HEARTBEAT HIGHLIGHTS

One of the central tenets of our ‘Heartbeat,’ the core values that KIPP New Jersey lives by, is that our community shares a deep belief that our students will change the world.

To that end, we support students as they set ambitious goals for their lives and believe that every student who walks through our doors has the potential or outstanding achievement.

Whether they’re demonstrating their leadership ability on the soccer field or their algebra skills in the classroom, our students are gaining the skills and confidence they need to pursue any path that leads to their highest aspirations. Featured here are the students and teammates who bring our heartbeat to life every day.

According to Life School Leader Charlene Dixon, teacher Niara Sutton has been instrumental in making the school a great place to teach and learn for the past six years. This year, Sutton created an opportunity for students to demonstrate their reading and speaking skills during Black History Month by launching a school news channel where students teach their peers about Black history via a morning announcement video on YouTube. The initiative continued into March and will likely become a Life tradition.

“We wanted students to be able to learn about not only historic Black icons, but also current celebrities like Lebron James or Beyoncé, in order to make that legacy more tangible for our students,” said Sutton, who added that another goal of the program was to help both more confident and more introverted students find their voice. Fourth grader Donnell-Melody Redding was one of the students who presented. “At first, speaking out loud in front of everyone made me nervous, but as soon as I started speaking more, I got more confident,” said Redding.

For over a decade, Harold Brown, Chair of NCA’s Department of the Creative Arts, Innovation, Technology & Engineering (CITE), has sparked curiosity in students through lessons in everything from robotics competitions to cybersecurity. This year, his students tackled the challenges of building and coding small and large robots as well as learning cryptography to crack ciphers while learning cybersecurity. Next year, NCA will partner with the City of Newark to launch Tech Academy. Located across the street from NCA, the Tech Academy will offer students hands-on experiences with everything from coding to building servers and fixing hardware. “This new partnership will give students experience in learning different aspects of coding and computing. We want them to be confident in their abilities to have a voice in any room they walk into as adults,” said Brown. “The way these students will change the world is by being at the forefront of the technology industry. I want our students to be in the room when the next best thing is created.”

Visitors to KIPP Lanning Square Primary probably don’t need a classroom number to find Kyle McKay’s music class. Instead they’ll hear the drumbeats echoing from the hallway. “When I was a kid, music was my favorite thing, and I used to get in trouble all the time for tapping on my desk,” said McKay. “But my music teachers always supported me. As a drummer in my high school marching band, I realized how much I enjoyed teaching my classmates who struggled.”

Today, McKay inspires the next generation of musicians in his classes to find joy through music. He hopes his students remember highlights from his classroom like the “Walk of Confidence” he hosts at the end of his classes, where students can show off their dance moves and rhythm. “I want my students to learn how to do things even when they’re hard, to develop muscle memory, and to be mindful and present in everything they do in life,” said McKay.

On March 31st, KIPP Justice Academy celebrated their second annual Influential Women’s Day, bringing together a panel of women from diverse professional backgrounds with the goal of offering students a window into career choices. March is Women’s History Month, so the event, organized by assistant school leader Yundeh Fisher, celebrated women in traditionally male-dominated careers. Justice welcomed panelists such as the City of Orange’s West Ward Councilwoman Quantavia Hilbert, Nicole Sunwabe (the first female Dean at KIPP TEAM Academy), entrepreneurs, and police officers. Speakers shared their experiences as women of color breaking barriers in their professional lives.

As a Newark resident, Fisher knows the importance of positive role models and advocates as young women and young men define their own career paths. “When you come from Newark, you deal with negative commentary and statistics. For our gentlemen, we encourage them to expand their career horizons and do whatever they put their minds to, be it a nurse, teacher, or artist. Our kids can literally change the world,” she said.

When English teacher Georgeann Stewart started hosting KIPP NCP’s Spelling Bee last year, she didn’t anticipate the level of investment her school would demonstrate in the competition. But soon after the ‘Bee’ was announced, everyone from the school nurse to students was all-in on spelling.

“At first, it was an opportunity to encourage literacy in small moments. It gave students a chance to be seen in a new light. Some scholars with behavioral challenges or who had anxiety were top spellers in their homerooms, and staff supported them as they faced their fears of public spelling,” said Stewart.

