Workjob

Being part of a community means playing your part in making that community run.

At NMH, every student is responsible for a three-hour-per-week "workjob." Your workjob is the way you actively participate in the daily running of the school: It could be baking cookies in the dining hall kitchen, giving campus tours to prospective students, managing a sports team, or doing chores on the NMH farm.

Workjob is one of our oldest traditions, dating back to our founding in 1879. And we take it seriously: Workjob supervisors assess your attendance, enthusiasm, and productivity — “passing” workjob is a graduation requirement. 

Each workjob is a vital part of the school’s operation. As you prepare meals, keep classrooms clean, tutor students, and maintain our trails, you’ll also be serving our community and developing an understanding of the value of every person’s contributions. 

It’s true that some students grumble at first. But these thoughts from a recent graduate, reflecting on facing challenges in the world after NMH, are illuminating: “We should believe the little voice inside each of us that says, 'I can do this. NMH prepared me for anything.’ Eight am workjob? Yeah, that’s what that was for.”