By Paul Thompson

Northeast News

October 7, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – KIPP Endeavor Academy students, teachers, and stakeholders didn’t let a cool fall morning put a damper on their celebratory moods during a Friday, October 7, ribbon cutting ceremony.

KIPP held the ribbon cutting to celebrate its expansion into elementary grade levels, as well as the recent purchase of their building. The school agreed to purchase its building (2700 E. 18th Street) from the City of Kansas City, Missouri for a cost of $2.3 million this past summer.

The charter school had previously served students in grades 5-8 at the 95,000 square-foot facility, which they’d been paying some $400,000 per year in rent to occupy. The school emerged as the preferred bidder after the city sent out a Request for Proposal (RFP) earlier this year.

“Luckily they considered the use of the space, and I think we can obviously put this whole building to an incredible use,” said KIPP Director of Development Haley Bowman after the deal was announced. “We can serve around 800 kids here, and give them a high-quality college prep education.”

KIPP wasted no time with their expansion plans, adding one class for each grade level from kindergarten through fourth grade ahead of the 2016-2017 school year. The school’s recent successes were celebrated by an enthused but chilly crowd on October 7.

“I just to say to all the people here that all of you have played an important role in our past and our present, but I want you to strap in and buckle up for our future,” said KIPP Endeavor School Leader Jana Cooper. “There are 434 students here today that we are responsible for getting to and through college, and we need you to stay with us as they climb the mountain.”

5th District Councilman Lee Barnes Jr. and 3rd District Councilman Jermaine Reed both attended the ribbon cutting ceremony. Reed’s niece, now a sophomore at Cristo Rey, previously attended KIPP Endeavor and spoke during the event. Reed led the crowd in the school’s chant before congratulating the charter on it’s success.

“63% of the KIPP students in the state of Missouri are doing very well in mathematics,” said Reed, referring to the recently released statewide testing results. “I congratulate you for what you’re doing to help educate young people.”