Students at the Newburgh Armory Unity Center are getting a dose of hands-on learning thanks to a new collaboration program targeted to elementary and middle school students. 

The initiatve is called Kindergarten through Careers and the first program, Scholars in Scrubs, launched on Saturday. Organizers hope to help eliminate barriers to students being successful in high school and college and show diverse career options. 

The Armory collaborated with St. Lukes Cornwall,  Crystal Run Healthcare, Marist College, Mount Saint Mary College, SUNY Orange and the Newburgh Enlarged City School District to help build literacy and math skills while also exploring healthcare. 

"The exposure is so important because once they're exposed to it now there is a thought process," says Matteo Doddo, Co-Principal at Newburgh Free Academy North. 

Newburgh Free Academy students volunteer to help younger students learn, and they learn from the experience as well. An after-school program for middle school age students will launch in the coming weeks.