ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Valedictorian Rachana Chau speaks at the graduation.

By MATT DEMIRS

LYNN — Constant commotion from the audience didn’t stop KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate graduates from celebrating proudly Thursday night at City Hall.

The Class of 2014 was asked to look back at freshman orientation by Drea Jacob, KALC school leader.

“That day you signed your commitment to be the best you can be,” she said. “And you are.”

Graduates will be moving on with an impressive achievement: 90 percent of the class will be moving onto higher education.

“The class of 2017 submitted 1,340 college applications and received 550 acceptances,” said Jacob, who also spoke of other accomplishments such as the record setting basketball team, the impressive cast of the musical In the Heights, and the poetry club Indigo Society, who won the state championship this year, and even performed at the graduation ceremonies.

“You have made the path and continue to make the path for students to follow since you were in kindergarten,” she said.

Valedictorian Rachana Chau spoke on how thankful she was for the memories shared between her classmates, friends and teachers, yet managed to still keep things real for the class moving forward.

“It doesn’t get better,” she said. “There will be setbacks, there will be tears but everything is temporary.”

Yesenia Bandoo, the class elected speaker, had similar encouragement in a speech reaping plenty of laughs.

“No matter what happens in life, it won’t last,” she said. “That means the happy times, like today, won’t last forever, but so won’t the bad. Aye?”

Read Item live article here.

The first place win at this year’s Louder Than a Bomb is the culmination of a four year journey for KALC’s Indigo Society Poets.  On Saturday, May 6, at the Strand Theater in Dorchester,  Michelle Garcia, Kingsley Metelus, Temitope (Tope) Shelola,  Hannah Parker, Haja Ba and Destiny Fernandez won first place after taking the stage to compete in the Louder than a Bomb competition.  This is a follow up release to the April 27, 2017 Boston Globe article@ https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2017/04/27/this-year-louder-than-bomb-poetry-festival-seems-more-political-than-ever/RlpDp5SbIPxBfrdfzGbdgK/story.html.  Michelle Garcia and Tope Shelola will join the Massachusetts State Team at Brave New Voices in San Francisco.  Pictured above (from left to right) Michelle Garcia, Kingsley Metelus, Tope Shelola and Hannah Parker.   All the following topics were student-led:

    Personifying chains:  examining the oppression and empowerment associated with the object

    Dismantling our current discourse on feminism – offering a different perspective on The Women’s March

    Expectations from families on what it means to be a woman or man

   Critically looking at the relationship between spoken word, social justice, white liberalism, and authentic activism

“The first place win at this year’s Louder Than a Bomb is the culmination of a four year journey for KALC’s Indigo Society Poets. Witnessing the founding members achieve first out of 44 teams, after making it to final stage the last three years, is an unparalleled moment in my career. I’m incredibly proud of not only the competing six poets: Michelle, Tope, Kingsley, Hannah, Destiny, and Haja, but also of the Indigo Society Poets in the audience who were with us throughout the entire writing process— offering edits, keeping time, and supporting the competitors with every stroke of the pen. Indigo Society Poets is a family. Through courage, humor, and creativity these students have built a community where pushing one another and raising their voices against oppressive systems is the norm. Keep an eye out for them this summer… two of our poets, Michelle and Tope, will be joining the Massachusetts’ state team at Brave New Voices in San Francisco, and our team is currently collaborating on a piece for the Juneteenth celebration and KIPP School Summit.” – Kerri Brown, KALC ELA Teacher and Spoken Word Coach

KIPP Academy Boston Civic Engagement Series, 6-8 pm, 

April 25 – June 13 at 37 Babson Street, Mattapan

Serving on a Board of Directors

The Role of the Board and its Members, April 25

The Makings of an Effective Board, May 2

Leadership Opportunities of a Board Member, May 9

Am I Ready to Serve on a Board? May 16

 

Running for Public Office

Running for Public Office is a Right and a Responsibility, May 23

The ABCs of a Campaign, May 30

Campaign Timeline, June 6

Am I Ready to Run for Public Office? June 13

Spring Events and Performances

KABE 1st grade, Pirates the Musical, 37 Babson Street, Mattapan, May 4, 6 pm

KABE 2nd grade, Lion King Musical, 37 Babson Street, Mattapan, May 18, 6:30 pm

KALE End of Year Performance, 90 High Rock St., Lynn, May 24, 5:30 pm

KALC College Signing Day, 90 High Rock Street, Lynn, May 26, 2 pm

KABE Kindergarten, Barnyard Moosical, 37 Babson St., Mattapan, June 1, 6 pm

KALC High School Graduation, Lynn Auditorium, Lynn, June 8, 6 pm

KAB 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony, Match Gym, 150 Poydras Street, Mattapan, June 15, 7 pm

KAL 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony, Lynn Auditorium, Lynn, June 24, 11 am