The best part of the Spelling Bee? It’s student-led. From creating flyers to hosting practice rounds to reminding parents of competition dates, students lead the charge while developing leadership and planning skills they’ll carry into the future. Stay tuned on social media (@kippnj) to learn the winners of this year’s spelling bee, planned for May!

A group of KIPP High School students teamed up with local partners to spread a love of reading in their community this year. Working with Tom Martin of The Free Books Project and Larry Abrams of BookSmiles, students painted and distributed threeshelf libraries called Book Arks to neighborhoods throughout Camden.

Junior Eniyah Boyd helped lead the project. “I really enjoy reading, and it’s important to me that my community has access to books. A lot of people in Camden don’t have access to libraries, and the Book Arks will allow them to discover their love of reading.”

Boyd and her classmates used their artistic skills to paint the little libraries, each one representing a different time of day. “Art brings joy to communities, and I believe aesthetics make a difference in how happy people are in their communities,” said Boyd, who hopes to become an illustrator in the future.

The persistence of KIPP Hatch Middle boys basketball players paid off this year; the team won the Camden City Basketball Championship. Coach Shakoor Woodson said the season was full of lessons in hard work and skill development. “This has been the best coaching job in the last six years. I watched this team improve in so many ways over the season, from becoming better players and developing sportsmanship to being better young men off the court as well,” said Woodson, who added that KIPP Lanning Square Middle’s team played an excellent championship game against Hatch.

Hatch eighth grader and student-athlete Kyle Scott was named the Most Valuable Player. “I improved my overall game. Rebounding and playing defense are what I worked on the most this season. But I’ve also developed as a person, I’m more disciplined and I’m starting to take my schoolwork more seriously,” said Scott, whose ‘plan A’ is to be an NBA player and ‘plan B’ is to start his own business.

When KIPP Rise Academy dean Rashawn Ricks launched a new chess program in January, many of his students had never played the game before. “Our first few classes involved reviewing all of the pieces, their strengths, weaknesses, and how they move across the board,” said Ricks. Today, the club is thriving, having grown from 15 to 26 members.

One of those members is fifth-grader Shemaiah "JJ" Jackson. “I had taken a chess class before, so I knew how to play. I really enjoy being part of the chess club and also helping my friends learn how to play,” said Jackson. Ricks’ vision for the program is to teach students problem-solving, patience, strategy, and creative thinking through chess. “In chess and in life, when we're faced with challenges, we have to think ahead, be patient, and not rush our decisions,” said Ricks.

When Rilwan Adeniran offers his students free time in class, many of them huddle to start answering math facts at lightning speed, attempting to beat their classmates in speed and accuracy. As a track coach and a teacher at KURA, Adeniran says that’s the kind of intrinsic motivation he hopes his students will demonstrate throughout their lives. “I want my kids to be a part of the lesson. When we learn about equivalent fractions, I have them move around physically on a number line, so they can see why 2/4ths is equivalent to 4/8ths. My goal is to make math feel applicable,” said Adeniran.

Infusing his classes with real-life examples, competitions, and the occasional ‘secret’ (he closes the door to preview fourthgrade math with his third graders!), Adeniran strives to be a role model for what it means to love math unapologetically. “I call myself the ‘Master of Math' with my students,” said Adeniran. “I think it’s important for them to see someone who looks like them showing their love for math. That’s what I want them to take away from my class,” he added.

KIPP Truth Academy science teacher Gia Bethea’s classroom is full of hands-on activities and interactive group work. Bethea’s approach to science learning is inclusive and engaging. “Fourth grade learned about inheritance and traits, so scholars created a family tree. It was interesting for students to share more about their families, students were really engaged through that assignment,” said Bethea. Second-grade students explored patterns of night and day, which gave them opportunities to create graphs, draw pictures, and explain their hypotheses, while first grade observed how sound waves moved by studying the vibration of cups through rubber bands.

Bethea’s young scientists can show their knowledge through drawing, reading, and describing observations. Her goal is that students apply these skills as they learn to think through problems and develop persistence in the face of challenges. “Giving elementary school students the opportunity to engage in group work and critical thinking will prepare them for academic success in the years to come,” she said.

Enter Sakia Crawford’s classroom, and you’ll find students hanging on her every word during her daily read alouds. But Crawford knows that reading skills must be nurtured outside the classroom, too. As the school’s Culture of Achievement Coordinator, she is always finding ways to celebrate students' growth and success.

