His name is Vasyl, and if you spend any time on the Portland Adventist Academy campus, you'll quickly learn that this title — contract janitor — tells you almost nothing about who he actually is. Vasyl arrives as the school day winds down. His time with students and staff may be brief, but his impact runs deep. English is not his first language, yet he communicates in ways that need no translation at all. He plants flowers around campus, and when they bloom, you might find them arranged in...

Nearly 30 years ago, staff members at Portland Adventist Academy (PAA) began noticing a troubling pattern: some students felt disconnected from their local churches. While present in the pews, many didn’t feel seen, needed, or confident that they had something meaningful to offer. PAA educators asked an important question: What if students didn’t just attend church, but helped lead it? That question sparked a vision—one rooted in helping students find a sense of belonging, relevance, and...

Portland Adventist Academy is proud to have an auto mechanics class as part of the curriculum. Auto mechanics has been one of the diverse offerings PAA has continuously taught since the tech building opened in the 1980s. Learning basic auto mechanic knowledge and skills is something countless students have appreciated. For the past several years, Adam Hinckley, a hospital physical therapist by profession, has generously taken time from his schedule to teach students the fundamentals of...