The Class of 2010 goes to college!

2010 is a milestone for KIPP Austin Public Schools.  On Saturday I drove one of our KIPP Austin pioneers to the airport to begin her college education at Howard University in Washington, D.C.  I can't describe what that moment meant for me as I reflect back on that first year in 2002.  A promise kept.

Our first class of KIPPsters- the Class of 2010- graduated from high schools far and near in June. 85 percent are preparing to attend college this fall. Two joined the military.  This first class of KIPPsters promoted from our original middle school in 2006 have since participated in our KIPP Through College (KTC) program. 

Through KTC, this pioneer class that graduated from our eighth grade had assistance with school work, SAT prep, and college applications throughout their high school years. In addition, we helped them identify and secure as much financial assistance as possible.  Congratulations to our pioneers who worked hard every day climbing the mountain to college!  You did it! And now, our attention turns to the final leg of the journey: graduating from college.
 
To celebrate their hard work and let them serve as models to our current students, we held a Pennant Ceremony in their honor.  Parents, teachers, board members and current KIPPsters gathered to see our alums receive the pennant of their college or university.  Seeing our KIPPsters, now high school graduates, standing on stage looking so grown up and so confident, with hundreds of people sitting behind them was like a dream - a dream I have been having in my waking and sleeping hours since I started KIPP Austin eight years ago.  2010.  How many times did I shout, "Climbing the mountain to college in..."  And hear the response from our pioneer group: "2010!!!" 
 
2010 also marks the year that we opened our first elementary school - KIPP Austin Comunidad.  Something I could never have comprehended in 2002 when this journey began. 
 
So, this year is about new beginnings.  Graduates starting their final climb in college.  5 year olds starting the climb.  Life is good.
 
Work Hard.  Be Nice.
 
Jill Kolasinski
Founder and CEO
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Want to know more about where members of our pioneer class were accepted?  See the complete list below.

UTSA, Angelo State University, Asuza Pacific University, Austin Community College, Baylor University, Cal State Northridge, Cornish College of the Arts, Florida Memorial University, Hollins University, Howard University, Lamar University, LSU, Midwestern State University, Our Lady of the Lake, Sam Houston State, Savannah College of Art and Design, St. Mary's University, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Texas A&M Kingsville, Texas Lutheran University, Texas State, Texas Tech, University of Houston, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, University of St. Mary's, University of Texas Pan American, University of the Incarnate Word, University of North Texas, and U.T. Tyler.

Summer at KIPP Austin has been a busy one. In June, summer session kicked off at our middle schools where we welcomed 200 new fifth graders as the Class of 2018 and 110 ninth graders, the Class of 2014.  They spent the summer learning how to produce quality work, KIPP chants, and what climbing the mountain to college means.  They also squeezed in a team building field lesson to Lady Bird Lake!   

KIPPsters also participated in some stimulating summer activities outside of KIPP.  Through Explore Austin's mentoring program, many of our students spent a week at their "Summer Wilderness Trip" camping and hiking in Colorado with their mentors and teammates.  Explore Austin provides our KIPPsters the opportunity to increase self-confidence, build character, and develop a sense of responsibility for themselves and those around them.

One of our eighth grade KIPPsters, Romario Q., was one of 12 students nationwide to participate in the 2010 Camp Fulbright Junior Internship Program.  Romario spent three weeks in Korea participating in a cultural exchange program where middle and high school students from the U.S. met and interacted with students from all over Korea.  Participants in the prestigious program experienced Korean culture through language classes and hands on educational activities.

One of our seventh graders, Leslie T., was one of 36 KIPPsters from across the country to participate in the prestigious Deerfield Academy KIPP-STEP program.  Leslie spent three weeks in Massachusetts studying biology, chemistry, and English with Deerfield and KIPP teachers. 

Three juniors, Hazel P., Lydia J., and Nick M. spent several weeks in Central America volunteering with Amigos de las Américas (AMIGOS).  AMIGOS is an international, nonprofit organization that provides leadership and community service opportunities for high school and college students.  Our KIPPsters worked with their host communities and partner agencies to address health and education priorities in Ecuador, Honduras, and Panama.

All summer we have had students interning in our IT department and in our administrative offices, gaining valuable on the job experience.  This week fifty of our tenth graders will also be on campus for World History AP Camp to get introduced to the advanced placement curriculum.

While our students have been busy expanding their horizons, our garden received a face-lift thanks to some terrific volunteers from Whole Foods Market.  The volunteers helped our child nutrition manager start a wellness garden, featuring plants with medicinal or health qualities like lavender to calm nerves, aloe for healing burns, and mint to sooth an upset stomach.  The volunteers also added new vines and flowering bushes to attract more bees and butterflies to the vegetable garden.

In June, Mathematica Policy, Inc. released its preliminary findings from a matched, longitudinal analysis designed to estimate KIPP's effect on student achievement. This is the most expansive study of KIPP to date, including demographic and achievement data from 22 KIPP schools in 14 school districts. It is also the most rigorous study of KIPP, as the Mathematica team used a conservative research design to measure KIPP's impact on student learning.  The Mathematica researchers found that for the vast majority of KIPP schools studied, impacts on achievement are positive, statistically significant, and educationally substantial. These gains are large enough in many KIPP schools to substantially close the achievement gap within three years. 

As a national network, we embrace the opportunity to share what we are learning with the public at large; this research effort builds on our long-standing commitment to transparency.  To get more information, visit the KIPP Foundation website.

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