After-School Students Celebrate NIA Day
Students at NIA/PS 939, NIA/PS 185, NIA/PS 190, and NIA/PS 104 show off their NIA Day banners, quilts, and signs
On May 26th, NIA students and staff celebrated NIA Day, the anniversary of our incorporation as a 501c3 non-profit. On NIA Day, we share all the things we love about being together after school, show our appreciation for one another, and recognize what makes our communities special.
NIA began in 1981 as a small grassroots community organization whose founder, Michael Bové, led neighborhood revitalization projects and food distribution to those in need. 41 years later, NIA now provides free after-school and summer camp programs in nearly 50 schools, along with parent education, family counseling, senior support programs, and social services assistance, impacting over 15,000 New Yorkers every year.
This May, students and staff across our after-school programs celebrated NIA Day by enjoying pizza parties and food truck visits, creating art, making T-shirts and quilts, playing games with friends, and much more. See below for some NIA Day program highlights!
NIA/PS 216: 4th and 5th graders celebrated NIA Day by making NIA-themed T-shirts and having a pizza party. Students helped plan the event and made personalized decorations for the occasion. Students also dressed in NIA-blue to get in the spirit of NIA Day.
NIA/PS 190: Students had a great time decorating and creating signs, as well as presenting chants/steps, poems, and short videos about their experience in the NIA after-school program. Participants and staff wore NIA-blue.
NIA/IS 303: For NIA Day, a video game truck and the “Glazed & Confused “ donut truck visited the school, parking outside the school’s newly designed garden. Students enjoyed donuts, snacks, and outdoor activities in the garden, as well as taking turns playing video games.
NIA/PS 185: The school celebrated NIA Day by creating a collaborative quilt in which each staff member and student highlighted the reasons why they love NIA and wished NIA a happy birthday. Students also enjoyed a “birthday party style” celebration with balloons, cupcakes, and cookies!
NIA/PS 281: For NIA Day, the school was visited by an ice cream truck and a food truck, and students enjoyed their special celebratory meals in the school’s garden. Students also designed and created NIA-themed T-shirts.
NIA/MS 443: The school celebrated with student dance performances and a pizza party. Both a DJ and photo booth came to the school for the performances.
Thanks to all of our staff for setting these events up. We look forward to celebrating again next year!