Ypsilanti Community High

Missy Nuyda
Site Coordinator

mnuyda@emich.edu

2095 Packard St, Ypsilanti, MI 48197

Missy Nuyda, EMU Bright Futures Site Coordinator, thoroughly enjoys spending time with the EMU Bright Futures community at YCHS which allows her to work with YCHS students and families, teachers and staff, college students, and community members. She is passionate about promoting healthy communities through positive student development, and she values the opportunity to work with a dynamic team of motivated and creative individuals who encourage and prepare students to be successful. Missy graduated with an Art History degree from Herron School of Art and Design and earned a M.A. from the University of Michigan in secondary education. She has taught and supervised volunteers in Peru, Costa Rica, and Dominica, and she views travel as the greatest educator she’s ever had. She is very passionate about the arts and about outdoor adventure, and she wants to introduce Bright Futures high schoolers to these new avenues for interpreting the world. She loves having the opportunity to be creative with her students and sincerely appreciates all that she learns from them, too. When not at work, Melissa enjoys creating jewelry and sculptures, riding her bike, fixing up her car and house, volunteering with animal rescue, and camping/backpacking. 

Program Description

At Ypsilanti Community High School, we strive to offer a positive atmosphere, enriched with supportive staff and community partners, by providing opportunities for high school students to explore, learn, cultivate friendships, and participate in community building and leadership activities. We offer a wide variety of activities to students in all grades to help motivate students to greater social and academic achievement while having a ton of fun. We also seek to help students transition from middle school to high school, and from high school to beyond graduation. We give students opportunities to be leaders, mentors, and community stewards. We offer a positive atmosphere, enriched with supportive staff, by providing engaging activities that promote positive self-growth in our students. EMU Bright Futures students benefit from many programs including homework help, mentoring, field trips, family events, summer programs, and much more.The program runs Monday through Thursday, directly after school until 4:30 p.m. with an extra thirty minutes of “Our Space” time on most days. Programming includes supper, academic time, and a rotating menu of clubs. We also offer a six-week summer program that runs Monday through Thursday from mid-June to late July. Clubs, every day, students attend a club of their choice.  Clubs focus on arts, leadership, culture, recreation, and STEM.

Examples of clubs include:

Creative Writing, Photography, Theater, Computer Coding, TED-style talks, Leaders for Social Change, G.S.A., Flag-football,  Jedi Academy, Breakdancing, Engineering, Bucket Drumming, Languages: Japanese and Sign, Language, D & D, Anime Club, Cooking, NASA club, and College Club.

Community Time

Program begins every day with community building activities to promote a safe, welcoming, and friendly culture.   We strive to increase students’ ability to work in teams, manage emotions, take initiative, be more responsible, use problem solving skills, and focus on empathy.

Opportunities for Families

Family events and trips are frequently offered including the opportunity to go to the theater and sports events, view student work, and share meals together.