A big congratulations are due to KIPP Journey Academy students McKeala Hudson and Michael Robinson, who were recently accepted into the KIPP STEP Summer Program at Deerfield Academy! Yes, that Deerfield Academy – the prestigious prep school in Massachusetts whose students consistently populate the campuses of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc.
The students are examples of the remarkable results that KIPP, which primarily serves economically disadvantaged students, has produced since it opened its doors in 2008. (Fordham authorizes KIPP Journey, Ohio’s first and only KIPP school.) Already its students are scoring higher than the district average on the state mathematics assessment and higher than the state-wide community school average on the state science assessment. The STEP program is taught by a team of KIPP and Deerfield teachers, and includes three weeks of fully paid Deerfield courses focused on science and language arts.
After being accepted to the STEP program, McKeala and Michael each wrote an essay about their life goals and reasons for applying to the program. McKeala writes:
My goal is to become a News Reporter, to go to college at Spellman [sic] or the University of North Carolina (UNC), and to go to Columbus Academy for high school. I also want and to meet new teachers so they can inform me about how to be a better person. I will take this Deerfield experience as an honor since I am learning new studies in subjects and I’m glad to see this extravagant school in person. I will inspire others by this journey and show them that they can complete hard work. As long as they believe in themselves their dreams and goals will come true.
Michael writes:
Now that I go to KIPP I have learned that the future really depends on what you do in the next minute whether it will help you in your life or push you back. KIPP has taught me that if you believe and the people around you believe you can be and do anything. […]
Some goals I have for myself is that I will push myself the hardest I can to reach the highest level there is. And my reading teacher always says to go above and beyond and I plan on doing that. I hope to go to a good high school and from there to a good college. Those are not only my goals, but they are KIPP’s expectations and I look forward to coming to school and meeting those expectations. Thanks for all you do to support me and my other teammates at KJA!
Good work, KIPPsters and KIPP Journey!
