ILM Academy high school students are given opportunities to take on leadership roles to make a difference and a positive impact within the community and beyond.

Leadership legacy project elective

Leadership legacy project elective is a scheduled session where students learn to collaborate, organize and develop ideas and plans for effective implementation. One example of student led initiative is ILMA Relief, an organization started by 9th grade students. Through this organization and with the support of the PTA and entire school community they have raised funds and contributed towards the following projects

1. Gift of Kindness: Donated 100 Qurans and 24 hijabs to incarcerated reverts and muslims in California
2. Donated money to build a well in Africa

Badminton club

Students train with an experienced badminton coach and compete in school wide tournaments. Students who show potential and are motivated have the option to compete in interschool competitive tournaments.

Environmental club

The school environment club, Ilma Seeds, instills the love of purposeful gardening in the students. The environmental club’s motto is “To Beautify Our Environment for the Better, Forever”. One of the ideas is the idea of an “Adopt a Plant” in order to encourage the younger grades to participate in efforts to preserve the beauty of nature and be provided an opportunity to serve their community at such a young age. “Adopt a Plant” will be a program in which younger students will be provided with a small plant to adopt and take care of.

Student teacher activity

At Ilm Academy, we promote peer to peer collaboration that builds healthy bonding between students across grade levels by teaming them to support each other. High school students work closely with their teachers to help students in younger grades in their academics by tutoring for specific subjects. They also help their younger peers by sharing time management tools, organizational techniques and much more. They conduct workshops for the younger graders about how to build a healthy school environment of respect for each other.

Peer leadership

High school students play a very important role in the school community. The whole school assembly is a space where they advise their peers and share their thoughts and perspectives on topics that are important and relevant to them.They use this space to encourage their younger peers to be more proactive in the community and help make our school an inviting place for everyone.

Financial independence

We invite professionals from the field of finance to educate our high schoolers about the importance of fiscal responsibility. They learn about taxes, stocks portfolios, college expenses and other finance related topics relevant for planning for their future.

Journalism club

Students get an opportunity to collaborate, design, compile and publish the school magazine, ILMA Voices. It provides them with an amazing avenue to showcase their creativity and develop essential skills of communication, attention to detail, research skills and digital literacy.

Tafsir

High school students learn Quranic tafseer and interpretation that allows them to develop a deeper understanding of the teachings of the Quran and its meaning in their own personal lives. Students also memorize specific Surahs with translation with the objective of applying the teachings of the Quran in their daily lives.

HIFZ support

Ilm Academy fully supports hifz students by providing them with accommodations in several ways. Hifz students are provided with a modified schedule in order for them to attend core classes after school with individualized attention from the respective teachers. They are also supported with tools and techniques of time management and organizational skills in order for them to be successful in their academics as well as their memorization goals.

Civic Responsibility

Ilm Academy students are involved in so many different ways in giving back to the community. Students get a chance to experience the importance of being aware of their responsibilities towards the larger community. The entire student body and school do fundraisers and drives to make a difference.

Fundraisers:  For fire department, feeding the homeless, Al-Misbah

As part of instilling civic responsibility in students, Ilm Academy takes pride in organizing fundraisers to help the underprivileged and underserved, and homeless individuals in the local community. The school’s fundraisers help to create the spirit of giving and sharing in the students, make them compassionate towards those in need, and be thankful for their blessings.

Major fundraisers in the form of shoe drives, blanket drives, and bake sales have been organized over the years to help the affectees of the Northern California Fires, the Afghan Refugee families, and for shipping to deserving communities internationally. Food drives are also regularly sponsored for the less fortunate in the community where the packed food is distributed personally to various homeless shelters in the local community.

Acts of Kindness in Collaboration with Al-Misbah

Ilm Academy In December 2021, IIm Academy organized an assistance drive for the Afghan refugees where students boxed a specified list of food items and delivered to needy Afghan refugee families through Al-Misbaah, a non-profit organization in Elk Grove, California. The funds raised through the weekly school lunch program were also utilized for buying the specified food items. In addition to this, the funds raised by the 9th grade students under the banner of their Ilma Relief initiative went towards funding at least one furniture pallet for a needy family. A generous donor consented to match up the 9th grade furniture pallet. May Allah (SWT) reward all for their intentions.