LYNN – KIPP Academy Lynn and the General Electric Turboshaft Helicopter Engines team concluded the celebration of Earth Week at the school Friday by announcing a long-term science partnership between the two organizations.GE presented KIPP with a $10,000 donation that will be used toward building a science lab at the growing charter school, along with a number of Sally Ride Science Kits, featuring curriculum material and lessons on clean air, clean water, green living and environmentally friendly engineering.As a stipulation of the partnership, GE employees vowed to regularly volunteer time working with students on environmental issues and engineering lessons over the long-term future.”Our company as a whole is trying to focus on ways to help the environment along with trying to create more interest in scientific and environmental issues,” said Vice President of Turboshaft Engines Ed Birtwell. “We have a number of volunteer efforts planned throughout the year. We want to make this a long term thing.”A dozen GE volunteers actually kicked off the partnership Thursday buy bringing a group of KIPP seventh graders to Lynn Beach to take water samples and test the public beach for harmful substances. The students used scientific methods to gather data on parameters such as turbidity, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, and presence or absence of chloroform bacteria. In addition, students are currently sampling the school area for sizes of air particulates, which are a measure of air quality.The students used their findings in a class lesson Friday and presented the numbers to the GE employees who visited the classroom for the announcement.”We are looking at this not just as a monetary donation, but as a way to continue working on projects with the students,” said Ron Hutter, vice president of Turboshaft Sales. “This is only the beginning.”Birtwell said the program came about after GE awarded the Turboshaft program a grant to present to a charity of their choosing. After learning about KIPP from the school’s Director of Development Nancy Sarles, the employees decided to use the grant money to help the school bolster its science program, and teach the importance of environmental responsibility.”Once we heard about KIPP it really overwhelmed a lot of us because of what a great organization this is,” said Birtwell. “They are taking kids and leading them on a path to excellence, achievement and accomplishment.”The Sally Ride science kits will become a part of the school’s science curriculum, and provide lessons on green living.The educational organization founded by Ride, a former NASA astronaut, has been working with General Electric on environmental issues, and KIPP educators feel it will fit in well with the curriculum.