About Us…

How We Started…

Public education must aspire to more than simply preparing students for college or employment. While these are certainly important & noble pursuits, they are not “ends” in and of themselves. Education must also equip students to become responsible citizens and belong to society if it is to deliver on the promise of democracy. In 2022, a small group of diverse neighbors pulled together following a convening at a local university with a shared desire to create a new pathway for local high school students. They envisioned strategic ways to expand access to different forms of capital and prepare students with the 21st Century skills needed to make future homes in their local communities while actively contributing to the growth & prosperity of the neighborhood. Toward that end, the Neighboring Academy was established in 2022 in partnership with the Steelton-Highspire School District.

The first Neighboring Academy pilot was launched as a 6-week summer program in 2022 with a cohort of 10 rising 9th graders at Steelton-Highspire High School. The Academy was later established as an in-school program at Steelton-Highspire High School that same Fall.

“Neighboring” refers to the foundational social connections between both individuals & organizations that compose local neighborhoods. It establishes reliable bonds on which our democracy is forged and without which our economy would certainly collapse.

Our mission is to break cycles of poverty by creating pathways to homeownership that combine local neighborhood capital with 21st Century skills.

With the help of neighbors in government and the private sector we aspire to build a campus of zero energy modular makerspaces at Steelton-Highspire High School out of shipping containers where all Steelton-Highspire high school students would have an opportunity to be exposed to specialized employment opportunities across sectors like health care, manufacturing, construction, and technology while also learning how to become responsible neighbors and homeowners in their community.

Our Vision…

Thanks to our neighbors at Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates for so generously offering their architectural expertise to give form to our values of adaptive reuse and sustainability to design makerspaces out of shipping containers!

Who We Are…

Our Board…

  • Chad Frey, Neighboring Academy President / CEO

  • Tim Ritter, Neighboring Academy Secretary & President of Universal Protective Packaging Inc.

  • Rodney Sauder, Neighboring Academy Treasurer & Assistant Professor of Accounting at Messiah University

  • Dr. Sybil Knight Burney, Neighboring Academy Member & Founder & CEO of Transformational Leadership Agency

Our Educators & Program Leadership Team

  • Helen Spence, Neighboring Academy Program Advisor

  • Kevin O’Rourke, Neighboring Academy Program Director

  • Dale Scott, Neighboring Academy Program Director

  • Chad Frey, Neighboring Academy President / CEO

  • Mick Iskric, Superintendent of Steelton-Highspire School District

  • Willie Slade, Assistant Superintendent of Steelton-Highspire School District

  • Mark Carnes, Business Manager of Steelton-Highspire School District

  • Eleni Cordero, Principal of Steelton-Highspire High School

  • Tara Gross, Jr. / Sr. High Assistant Principal of Steelton-Highspire High School

Contact the Neighboring Academy

For more information on how your school or business can begin planning a partnership with the Neighboring Academy, share your interest with us.