KIPP DC is dedicated to providing students in the District of Columbia with a world-class education, which is why we were proud to celebrate our School Culture Champions and their commitment to innovation at our annual KIPPx Project Showcase! The School Culture Champion grant enables teachers and staff to implement a creative solution to an existing challenge that directly impacts staff or student culture, helping foster teams and campus communities that are successful, intentional, and full of joy.
Improv classes for first-year educators, a literary magazine for our middle-school students, and STEM-related events for families were just a few of the creative solutions presented during TED Talk-styled presentations for teachers and staff across our 16 schools.
“Strong teams and culture lead to better educational experiences for our students,” said managing director of talent Coy Nesbitt. “It’s something you embraced as you spent hours outside of the classroom fine-tuning your ideas and bringing your projects to life, and we want to celebrate what your ideas, creativity, and dedication have done to enhance your campus communities.”
During their showcases, teachers and staff walked through the origins of their projects, how they put them into action, results, and takeaways that could enhance the impact their initiatives have on the success of our students and community.
One in particular, For The Culture, was a project spearheaded by educators Robbie Stanfield, Felicia Thomas, Tanaya Gable, and Johnathan McSwain, to increase school and self-pride, unite Heights Academy’s campus culture, and increase the joy factor in school through events such as College Spirit Week, the Gratitude Gala, Dress as a Book Character day, and more.
“There is a lot of structure to what we do everything, but one of our biggest takeaways was allowing kids to be themselves,” they said. “When you allow kids to be kids and express themselves, they will flourish, and we saw that throughout.”
Strong school cultures foster scholars who are empowered to change the world around them. As part of our commitment to teachers, we look forward to continuing to provide resources such as the School Culture Champion grant to our staff as they prepare the next generation of leaders for success in school and life.
