The name Kepner Educational Excellence Program or “KEEP” is just a couple years old but what we do to promote improved academic achievement and helping families from poverty in the Denver Public Schools started in 1993. Our team’s mission is to improve academic achievement of Kepner students by providing high expectations and support to meet these expectations. Equally important, we teach the “hidden rules” of the middle class to assist in breaking the cycle of poverty (94% of our students qualify for free or reduced cost lunches). We build a community that invites families to become an active member of the school culture and empowers them to positively influence their student’s life.
The genesis of our program centers on the study of the Holocaust by my fifth grade class in 1992. Dr. Karen Shawn states, “You can’t be the same person in the world, in your head, in your heart, after examining the Holocaust. The Holocaust has seeds of every question that every human being must answer to be called a human being. You must decide the answers.” This was certainly true for these amazing students. They wanted more and when the United States Holocaust Museum was opening, I knew this group had to go.
The families and teachers worked together as never before to raise the needed funds for all students to spend a week in Washington, D.C. Suddenly the history of the USA they had been studying as part of the DPS curriculum came alive as the possibility of actually seeing the nation’s capital became a reality. During the planning, traveling and reflecting on the trip, I realized that I had tapped into a way for families, students and school personnel to work together in a collaborative way to provide the much needed connection between home and school, especially with families who would otherwise not have interacted with school personnel.
As a result every year since 1993, a group of inner city youth has traveled with my Kepner team and I to Washington, D.C. And, in 2003, the program was expanded with a trip to Europe for eighth graders, again in conjunction with their study of World History including the Holocaust. With the start of the 2006-2007 school year, a seventh grade class studying Colorado history has been added to the program. After our humble beginning with 35 students in 1993, this school year greeted us with 120 students eager to meet the academic and financial challenge of being a successful KEEP student.
All students must take an elective class focusing on reading and writing skills. The class steeps them in an understanding and appreciation for all that they will see and do while developing a national and global vision. The long term effects that an opportunity to explore the world offer are incalculable. But we need the help of the community to continue motivating the students to focus on their education.
Students must earn the entire cost of their trip through participation in fund raising events, various school sponsored work programs offered by KEEP and donation solicitation by the students. Students are also eligible to earn grants for a portion of the cost of their trips by meeting academic and citizenship standards set by the Kepner Academic Team. Outside contributions to KEEP enable us to continue funding the work programs and funding the grants that help to motivate students to focus on their academic goals.
I appreciate all of you who have faithfully supported me through the years and I am forever grateful. But because of the success of this program and of course rising costs, the demands on our resources continue to grow. So we all greatly appreciate any support you can provide. Our minimal operating costs are funded by the KEEP board of directors so that all contributions go to support the students’ academic and work activities. We have chosen The Denver Foundation to oversee the management of the funds we raise from contributors such as you.