During Sumner’s winter break, she pushed for students to participate in a reading contest and was sure to shout out and highlight the students who participated and excelled. “I believe reading is the cornerstone for education and academic success. Cultivating a love for reading shapes the way children see the world and those around them. Creating a winter reading challenge at Sumner invited scholars and families to share priceless moments of bonding, learning, and competition,” said Crawford.

The KIPP Newark Lab High School girls' basketball team may only be in its second season on the court, but already the team is making waves: This year, they went 13-1 in their conference, winning the Freedom Division Championship and ending their season in the quarter-finals of the NJ State basketball tournament. According to Lab principal Danielle Burroughs, “Coach Ariel Smith worked so hard to develop players not only as athletes, but also as young ladies.”

Coach Smith pointed to not only her player’s development on the court but in the classroom as well. “Heading into the season, we rounded up our GPA requirement for eligibility, and our players really stepped up to meet that challenge as student-athletes,” she said. “Our motto is ‘character first,’ and this year so many players embodied that, demonstrating discipline, keeping their cool in tense situations, and having break-out seasons.”

A new community partnership at KIPP Purpose Academy is helping students cultivate their creativity. This year, with support from a generous KIPP NJ Board member, students partnered with Montclair Film. They worked with two of their filmmakers to come up with a storyline and storyboard that they then filmed and edited to create a short movie. Montclair Film’s Axel Ortiz and Ross Stearn started the semester by showing the students examples of different types of films, highlighting different angles and techniques, and

BOLD ELA teacher Megan Schenauer has taken literacy to the next level for her eighthgraders by ensuring that students learn the importance of test-taking strategies and critical thinking they need to succeed in high school. “Last quarter, students debated whether Claudette Colvin should have received more recognition for staying seated on the bus months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Strong arguments were built on both sides with counter-arguments, and students had prepared reasons and supporting evidence,” said Schenauer.

Schenauer, along with all ELA educators at BOLD, focus on strategies that help students identify and apply standards-aligned skills. Why? “Students need to have the confidence to do hard things. When faced with obstacles, academic or real-world, they need coping strategies and skills that will help them walk with their heads up high so they can move forward in their journey,” said Schenauer.

sharing the effects these angles and shorts have on an audience. Students then acted, directed, and produced a short film.

Director of School Operations Lauren D’Angelo helped to coordinate the program. “Film is a vessel for people to get messages across, and our students have a lot to say. Our partnership with Montclair Film makes students feel that film and production is achievable and attainable for them. Through this opportunity, student voices are heard, and they are able to experience the intricacies of film production, gaining skills that will open up doors for them in the future,” said D’Angelo.

At KIPP Lanning Square Middle, teachers Rahim Shiver and Christopher Collins are making math come alive for their students by sharing their love for problem-solving (and some corny jokes!). “Growing up, math and history were my favorite subjects. I loved to find different ways to arrive at a solution,” said Shiver.

Their approach has made math more enjoyable for students like Rayanna Torres. “Math challenges my brain. But Mr. Shiver is always there to support me—and make jokes. He pushes me to try my best, and I can apply math to things like helping me spend my birthday money,” said Torres.

“So much of the math we teach is applicable to life. We teach everything from card playing and probability to calculating interest on loans and down payments,” said Collins. “These are practical skills we want our students to carry forward from our classroom, and making math feel applicable and engaging is really important to us as educators,” he added.

Every Tuesday, a dozen KIPP SPARK Academy girls gather after school with Assistant School Leader Inayah Williams. Their goal? To learn how to use their voices effectively, build relationships with one another, and practice teamwork. The ‘Lift a Queen’ group began in 2019, when Williams recognized a need to support second through fourth grade girls in building their social skills and confidence. “It’s so important at this age that girls learn to build healthy peer relationships and have a safe space to encourage one another,” said Williams.

Each club meeting has a different topic like identifying emotions or navigating conflict within friendships. A ‘word of the day’ offers a prompt for conversation. Afterwards, physical activity is incorporated. A recent meeting saw the girls working together to move a hula hoop around a circle, hand-in-hand. “These skills will impact their future. Whether they’re having a difficult conversation with a coworker or leading a meeting, I want them to be able to express themselves, hear other opinions, and continually grow,” said Williams.

TEAM English teacher and seventh-grade team leader Gaetan Bondoa is making strides to increase student leadership through soccer. Bondoa and assistant coach Stefon Bowman lead the school's soccer team. “Our vision for the soccer program is that students who may not be seen as leaders in the classroom have a space to develop those skills in a different setting,” said Bondoa, who shouted out players like Mohammed, Sean, Aminah, and Shakhi for their development during the past school year.

