LYNN — KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate (KALC) is under new — but familiar — leadership. Former KALC principal Shauna-Kaye Clarke has transitioned into the role of Head of Schools, while former assistant principal Kerri Brown now serves as principal of the high school.
While they officially stepped into their roles this month after Brown’s maternity leave, both have carried their respective titles since the beginning of the school year.
“What is special about KIPP is that all of the leadership roles are intentional, in terms of need and use of the student body,” Clarke said.
The need for the position of head of schools is strong. Clarke continues to share that the head of schools’ goals are created to make sure that the core body has structural support to make sure that everyone will be able to sustain their position for the long term, including the principal.
Even though KALC is KIPP’s only high school in Massachusetts, Clarke’s work is critical to the success of all KIPP schools in the state.
“I’m not responsible for all of them, which means that whatever we were able to get creative with at the high school,” Clarke stated. “How do you then replicate some of those same structures at the K-8 spaces so that they can have similar outcomes?” She added in terms of her new responsibilities.
Clarke noted she is the “Principal of the principal.”
Despite a later start in her new position, Brown’s goal as principal for the year is simply finishing it strong and listening to the families.
“I want to gain that full picture before making any shifts or moves in the next year,” Brown said. “So right now, the rest of this year is making sure I’m available to the different stakeholders to really learn where we’re at and what they want.”
When asked what she had seen, “I’ve seen that overall, we’re in a pretty healthy place in terms of just how the building runs,” She answered. “The last 5 years we’ve really worked on how do we bring back this sense of what high school is?”
After 2021, the student council had become a “whisper for kids,” Clarke and Brown recalled. Two years ago, the staff decided to promote it actively, and their efforts resulted in the highest number of applicants they had seen in years.
“We even brought back live speeches,” Clarke said. “You actually have to get in front of people and say why they should believe in your leadership.”
Clarke and Brown are not walking into these positions blindly. The pair, who have known each other for over a decade starting out as English teachers for KIPP, and are no strangers to the dedication and willingness it takes to run a school like KALC.
“Kerri is one of the first people to tell me when something’s off,” Clarke stated. “It’s part of the reason why our relationship works, because there’s candor, there’s respect, and there’s a lot of love.”
What they like to call the “dance floor and the balcony,” Brown understands that she will no longer be a permanent resident of the dance floor- directly interacting with students- but watching from the balcony to be able to oversee the school.
Brown also shared that since becoming a mother, she is more aware of the fact that these high school students are “someone’s baby.”
“And yes, that’s always been true, but it’s always been a little bit of a separate thing for me.” She added. “And now I know and can empathize with every family that walks through this building. We have their treasure in this space.”
Clarke similarly takes in her personal experiences as a student in a pilot high school. “I think about my experience as a young black girl in that system and what has to be true for our kids here.”
Just this year, KALC has been the home of nine QuestBridge Scholars.
“We are in a place where we’re a very small organization, but we have big goals for what this place could actually be,” Clarke said. “And when you have those big goals, how do you keep outperforming yourself?”
