OFF CAMPUS PROGRAM
The NAPS Off-Campus Program, also known as the "Greenhouse", offers a wide range of activities and programs for children not only in the North Adams school district but neighboring districts as well. The program offers students the opportunity to experience alternative activities where they learn a variety of skills which will enable them to better succeed as adults in the community.
Under the direction of Noreen Donnelly, students in the Independent Living Program learn how to live and work as independently as possible in the community. Open to students between the ages of eighteen and twenty-two, students learn shopping, cleaning, laundry and numerous other skills as they work and interact within the community.
Students in the Recreational Arts Program enjoy hands-on opportunity to create and learn about various forms of art. Under the direction of Molly Lewis, students also contribute to the community by creating decorations for numerous school and community functions such as the Senior Citizens Prom, the Fall Foliage Parade and the annual Service Learning Conference.
In addition to Arts and Crafts, a class in Horticulture is also offered under the direction of Julie Wojcik. Students get the real "hands-on" experience by planting from seed, transplanting and eventually producing flowers which beautify the many traffic medians and planters throughout the city.
Also offered at the Greenhouse is a Plant Maintenance/Woodworking class. Under the direction of Jerome Baran assisted by Joe Magnifico, students learn how to make home repairs, the proper use of tools and how to build items which can be used within the district schools. Recently, students built room dividers, pre-school tables, art easels and storage cubbies for use in our elementary schools.
The NAPS Off-Campus Program continues to provide assistance to local non-profit organizations. The Greenhouse store also offers craft items such as planters, bird houses and feeders, quilt racks and of course annuals, perennials, herbs and vegetables. The store is open Monday-Friday from 8:30-3:00.
