On October 2, we celebrated the opening of KIPP Austin Collegiate, the first KIPP Austin high school, with a special convocation ceremony to honor our Pioneer Class of ninth grade students.
The event featured messages from several speakers, including
John Fitzpatrick, the Executive Director of the Texas High School Project;
Rocio Mendoza, a Stanford graduate and current UT Law student who got her start at KIPP Houston; and
Richard Reddick, Ph.D., from the Department of Educational Administration at UT.
The convocation also featured a special pen ceremony, during which selected community members personally gave engraved pens to each ninth grade student. The pens symbolized each student's ability to write a new future for him or herself as a result of the unique opportunities KIPP Austin Collegiate will provide.
The evening ended with the music of
Grupo Fantasma.
We'd like to extend special recognition and thanks to
Mirage Networks for generously sponsoring this special event.
In addition, we also thank the following companies for providing their services that evening:
Alliant Event Services
Andrea Turner Photography
Gayle Valayos Photography
Grupo Fantasma
Hi Rise Balloons
Pappas Catering
Premiere Tents and Events
Best of luck to the Class of 2012!
