KIPP looks to raise money for graduating students

LYNN – The first crop of KIPP Academy Lynn eighth graders are just a few months away from graduating and moving on to high school, but with that comes tough financial decisions for the families of many students at the school. For many, achieving good grades at the charter school has provided the opportunity to attend boarding and private high schools, however sky-high tuition rates at these institutions leaves most families with more obstacles to overcome than simply gaining acceptance to the school.KIPP tells students from day one that they can do anything in life if they work hard enough, and as these students struggle to come up with money for private school, the staff and supporters are looking for ways to help keep that promise to their students.For eighth grade valedictorian Kelsey Mullen, who has gone 14 straight quarters with straight A’s to achieve a 4.3 grade point average; an acceptance letter to the Pingree School was a dream come true.An aspiring anesthesiologist, Mullen says she knew she wanted to attend the school from the moment she set foot on its Danvers campus, but the cost of attending for four years provided sticker shock for her parents, Dan and Karen, who are trying to raise six other children on a budget.”It is really hard for Lynn families to come up with the funding for these schools,” said Dan Mullen. “Just the money that you have to put down, for most people that is a month’s rent. To take that gamble was out of our league.”Mullen is also headed to a summer program at Phillips Exeter Academy, where she will learn marine biology to polish up her science skills.”I have always wanted to be in the science field – everything just makes more sense to me when I am looking at numbers,” she said. “I knew I wanted to do something with people, and at first I thought I wanted to be a pediatrician. But when I thought about it, I realized I wanted to do something more with the medicine side of healthcare so I could work with all sorts of people.”The school has not set up a specific fund or program to help these students; rather it is handling each family on an individual basis, giving individual attention just like teachers do in the classroom.For Mullen, her help is coming in the form of an auction that is taking place through this weekend into Monday morning that gives donors a chance to attend Opening Day at Fenway Park, courtesy of a local business owner.Marblehead resident Bill Ryan, owner of Ryan Financial in Marblehead and North Andover and President of the Friends of KIPP Academy, donated his box seats for Tuesday’s home opener against Detroit in an effort to help Mullen raise money for her tuition.The auction began Thursday and will run through noon on Monday, the day before the game, with the winner announced just a few minutes after the bidding has closed.The Mullens, who have two older daughters at Lynn English High School, say they have nothing against the Lynn Public Schools, but also feel it is important for students to have an opportunity to leave the city and attend private school, which they feel offers a more personal educational experience.”It is important to give Lynn kids the opportunity to do this and see outside of the city,” said Dan Mullen. “Everybody can go somewhere from KIPP because it is all about higher education, and that is what matters now because having a college degree is important to finding a job in today’s society.KIPP Development Director Nancy Sarles says the school is working on many fundraising opportunities for all of its eighth grade students, and will have more announcements in the coming months.”This is our first year (with a graduating class) so this is just the beginning,” she said. “Our hope is to expand and broaden the opportunity for all of our kids.”All of the proceeds from the Red Sox ticket raffle will go toward Mullen’s tuition, and a portion of the donation is tax deductible. Anyone interested in bidding on the tickets can email [email protected] with th