Looking Back on the Mission Society’s 2023 Learning Adventures

The Mission Society students and staff are back in the classroom and ready to start a new year filled with adventure in school and beyond. We have so much in store for 2024, and we're filled with gratitude that we have more opportunities to bring enriching, educational programs to students across New York City. 

Though we’ve already kicked off another season of learning, there are still many lessons and experiences to celebrate from 2023. Throughout the year, we explored a variety of enriching STEAM activities, journeyed to cultural institutions in the city, and expanded academic and life skills through our programs. We had the pleasure of enjoying all of these adventures alongside a growing community of students, educators, and staff who made each day possible. 

Today, we’re excited to relive some of our favorite moments, and hope you will join us as we reflect on everything we accomplished in 2023.  You can find our roundup of memories below, filled to the brim with innovation, creativity, growth, and more!

Mission Society’s 2023 Memories

Our burgeoning artists unleashed their imaginations through creative activities–building their social emotional skills and practicing self-expression in the process! Students made sailboats with popsicle sticks and paint, crafted dragons from cupcake liners, and painted birdhouses. Even families got in on the fun, gathering together for a sip-and-paint night where everyone had the chance to make their own masterpieces and bond with peers. 

One of our favorite components of our programs is exploring the incredible cultural institutions around our city. We traveled to the Bronx Zoo, tapped our toes at Broadway musicals, and took on thrilling challenges at Adventure Park, exposing our scholars to enriching, mind-opening experiences they may not have access to otherwise. Sometimes the city around us is our best classroom, and we’re always thrilled to introduce young people to the many wonders in their backyard. 

314 graduates tossed their caps at the end of the school year, and headed off to explore college and career opportunities beyond our classrooms. June was filled with recognitions for all of their hard work, including prom, where our students danced the night away and celebrated their amazing successes. 

We fostered the curiosity of aspiring scientists! Power Academy scholars created water filtration systems, and our Level Up students completed a lab experiment on DNA, getting to see important scientific concepts come to life. Each of our STEM activities gave young people the chance to throw on their lab coats and experiment, expand their horizons, and build skills in academics and beyond. 

We added to our resource library throughout 2023, curating more stories and invaluable information to offer our community. We celebrated holiday food traditions, learned about the many social emotional and academic benefits of making and sharing meals, and shared another round of exciting summer reads for our K-8th grade and high school students with the help of Scholastic and educators. Our second annual Virtual Career Fair took place in October, where we introduced students to professionals through online interviews and an enriching career panel. Each of these resources were created to expand our horizons– allowing us to learn about the traditions, individuals, and issues that impact our daily lives. 

We hope you enjoyed walking down memory lane with us as we highlighted our 2023 journey! Thank you for being a vital part of our organization, and for helping us bring these opportunities to our brilliant scholars in school and beyond. We can’t wait to see what amazing memories we create alongside our community in 2024.