Rosie Awori – Montreal Community Contact – Local Journalism Initiative
Next spring break, a group of senior students from the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-based Christian school will travel to Peru for a service trip. Working alongside the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), students will help build warm homes for families in a vulnerable community, marking the school’s first international humanitarian mission.
“It is not a vacation,” teacher Trisha Handy explains to the CONTACT. “The students have been told it’s for you to go out and serve and help others.”
The students will partner with ADRA, the global humanitarian arm of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, an organization known internationally for disaster relief, community development and poverty reduction initiatives. Together, they will help construct insulated housing for families facing difficult living conditions.
The initiative also reflects Greaves Adventist Academy’s broader philosophy of education. The school traces its roots in Quebec back more than 125 years, celebrating that milestone in 2025. Beginning humbly in a church basement before relocating several times over the decades, the academy eventually established its current campus at the corner of West Hill and de Maisonneuve Boulevard West in NDG.
Although relatively small, the school has built a reputation for fostering close relationships among students, families and teachers.
“It’s a small school, but it’s a mighty school,” Handy said.
Its classrooms reflect the diversity that characterizes Montreal itself, bringing together students and educators from a wide range of cultural backgrounds.
Rather than focusing exclusively on academic achievement, the academy describes its educational model as a partnership between home, school and church. The goal is to nurture intellectual growth while developing character rooted in Christian values.
To help make the trip possible, students are seeking sponsorship from relatives, friends and members of the wider community. ADRA will provide scholarship opportunities to assist some participants, while the school is planning additional fundraising initiatives throughout the academic year.
“We’d like to get as many people involved as possible,” Handy said.
Community members who wish to contribute can make donations through the school’s website by designating their gift to the Peru 2027 project. Funds collected will be shared among participating students to help offset travel and mission costs.
For parents considering Greaves Adventist Academy for their own children, Handy hopes the mission illustrates the kind of learning environment the school seeks to cultivate.
Registration is currently open for the upcoming school year, and families are encouraged to visit the campus, meet staff and discover whether the academy’s approach aligns with their hopes for their children’s education.
To learn more and donate to the trip visit the website: https://www.greavesadventistacademy.com/
