High School

Mission Statement
The mission of KIPP Gaston College Preparatory (GCP) is to empower all of our students with the skills, knowledge, and character necessary to succeed at the college of their choice, strengthen our community, and fight for social justice. All students, parents, and teachers commit to this mission.

High School Values
To help create a safe learning and work environment for all members of the Pride, five values essential to helping the school achieve its mission (leadership, excellence, integrity, humility, and community) are woven into the various systems, policies, expectations, and rituals at the high school.

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” - John F. Kennedy

Leadership is an essential part of learning and student attainment. It is not enough for students to simply learn; they must also develop the skills to become active leaders in society. Students will be empowered with the leadership skills to take responsibility for their lives and improve their community. We will emphasize social, civic and leadership skills enabling students to contribute to, and benefit from, a culturally diverse society. We will offer a range of programs designed to provide leadership opportunities to students and staff.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle

Excellence is modeled in everything we do. The academic program is challenging; it develops critical thinking and problem-solving skills while it encourages intellectual curiosity leading to lifelong learning. The high expectations placed on students will result in their increased levels of success. In everything the Pride does they will continuously strive to achieve the highest standards of performance. Students will demand excellence for themselves because they understand that everything they do is a reflection of who they are. They know their work, their attitude and their achievements represent their own personal code of excellence. They will demand excellence from themselves, each other and their teachers. As a collective unit, our Pride will constantly demand excellence in everything done by the entire school community. Together, all students and staff will continue to chase perfection.

“Integrity is doing the right thing, even if nobody is watching.” – Anonymous

Integrity is the knowledge of self that will help each student take responsibility for his or her actions and understand how they fit into the larger scheme of life. Integrity will contribute to the student’s acquisition of strong work habits, ethics and appreciation for excellence in self and others. By valuing integrity, students will learn to make the best decisions because morally it is their code and their right decisions that reflect who they are; students will continuously strive to reach the highest level of moral development. Every member of the Pride will display honesty by demonstrating a commitment to the truth in our principles, intentions, and actions. Honesty builds and maintains trusting relationships. Each member of the school community will act in an honorable way – choosing to do the right thing and always standing up for what’s right – even if that is difficult or unpopular.

“Humility is the only true wisdom by which we prepare our minds for all the possible changes of life. - George Arliss

Humility and pride are not mutually exclusive. Pride and self-esteem do not always stem from self-centeredness, nor are they always the result of an individual’s perception of his/her personal accomplishments. A positive self-image can arise from pride in both self and more importantly the success of others. From this perspective, we view the qualities of humility and pride as complementary; humility encourages the development of a deep connection to others, which, in turn, increases self-esteem. This feeling of pride produced by a connection to others is more powerful than the feeling generated by the appreciation of one’s individual feats. While teachers, students and parents will remain incredibly proud of their achievement, it will be an equal combination of humility and pride so that we will continue to remain focused on constantly learning, growing and improving.

“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” – Albert Einstein

A sense of community will be an essential element in providing students with a meaningful education. Therefore shared rituals will play a powerful role in creating the larger school community in which the smaller, personalized communities of learners can exist. In addition to a strong sense of school community, students will also be filled with a broader sense of community. They will develop a personal obligation to work to improve their school and society. Through their commitment to the school and the larger community students will learn that their talents and knowledge become long lasting and more meaningful when they are shared with others.

High School Motto
We choose our high school motto, “Non scholae sed vitae discimus,” which translates to “We learn not for school, but for life,” because we expect all of our graduates to achieve a level of social and behavioral maturity in addition to excellent academic performance. Developing independence and critical thinking skills, exploring talents and interests, deciding on a career path, and pursuing additional schooling are just some of the challenges that we help students to face. We guide and nurture students by promoting excellence in all aspects of school life, valuing and respecting the diversity of our school community and addressing the needs and goals of all students.
Enrollment forms can be found below.