LYNN — When the story is written about the KIPP Academy Class of 2020, the epitaph would be, “Passionate, role-changing leaders.”
That is according to Haja Fatoumata Ba, who was among the most steadfast leaders of the class.
Fatoumata Ba was a leader for this class of 113 graduates from the start, coming in as a freshman and immediately joining the student council. By the time she graduated last month (in a drive-through ceremony in front of the school’s newly refurbished facility on Wheeler Street), Fatoumata Ba was executive president of all student councils, throughout the school.
“I’m voting for her for president when she runs,” said Alvaro Peters, an assistant principal at the school.
KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program), one of a nationwide network of college-prep charter schools, began the year by christening its Wheeler Street building; and ended it with its graduating class separated by the COVID-19 social distancing protocols.
But Fatoumata Ba said that wasn’t much of an obstacle for members of this class, which was blessed with more than a few students with singular focuses on achieving their goals. And Peters backs her up.
“They have a specific spark about all of them, but have a collective fire,” Peters said. “They have every reason to be upset about their senior year being spoiled. It may have been one of the most anticipated senior years. These students bring a lot to the table, and they still found a way to find humor and love.
“We have an expression,” said Peters, “and it’s ‘leave this space better than you found it,’ and I think that applies with this class.”
Fatoumata Ba says the seeds were planted right away.
“When we came in as freshmen, it was mandatory for us to take a class called ‘Speech and Comp,'” said Fatoumata Ba, who founded and was later executive president of the KIPP Black Student Union. “Now the class is changed to ‘Advocacy and Activism’
“In that class, we learned about things like social justice, and had discussions on them. We did speeches on them, and wrote poems. It was kind of the foot in the door to advocate for social justice.”
That certainly fits in with the issues plaguing society in the year 2020, said Peters.
The collaborative spirit between students and teachers just grew, both said.
“My grade kind of transformed,” Fatoumata Ba said. “Teachers would have these cultural workshops, where they’d invite students, most of them from my grade, to talk about our experiences. There were LGBTQ students, people of color, and a wide variety. It helped the teachers better understand us.”
As a result, she said, having a place inside the school to discuss matters allowed students to approach their academics unencumbered by the outside world.
“I think there’s something special about my grade,” she said. “We have strong leadership. We have so many clubs in KIPP. And since KIPP is a relatively new school, my grade was able to come in and create some blueprints.”
Fatoumata Ba said there is a student union for almost every group in the school: Asians, Gay/Straight Alliance, Muslims, Latinx, and others.
“In every one of them,” she said, “if there wasn’t a member of the Class of 2020 running them, they held strong leadership positions.”
Scholastically, she said, “We have kids who got into Harvard. Kids who are going to Princteon. Many of our students are getting full ride scholarships.
“Our valedictorian (Hermon Kaysha) came here from Ethiopia our junior year, and learned English. He got into Harvard and got into MIT on a full scholarship.
“Destin Fernandes, who is leader of the Gay Straight Alliance, got into Stanford, his dream school, and received a scholarship.”
Fatoumata Ba will attend Babson College and major in business administration.
Athletically, the program has grown by leaps and bounds. The football team, which only had one senior, came within a game of the Division 8 Super Bowl and defeated Lynn Tech on Thanksgiving. And the boys basketball team finished at 15-6 and was seeded third in the MIAA Division 4 North sectional tournament. A year earlier, when seniors such as Winfred Sanchez and Andrew Puati were only juniors, the Panthers made the Division 4 North final, losing to eventual state champion Pope John.
Late last month, with its normal graduation ceremony out of the question due to COVID-19 restrictions, the school had a drive-through ceremony where each graduate dressed in caps and gowns and received diplomas individually.
“We’re going to be at the forefront of a lot of things,” Fatoumata Ba said. “There’s so much passion, so much leadership. We have kids who want to do everything — fashion designers, business people, lawyers, people are aiming so high.”
Said Peters, “that spark cannot be doused.”