Friday, May 6th, 2011 was "Dress for Success" Day at KIPP Diamond Academy, APAC Tennessee was proud to attend with Jim Smith, Julie Arick, Bit Dunnagan and Philip Rodgers volunteering for the day to spend time with the kids and speak to them.

KIPP Memphis Collegiate Schools currently operates one middle school (KIPP DIAMOND Academy) in North downtown Memphis serving 400 students from underserved communities in grades 5-8.  They are a part of the nationally acclaimed Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP), which serves as the model for 99 schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia serving over 28,000 children.  Their Mission is to provide high performing schools in the Memphis area that will equip al students, no matter their background, with the necessary academic and life skills needed to succeed in college and the competitive world beyond.  Of the children we serve at KIPP Memphis Collegiate Schools, 93% qualify for Federal Free and Reduced Lunch programs and 99% are minority students.  Despite enrolling 2-3 years below grade level on average, KIPP Memphis Collegiate Schools students ourperform their peers nationally by the eighth grade.  According to a 2010 Education Consumers report, KIPP DIAMOND Academy was ranked the third highest performing public middle school in the state of Tennessee for academic growth over the last three years.  Because of its proven track record of success, KIPP Memphis has plans to grow to ten schools by 2015 and utimately serve over 4,000 children in Memphis.

APAC Tennessee has joined the corporate "Sponser a KIPPster" program and will sponsor 1 student from 5th grade through graduation.