View Finder: Meet KIPP King's First Graduates

The graduation of KIPP King Collegiate High School's first class on Saturday held the atmosphere of a traditional high school graduation: excitement and nervousness, pride and nostalgia. But there was also a special feeling, an electricity, that filled the auditorium at Mills College. The graduation of KIPP King Collegiate's class of 2011 was not just a celebration of the students, but of the institution as a whole; the success of a program that came together through the faith and willpower of administrators, faculty, community, and of course the students themselves. As 63 students received certificates of completion of high school, there was a knowledge that they were rewarding the faith of the community which supported the fledgling idea of an all-access collegiate school. Saturday's graduation is a success for that community, proudly delivered by the class of 2011.