KIPP kids back in class

LYNN – It is the first day of school, but the newest members of the KIPP Academy Lynn Charter School aren’t seated at their desks. In fact, the 96 fifth graders at the top of the school’s lengthy waiting list don’t even have desks yet – because they haven’t earned them.This is life at the city’s charter school, where discipline, character development and motivation take a front seat in the learning process. It is a place where there is a strong possibility that fifth graders will struggle, cry, and even ponder quitting in their first year, before finally finding direction.Now in its fifth year of existence, the KIPP staff is entering the 2008-09 school year with unmatched confidence and drive. The school, which caters to students in grades 5-8, has experienced improved MCAS test scores every year, and for the first time is able to look at the school’s first class of alumni, ready to experience success at the high school level.KIPP Director Josh Zoia says having a finished product to analyze and support has helped the school staff coming into this year and provided incoming fifth graders with a group of role models who can speak to their experience improving over four years at the school.KIPP alumni have been visiting the school this week, helping out with tutoring, mentoring and odd jobs around the building. Although they are no longer students, they continue to support the school, and KIPP gives right back.”I think the biggest change for this year is that we have alumni now. That has been an awesome experience,” said Zoia. “It is great to see the fifth graders come in, struggling with all of the issues and the conflicts and then have the ninth graders who have done so well come back and tell about their experience.”The school is welcoming 96 new students and 6 new faculty members this year, but Zoia said the biggest difference this year will be the staff’s ability to use their experience over the last four years to continue moving the school forward.”This whole place is walking with confidence now. Most of the teachers have been here for three or four years now,” Zoia said. “We see ourselves as a good school now but we want to become an excellent school, so we are really working hard. It would be easy for us to just rest on our laurels but it is important for us to look at how we can take this school to the next level.”He and his staff have taken the time to look at areas that need improvement and put an increased focus this year on teaching critical thinking skills and character development, taking a proactive approach to learning.The goal is to get students excited about life-long education and drill home the point that success in college and beyond begins when they are young and learning the critical skills that will give them a foundation for the future.”Getting to Point A is getting them to do the right thing when you are looking. Getting them to Point Z is when they do the right thing no matter what, because it is the right thing,” he said.The school is also focusing on creating relationships with parents and families. The majority of the school’s population is minority students and students from below the poverty level, who statistically do not receive adequate support at home.KIPP holds classes for parents teaching computer skills and skills that will help them understand what their children are learning. Zoia also said the school is looking into starting a GED program for parents.”We have a very diverse student body here, there are 32 countries currently represented in our school,” he said. “Parent involvement is key.”Zoia also said the school is beginning to work more closely with some of the city’s traditional public schools, as the success of KIPP has finally erased some of the skepticism and negativity some expressed five years ago.”There are a lot of positive things happening at this school,” he said. “We have a positive impact on the community, and the community has a positive impact on us.”