Malden company donates to KIPP

LYNN – As members of the first graduating class at KIPP Academy Lynn struggled to scrape together the final funding necessary to attend private high schools this summer, one Malden company stepped up to ease the burden.Heritage Wholesalers recently donated $4,000 raised at a summer golf tournament to the charter school earmarked for its “Last Tuition Dollars” program, which helps students who do not have enough scholarship money attend private high schools.Most of KIPP’s students are below the poverty line, but would prefer to attend private high school after leaving the charter school for ninth grade. The school’s 2008 graduating class is attending several area private schools including Malden Catholic, Cambridge Catholic, St. John’s Prep, Bishop Fenwick High School and Pingree Preparatory School, and KIPP has raised millions to support their efforts.”KIPP Academy Lynn’s culture of high expectations, academic excellence and character building is what we at Heritage Wholesalers value as well,” said Heritage President Steve Field. “By supporting youngsters in their goals to attend the best high schools and colleges, we can make a direct impact for a better life.”While many KIPP students remain in public high schools in Lynn, school officials feel that it is important for students who feel more comfortable in a private school to be given the opportunity to attend that school, regardless of their financial situation.KIPP has been successful on the MCAS exams, featuring the best scores in the state on sixth and seventh grade math among schools with the same socioeconomic status. When compared to schools with a similar mix of ethnicity, KIPP is in the top 10 percent in overall MCAS scores.”Each of our students work very hard and with the support of Heritage, we can turn the dream of college in to a reality,” said Principal Josh Zoia, pointing out that 80 percent of students who attend private high school move on to attend college.