TROY School offers programs that support students academically, personally, and professionally. Students can explore career pathways through the TROY Works Program, develop creativity through music education, and receive free onsite mental health counseling. TROY also provides transportation assistance, support for teen parents, recreational opportunities, and meal programs to help remove barriers and ensure students have the resources they need to succeed.
Through a generous grant from the Don Wood Foundation, TROY School launched its comprehensive career readiness initiative, TROY Works. This program introduces students to the wide range of career pathways available throughout northeast Indiana through on‑site company tours and a rotating schedule of industry guest speakers who share real‑world insight and inspiration.
As part of TROY Works, students also have the opportunity to attend Whitko Career Academy, where they participate in hands‑on vocational training and earn industry‑recognized certifications that strengthen their employability after graduation.
With high‑demand, well‑paying jobs available across our region and students graduating each year ready to enter the workforce, we saw a powerful opportunity to better equip young people with the skills, experiences, and confidence needed to thrive in their future careers. TROY Works ensures they have exactly that.
Every student has an Academic & Success Coach who plays the role of academic support specialist, accountability coach and personal cheerleader. Academic & Success Coaches have a caseload of approximately 15 students which allows them to monitor every student’s attendance, grades and behaviors and to be in frequent contact with students and families. Academic & Success Coaches help students to problem solve around barriers, access wraparound services and create sustainable plans for success in school and beyond.
In 2022, TROY School took steps to hire our own mental health services provider to offer onsite, mental health & counseling services to students as part of their enrollment at TROY. Onsite mental health services are offered to all TROY students at no additional charge to families. During our first year of offering onsite services, TROY School provided 80% of students with ongoing mental health support. In 2023, during our second year of offering onsite services, we are providing 90% of our students with ongoing mental health support. We are thrilled to be able to offer students onsite mental health support as part of our program at TROY. By offering these services at no additional cost to families, many TROY students have accessed life changing mental health support for the very first time. Mental health support is available to all TROY School students for as long as they attend our school.
We know that the most common and biggest obstacle to education that youth face is transportation. By picking students up and transporting them to school each day, we are often able to raise attendance that averages as low as 25% to 85% at TROY. We feel this is a program that is vital to the success of our students and must continue in the future. However, this program continues to be at risk due to lack of funding and the high cost involved with transporting students.
Students at TROY received a scholarship award from the Aaron M. Stone Memorial Fund that provides instruments and weekly music lessons. A new music room, outfitted with gear for an ideal acoustic environment, has been dedicated to music education. “Young people have a variety of natural talents and interests, and the music room will provide a space to explore their creative abilities and use their individual gifts to excel and grow,” said Nicole Trier, school director. The fund was established to honor the memory of Aaron Stone who died of cancer a year ago at the age of 18. “We saw what a difference music made in his life, and we wanted to create opportunities for teens to learn, practice and perform music,” said LouAnn Stone, board chair of the Memorial Fund. Students in the program receive free lessons from instructors at Sweetwater.
The Whitley County YMCA and The Center for Whitley County Youth provide space for TROY students to enjoy recreation throughout the week.
We have found that for many of our students, the lunch they receive at TROY is the only nutritious meal that they may have in a day. Thanks to the generosity of Parkview Whitley Hospital, we are able to provide free, healthy, meals each day.
TROY School offers a program for students who have children that allows them to take care of their child while continuing their high school education. We partner with the Echo Program to help educate teenagers on situations they may face as parents and they can also earn coupons for B.A.B.E. when they reach their goals. B.A.B.E. offers a way for them to have access to free diapers, clothing or other items they need to take care of their baby, in addition to offering the opportunity to participate in educational and support programs.
Every Friday students who qualify for the Boomerang Backpack program are sent home with a bag of food. This ensures that students and their families are able to have sufficient meals during the weekend.
