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KIPP Charlotte News
Service. Excellence. Integrity. Passion. Courage. Leadership.
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Work hard. Be good. Think.
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April 2010
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No shortcuts.
No excuses.
High expectations.
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Dear Reader,
Each day we are closer to the End of Grade tests (EOG's). Every week the KIPP Charlotte team and family strive for excellence. We depend on the community to support us in our efforts to close the educational achievement gap. Please continue to help us in any way you can. We are currently looking for the following volunteers:
- Office Helpers
- Reading Buddies
- Math Tutors
The success of our community and the future of Mecklenburg County lies in the hands of future generations. The future of our students starts here.
Sincerely,
KIPP Charlotte
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The KIPP Charlotte Scholars' Breakfast
On Wednesday, March 31, 2010, KIPP Charlotte hosted its first annual Scholars' Breakfast. The event took place at The Ritz-Carlton of Charlotte. 350 people from across Charlotte Mecklenburg gathered together to celebrate KIPP Charlotte and the students we serve.
Speakers at the event included:
Mike Feinberg, Co-founder of KIPP
Richard Barth, CEO of KIPP Foundation
Jay Everette, Wachovia
Keith Burnam, Co-founder and School Leader of KIPP Charlotte
Kahari, KIPP Charlotte Student
Edna Weikel, KIPP Charlotte parent
Dr. Peter Gorman, Superintendent of CMS
Victoria Bennett, Former KIPP Student and College Freshman
Lisa Frison, Vice Chair of the KIPP Charlotte Board of Directors
Thank you to all our valued sponsors:
- Wachovia
- Bank of America
- Duke Energy
- Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein
- TIAA-CREF
- Piedmont Natural Gas
- romanelli communications
- Grafxgenie
- AREVA
- Totz N Teenz on Wheelz
The KIPP Pride Chorus debuted to the public with heart stopping performances of:
- We Are - Sweet Honey in the Rock
- Siyahamba - South African Folk Song
- Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Harold Arlen, arranged by Ms. A. Cox
- If You're Out There - John Legend
The event raised over $153,000!
Thank you so much to all the students, donors, sponsors, volunteers, table captains, guests, staff and board members, for making the event a tremendous success.
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE PRIDE!
Focus on results.
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Identifying Solutions for the K-12 Educational Achievement Gap
KIPP Charlotte Co-founder and School Leader, Keith Burnam has been asked to sit on a panel for an Educational Town Hall Discussion.
Who: Senator Malcolm Graham and Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina invite parents to join elected officials, business leaders, public and nonpublic school leaders in a groundbreaking discussion on the subject of K-12 education in Mecklenburg County and statewide.
What: The April 22nd event will be the first of three meetings across the state designed to engage community leaders and families. Discussion topics will include ways to address the challenges of adequately educating all children, particularly low-income and minority students, whose performance scores reflect the state's troublesome achievement gap and high dropout rate.
The town hall format will enable parents, educational leaders and citizens collaboratively to share opinions and questions about K-12 education across all sectors--traditional public schools, public charter schools and nonpublic schools.
Where: UNC Charlotte, Cone Center-McKnight Hall, 9201 University City Boulevard MAP
When:Thursday, April 22nd at 7:00 p.m.
Your presence and participation are critical. Don't miss this one-of-a-kind opportunity to make a difference and to be heard!
For more information, please contact
Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina
at www.PEFNC.org or 1-888-97-PEFNC
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Dear KIPP Charlotte
To: Mr. Keith Burnam, Staff, Teachers and Board Members, of KIPP Charlotte:
I have wanted to write this letter to let you know the impact KIPP has made on my wife and I.
In October, 2009, I was sitting at the McDonald's inside the Super Walmart at the Galleria while my wife did her shopping. 'People watching' is what I do now in my retirement and so that is what I was doing on this particular Saturday to pass the time. As I was watching I observed a young man, perhaps 12 or 13 years old wearing a t-shirt with the letters K I P P on the front. Very eye catching, but when this young man turned around I was hit with another whammy..."I am who I am because of what we all are." My initial thought was that this statement was very heavy for a 12 or 13 year old to understand. But then, I noticed that he was different from others around the restaurant. More mature, well mannered and well behaved than others. I wanted to get up and ask about KIPP but I was distracted and when I looked up he was gone.
Well, I was destined to learn about KIPP. Later that same day, my wife and I attended a neighborhood 'block party' and low and behold, there was another young man wearing an identical KIPP shirt.
After everyone had eaten and the party had began to mellow I was able to get the attention of the fellow with the shirt. I asked him to explain what KIPP was all about. What happened next blew my socks off. Rather than just stand there and give me a quick response that it stood for his school, this young man pulled up a chair and sat down to go through a verbal presentation with the eloquence of a college senior about the Knowledge is Power Program.
Beyond the fact that he was obviously very proud of his school, he was very proud and excited that he was able to be educated at such an amazing school. In addition, he was proud to tell me his sister also attended KIPP Charlotte.
Your greatest ambassador might just be Tavonte. I was so impressed with his poise, respect and overall attitude that he and his family have connected with my wife and me. I am as proud of them as though they were our own family.
Thank you
Gary & Andrea Raby-Canfield
We are team and family.
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