KIPP Academy names two new school leaders

LYNN – The Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) Academy Lynn Collegiate high school and KIPP Academy Lynn middle school have two new school leaders.

Emily Dobell and Farida Graham are graduates of the charter school’s year-long program designed to provide in-depth support and insight into the processes and best practices involved in school leadership.

“After a rigorous regional selection process, Farida M. Graham was selected to be the Successor Principal at KIPP Academy Lynn Middle School and Emily Dobell is Successor Principal at KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate High School,” said KIPP Massachusetts Secondary Schools Managing Director Nikki Barnes.

“In the coming months, Farida and Emily will continue to deepen their knowledge of their respective schools, nurture relationships among students, staff and families and develop a vision for building on the schools’ many strengths.”

After graduating from Hollins University, Dobell taught special education in traditional public middle schools for three years before joining KIPP in North Carolina, where she taught fifth and sixth grade math at Gaston College Preparatory.  

She joined the founding team at KIPP Academy Boston as a learning specialist in 2012, and completed her first Fisher Fellowship in 2013. She said she is particularly excited to lead KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate high school given the lens she was able to develop over the past three years as a school leader at KIPP Academy Boston Elementary.

“Perhaps the most exciting discovery over the past year was the tight and organic alignment of my vision with Farida’s vision for our kids and families,” Dobell said.

Graham began her career as a Teach for America (TFA) corps member teaching English as a second language and mathematics in Boston Public Schools. She became the founding fifth grade math teacher at an in-district turnaround school within the UP Education Network. She joined the Lynch Leadership Academy at Boston College as a Principal Resident.

In October 2013, Graham was one of two Teach Plus Fellows to meet with President Obama, former Secretary of Education John King, and former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan about standardized testing in classrooms. She is a recipient of the Sontag Prize in Urban Education, the UP Education Network Excellence in Teaching Award and the Teach For America Alumni Excellence in Teaching award.

She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut and Master’s of education from Boston University.