Our Community

Our supportive parents and the greater community are two of the many components that make McKinley Institute of Technology and its students so successful. Parents, neighbors, businesses, and school partners lift students up through a variety of contributions, such as volunteering and donations. Community engagement and involvement in schools fosters a culture of belonging for all. When schools, parents, and the community work together, studies demonstrate an increase in overall academic achievement and attendance. 

Our school also has the privilege of being part of ongoing community development while educating the next generation of thinkers and trailblazers. When schools and students succeed everyone does! A school is not just another building on the block but a community hub and resource center. Everyone in the community can take ownership and be proud of the daily and long-term work taking place in our school.

Friends for Youth is a mentorship program that matches adult volunteers with students. Mentors meet with students weekly to provide school-based group mentoring.  By simply doing fun and interesting activities together, mentors can help mentees improve academics, improve their behavioral and emotional health, and positively change the course of a youth's life.

Spark is a free mentorship program where students discover new careers and work with fun, creative employees from awesome companies like NASA, Google, Facebook, etc. Spark connects students with volunteer mentors based on common interests and skills for Workplace-Based Mentorships. Throughout a 13-week partnership, Spark Students and Mentors work together to complete a project related to their career aspirations.