The Whole Child Review Issue No. 7, October 2021

Embracing an Inclusive and Challenging Curriculum

Model UN Winners

KIPP Academy Chicago and KIPP Bloom students gathered at our Children’s Museum of Art and Social Justice (CMASJ) to compete in the Model United Nations (Model UN) via Zoom. Students involved in the Model UN after-school club were on the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) committee, the Human Rights Council (HRC) committee, and the Disarmament and International Security (DISEC) committee, representing the United States, The UK, Paraguay, and Cuba.

From our KIPP Chicago team, we had 5 committee winners! On the Food & Agriculture Organization committee, winners included: Bri’Asia Jenkins (KIPP Academy), Darrious McCray (KIPP Bloom), and Angelo Henderson (KIPP Bloom). The winners of the Human Rights Council Committee included Dereon Pyles (KIPP Academy) and Raymond Fox (KIPP Academy). Congratulations to these winners and all Model UN students for participating in such an important, educational, and rewarding program.

21st Century Summer Programming

KIPP Chicago utilized 21st Century funds to provide summer engagement opportunities for KIPPsters. Throughout the summer, KIPP Chicago engaged students in summer activities across all campuses. Activities focused on subjects like math, ELA, art, fitness, sports, reading, writing, financial literacy, and STEM. Summer programs were 4 hours a day, 3-5 days a week, and lasted for 3-4 weeks.

Evonne Bankston Secures a Vocal Justice Teacher Fellowship!

Congratulations to KIPP Bloom College Prep’s Mx. Bankston for pursuing a teaching fellowship with Vocal Justice. This fellowship means that Mx. Bankston will be trained and can deliver their program to students. Rather than targeting “high-achieving” students of color, Vocal Justice’s programming intentionally focuses on those who feel disengaged in school. They believe these students have incredible ideas for how to change the world precisely because the status quo has failed them.

From Mx. Bankston’s proposal:

Research has proven that students of color who engage in programs like Vocal Justice, which focuses on building their critical consciousness, perform better academically. This fellowship helps me help students develop an important life skill, communication, that they can use to thrive in any workforce and anywhere in life. This fellowship empowers undervalued Black and Brown youth to become socially conscious leaders by teaching them how to communicate authentically and persuasively about Social Justice issues. This fellowship has a unique, research-informed, culturally affirming, public speaking program that provides Black and Brown youth with a safe space to (1) reflect on and share their personal stories, (2) learn about the causes and consequences of oppression, and (3) practice talking about Social Justice in ways that are true to who they are and persuasive to their intended audiences.