An image of what an upgraded Hall of Fame might look like at the Travis Roy Ice Arena at North Yarmouth Academy. Contributed / North Yarmouth Academy
North Yarmouth Academy parents Jarrod and Freddie Daniel have donated $4 million to the school, the largest donation in its history, to modernize the Travis Roy Ice Arena.
Upgrades, planned for completion during the next school year, include a more welcoming lobby and entrance, new 2,500-square-foot locker and training rooms, improved arena seating and upper deck seating with over 90 additional seats, and a fitness and wellness center, according to the school. An exterior upgrade is planned as well.
“We felt that athletics were such an important part of our growing up, him with hockey and me with track and field, we wanted to be able to give back to something that had a connection to us,” Freddie Daniel said. “This will also give access to a lot of other people, not just the NYA community, but also community hockey, other schools that practice there and the community as a whole will be able to use the fitness center.”
The Daniels, residents of Yarmouth, have four children at NYA, two in the lower school and two in the middle school. One son and one daughter play hockey for the school.
The family moved to Maine from North Carolina about four years ago. Jarrod Daniel is a plastic surgeon in Portland and his wife is a member of the NYA Board of Trustees.
“We feel extremely fortunate to be in a position to give back to NYA and to provide momentum for a lot of future donations to grow this fundraising campaign and make some transformational changes to the academy,” she said.
The project is slated to be complete during the 2022-2023 school year, according to NYA Director of Marketing and Communications Kristi Belesca.
Head of School Ben Jackson said the Daniels’ donation helps “the school reimagine a facility that will better serve our community.”
“This is a historic moment for the Academy,” Jackson said in a prepared statement. “This tremendous investment will not only support a legacy of excellence for our girls and boys hockey programs, it will also enhance the athletic experience and wellness opportunities for all students.”
The improvements will also benefit athletes competing in tournaments and players who need to train in the off-season as well, Jarrod Daniel said.
The college preparatory school in Yarmouth is well known for its hockey program. Its boys and girls hockey teams compete in the New England Preparatory School Ice Hockey Association. The NYA boys team is also a member of the Holt Hockey Conference and won the Holt Conference Championship in 2019 and 2020.
The school is also looking to raise $1 million to complete the project.
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