Bondoa’s vision is that students leave their soccer season knowing they can achieve anything they set their minds to through persistence and teamwork. “I want them to carry forward the lesson that even when you work hard in life, sometimes you have to be able to withstand failure. But failure can mean you’re getting closer to your ultimate goal,” said Bondoa.

This January, KIPP THRIVE Academy’s ‘Literacy Night’ demonstrated what happens when schools partner with families to help every child fall in love with reading. Assistant Principal of English Language Arts, Naquana Haynes helped organize the evening, where families, students, and staff came together for dinner and reading workshops. Families walked away with literacy resources to support their children at home.

“Reading unlocks the door to many opportunities for our students. Literacy Night encouraged families to discuss reading habits in order to build community and create a growing space for young readers,” said Haynes. This year, THRIVE also initiated a challenge that offered students incentives for meeting their reading growth goals. In small reading groups, teachers celebrate students as they progress through their F&P reading levels (A-Z). “If we make literacy knowledge accessible for our kids and families over time, we can foster student independence, a love of reading, and prepare students for reading level Z and beyond!” said Haynes.

There’s a new club in town at KIPP Seek Academy, and scoring an invite isn’t easy. When it launched this school year, Seek’s after-school Game Club received more than 40 applications to join, and ten students were selected to participate. The criteria? Scholars had to answer two questions that spoke to their character and why they valued game play.

According to music teacher ‘Music Makil,’ who leads the program, “Game Club is a space where students can come together and learn about important aspects of competition like failure, camaraderie, and sportsmanship.” Students play a variety of board games and card games—and sometimes the competition gets heated. But under the guidance of Makil, they learn the importance of coping with loss and the nature of friendly rivalry. “My goal is to help students learn valuable strategy and conflict resolution skills that they can carry with them as future leaders in their communities,” said Makil.

FAMILY SUPPORT

Promise Neighborhood Family Support Team @ KIPP

Contact: Paola Nova pnova@kippnj.org

609-828-9146

FOOD

Hope Mobile Food Distributions

In-person food distributions on the third Wednesday of every month in the KIPP Lanning Square gym. Available for all KIPP families and residents of Cooper Plaza and Lanning Square.

Kroc Center Food Pantry

856-379-4871

Monday: 9:00am - 11:30am and 1:00pm - 3:30pm

Thursday: 1:00pm - 3:30pm

Friday: 9:00am - 11:30am and 1:00pm - 2:30pm

Mighty Writers Food and Diaper Distributions

1801 South Broadway, Camden, NJ

Monday - Thursday, 11:30am - 1:00pm

HEALTH

Cooper Health Center @ KIPP Lanning Square

856-536-1511 (request an appointment at KIPP when calling)

Monday - Friday: 7:30am - 3:30pm

Full-service health center, available to all KIPP and Head Start families.

Gracious Smiles Dentistry

609-744-1200 gracioussmiles73@gmail.com

Full-service dentist every week at KIPP Lanning Square. Patients can also be seen at the Gracious Smiles office in Marlton.

Vaccine Appointment Support

855-568-0545

8:00am - 8:00pm

MENTAL HEALTH

PerformCare performcarenj.org

State-wide system hotline for children’s psychiatric care (24/7): 877-652-7624

Center for Family Services centerffs.org

Access Center contact: 877-922-2377

HOUSING AND HOME SERVICES

Camden County Board of Social Services

Rental assistance and other resources. 856-225-8800 | njhelps.org

Camden County OEO

Rental assistance and other resources. 856-964-6887

St. Joseph Carpenter Society

Assistance with homeownership or home repairs.

856-966-8117 | sjcscamden.org

UTILITY ASSISTANCE

Camden County OEO LIHEAP and other resources. 856-964-6887

Hispanic Family Center LIHEAP and other resources. 856-964-6887

LEGAL AID

South Jersey Legal Services

856-964-2010 | lsnj.org/sjls

TRANSPORTATION SERVICES

LogistiCare

Free transportation to and from medical appointments for Medicaid participants. 866-527-9934

EMPLOYMENT & JOB TRAINING

Camden Works

Job postings for Camden employers, as well as resources for residents looking for work. camdenworks.net

Hopeworks

Job training for young adults in technology. hopeworks.org