Learning Never Stops at PAA – Even for Summer Break!

Learning doesn’t stop at PAA – even for summer break.

Did you know that Portland Adventist Academy offers classes even during summer break? From incoming and current students, to students from our community, as well as students from around the world, PAA is a place to keep your mind sharp!

This summer was as busy as ever! PAA had 22 students enrolled in Word History, a short, intensive class that requires students to learn and complete work at a much faster pace than in a typical school year. It means students who take this class are serious learners.

Twelve students took Driver’s Ed and are now official drivers! Two of these students were not PAA students. Offering Driver’s Ed gives PAA families convenience and brings new families and teens to our campus.

All 22 students completed a project and final presentation on a country of their choosing. Most students chose to study countries from the Middle East.

The three-week Immersion Course for International Students continues to be a success in several ways. Students from Korea, China, Taiwan, and Japan come to PAA to improv their English, learned about American culture, visited historical and significant sites in the area, and made friends with their American student mentors.

PAA students serve as mentors to international students and are able to earn money for their tuition. Sometimes these friendships continue through the year and students return the following summer.

PAA’s students work as American Mentors to International Students. Learning fun games like “Rock-Paper-Scissors” is an example of basic American culture that International Students enjoy and want to learn. More importantly, these students hear about Jesus in our classrooms – and, often, for the very first time.

Coming up soon is PAA’s Smart Start program for brand new International Students.

“Smart Start gives our these students a time period to adjust to American culture with the help of PAA student mentors,” says Maria Bibb, International Student Program Director. “For many of them, it may be their first time away from home and it can be very overwhelming. So having an American student mentor helps them adjust.”

“But our Smart Start and Immersion programs have an even greater purpose,” says Mrs. Bibb. “They are giving our PAA students evangelism experience. We sing songs about Jesus, we pray, we build friendships, and make memories together. Our students get to be a missionary right here at school.”