KIPP NYC VOICES

I feel great to be back. I was so eager to get back on the court. I like being with my teammates; I like being in school in general. Being a part of a sports team is my motivation to do well. Everything feels normal in a good way.

My mission is every single KIPP NYC student will be eating our food. I want to do a teaching kitchen. We could create culinary arts classes. There are amazing opportunities to push more options and choices for our kids through non-traditional, post-secondary routes.

Science is something where everyone gets something from it every day. It could be as simple as learning what a hypothesis is. Or learning about how electricity is converted into different forms. It’s important for students to be exposed to science to pinpoint how it’s connected to everyday life.

We encourage families to vote. We educate them. We connect them to resources. We share info about candidates and how they are aligned with issues that matter the most to our community. We empower our families. This is one of the things I tell families: if you want to support me, this is something we do. This is civic engagement.

Student leaders are there to help and look out for them. That’s our reason. That’s our rule. We chose to be these leaders to be a voice for them if they need help or advice. That’s what we’re there for. We’ve gone through the experiences they might go through.

I think families’ needs are changing and evolving. That’s something that we’ll continue to address. How we assess where families are; how we think about families’ needs have been strengthened.

What KIPP is doing that’s unique is that we’re looking at what opportunities we’re providing to students to show SEL skills. It’s not really for us to teach kids these skills; the students already know them and use them. It’s about embedding the opportunities to cultivate them in everyday opportunities in our interactions with students, including our lesson plans.

Socially, kids are playing well with each other particularly with respect to sharing. The cool piece is I realize how resilient kids are. They know COVID is a thing; they are OK wearing a mask. Kids come in and they know the drill.

Our school is a better place thanks to the dedication and creativity that you bring to your work every day. Thank you for helping us to keep our promises to students and families.

Ultimately, my mission is to empower the next generation of STEM-literate innovators, thinkers, explorers, and creators that includes a particular focus on Black and brown kids.

I want to be the leader of a program that encourages people from all different backgrounds to pursue a career in medicine.

Hailey, a 7th grader at KIPP STAR in Harlem, is one of many student authors featured in our literary magazine “Legend.”

Every opportunity I have to interact with students, staff, and family, I do my best to model how I would want to be treated…

The first lesson I learned from this difficult moment is to appreciate everything we have and everything we can do because not everyone has that same privilege.

That feeling of community has been really big. I always hear from other parents how great it is that parents have a voice.

I can’t emphasize enough how influential KIPP’s support has been throughout my journey. I’ve made sure to take advantage of every opportunity that has been presented to me.

KIPP Inquire is doing everything to promote child development and well-being; the one thing that no one wants is a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all solution.

“I don’t know what it is, about this groove, that’s here making us move, but it sho’ is funky!”...

Gillian Wallace, Kindergarten Teacher, KIPP Freedom Elementary School In a year that we will all...

Michael Becker, Science Teacher, KIPP NYC College Prep High School Michael Becker knows a lot...

Dominique Mejia, Founding Principal, KIPP Affirm Middle School Born in the Bronx, Dominique Mejia...

Being an alum helps with teaching because I get to instill the values that started 25 years ago, but I get to put a new spin on it.

If something isn’t working I can text the teacher and they will respond right away. KIPP is where people love their child and really want to collaborate and work together.

We want students to apply to schools that have pre-college programs. It starts prior to senior year – they have an idea of what they are looking for.