KIPP Recruitment in Sandpiper Cove

Sandpiper Cove is a Section 8 housing community at 3916 Winnie Street.  Some people still call it Parkland--that was its name before Hurricane Ike in 2008.  Some people say it's on the wrong side of Broadway in the "Dirty 30s" referencing the street numbers.  Some people say it's the worst place you can be in Galveston at night, with drug deals and prostitution on every corner. But for KIPP, it's the best place for us reach out to the community on a warm and sunny Saturday morning.  There were little children, big children, children, children everywhere!  Children in the courtyard, children on the sidewalks, children on the balconies, children on the stairs... laughing and playing and singing with all their friends.  It almost felt like an episode of sesame street... without a big yellow bird and multi-colored monsters.  We set up a tent in the courtyard with a table and lawn chairs, a stack of enrollment applications and Commitment to Excellence forms, and, of course, a bowl of candy to enlist children in dragging their parents over to see what all the excitement was about.

Mrs. Barnes asked me to go with another teacher to knock on doors and spread the word that we were there enrolling for the fall.  I was really nervous - I haven't gone knocking door-to-door since I was a girl scout selling cookies, and I'm not very good with words talking to strangers--and especially not when trying to "sell" something.  Reluctantly I agreed to go, and I'm really glad that I did.  Walking around Sandpiper Cove and visiting with families was an eye-opening experience.  Many of my current students, and even more of my future students next year, live in this area, and I feel like I have a better understanding of their home lives based upon my own experiences rather than hear-say from others.  I actually did knock on the door of one of my fifth grade girl's apartment, and you should have heard her scream and laugh with joy when she saw me and Mr. Ball standing there.  She was so excited to introduce me to her mom and to her siblings.  I could tell it meant a lot to her that we would come visit her on a weekend.  And it meant a lot to me to see her smile and feel special, even if just for a few minutes.

Recruiting for KIPP today reminded me of how much I love my students and how I have such high hopes for their futures.  I want all of them to know that I care about them, and for each of them to have a moment where they feel like the most special student in fifth grade.  I'm praying that God will allow me to be a light in their lives, and hopefully one of many lights in their lives at KIPP, and that He will use our school to bring hope to people on Galveston island and glory to His name here.

No matter what people say about Sandpiper Cove, I feel like this morning I was in exactly the right place at exactly the right time.