New Staff Profile: Art Summers

Art Summers

By: John Wilkins

Dorm Parent Art Summers with his daughter, Emma.

    Art Summers is an extremely unique addition to National Sports Academy’s faculty as a dorm parent.  Art is an out going, communicative, and carring person who understands kids and how they feel.  Art is one of the only people in the entire school that I feel like you could go up to and talk to them about anything just like you would talk to one of your classmates.

    Art was trying to decide what to do when he was living in Lake Placid working at the ADK Community Church trying to figure out what to do about his living conditions because rent in Lake Placid is so expensive, but he really wanted to live here.  Then one Sunday after church a man from NSA came up to him and said “Hey were looking for a dorm parent and a nurse” which was perfect because his wife was just certified to become a nurse, and Art loves working with and helping kids.  “I think the one reason im at NSA is just to be me and to let you guys know that there is always someone to talk to, and that people really give a crap.  That your not just a gold medal...your a person”.

    Its amazing how good of a person Art is after the harsh life he had to deal with.  Art’s real dad left when he was two, his mom married another man when he was 2 and a half who was very abusive to him until he died in a car rec when he was nine.      His mom went to a mental institution because of depression and Art had to travel around from house to house at a very young age which lead to him to start drinking by the age of 12.

    Art had a lot of problems with drugs and alcohol that lead him to prison and rehab more than once.  “I was trying to fill a hole with all of that stuff” Art said, but that wasn’t going to work so he told me “I filled that hole with JC(Jesus Christ”.  Art believes that the role drugs played in his life was “An exceptionally painful and blessed role, I had to go there in order to get here”.  

    Religion is what really saved him.  When he was young there was a Pastor who told him that he was going to hell which turned Art off of religion.  He didn't even really get into religion until about 8 years ago.  Art was working at an apple-bees when he was in a rehab where he could go out and get a job.  One day he was leaving the rehab to go to work and made fun of these 4 addicts that were reading a bible.  After that he remembers saying “God if your so real and big why don’t you show me something today”.  That day Art went to work and the first table he went up to he said “Hey my names Art can I get you something to drink?” the man responded “Art were getting ready to pray, can we pray for you?”.  After that Art started going to a bible study everyday with this man he met at apple-bees.  

    After fighting it for a while he really got into it and ended up starting a youth program next to his house that he never used to go to.  One day before his first time ever speaking since he has never preached or anything before he was nervous sitting in the office by himself when all of a sudden a sheet of paper fell out of the cupboard.  On that paper was “Jeremiah 1” and after reading that he decided that he wanted to be a pastor.

    Before we end our conversation I asked him “Whats next for Art Summers?” and as a response i got “All school meeting...and that’s probaly the truth, one day at a time man one day at a time”.