring, whereas a student who does well in the subject could complete the course in two terms rather than three, opening up opportunities for electives, such as Introduction to Trigonometry.

Academic Opportunity Awaits

We also intend to use a new academic daily schedule to support our students’ ability to manage the curriculum, should online instruction be mandated at any time. We have five 65-minute class periods. The academic day begins at 8:00 and ends at 3:15, with clubs and character leadership running from 3:15-4:00, followed by athletics. Some may be concerned that a five-class limit may impact their graduation, preventing them from fulfilling their required coursework. It will not. Here is a sample senior cadet’s schedule:

The trimester system balances manageable schedules with electives providing students the opportunity for 15 course hours of instruction, rather than 12 under a semester plan.

As the Fall term begins, we will limit student travel off campus during weekends. This is in keeping with our traditional “new cadet” practice of closed campus but moving forward will not include open weekend options. Visits of family members will also be limited as we settle into our daily rhythm. Saturday instruction provideds each weekend with various activities, such as outdoor education, sports, and fun and enriching opportunities in the afternoon and on Sundays. Saturday classes will rotate with A, B, and C periods meeting while E and F meet the following week; prior to major assessments all classes will meet on Saturday (November 12st, March 13th & June 5th).