June 30, 2006

Washington, D.C. - On a trip to the nation's capital, most children will see monuments and museums. They could see the home of the President of the United States, the White House, the Senate, the Washington Monument and many other historical sites. The students of the Always Mentally Prepared (AMP) Academy, a school in the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) saw that and much more.

The Georgetown University athletic department was host to 55 students in the fifth grade class of the KIPP AMP Academy - a public school based out of New York City and founded by former Hoya track All-American Ky Adderley (C'98) - earlier this month. Adderley is the school's founder and principal and he also works directly with the students in the classroom. Adderley utilized the continuing relationship he has with the athletic department to give these students an opportunity to meet and speak with several key members of the Georgetown community.

As part of their trip, the students visited to the weight room for an overview of training with Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Augie Maurelli, when they got the surprise of a lifetime - former Hoya student-athlete and Chicago Bull Mike Sweetney was finishing a workout. Sweetney took some time to speak to them about the importance of hard work in the classroom and also to sign some autographs.

The children also had the chance to meet four Georgetown football players - junior running back Emir Davis (Trenton, N.J./Hun), senior wide receiver Jarrod Kohl (Ravenna, Ohio/Crestwood), junior Kyle Van Fleet (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock) and senior Andrew Rehwinkel (Dallas, Texas/Jesuit College Prep).

The children were on a week-long visit to Washington, D.C. and Georgetown was an important stop on their trip. The day started with an overall tour of the University and continued with a tour of McDonough Arena. Senior Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Welfare and Development Patricia Thomas led the students on a tour of facilities including the main arena, training room and coaches' offices.

Several members of the athletic department discussed topics such as the importance of hard work, dedication and perseverance in the classroom as its results will reflect in life including Head Women's Lacrosse Coach Ricky Fried.

"I'm glad I was able to speak with the kids of the KIPP/AMP Academy about the importance of school and the significance of role models at that young, impressionable age," Fried said.

"The kids were really excited about the Georgetown visit," Adderley said. "It gave them the opportunity to see everything we teach them in the classroom come together in real life. It was my way of showing them a more personal side of Washington - this was my own personal goal and I achieved it and I wanted the students to realize they could achieve their goals too."

While in D.C., the children also went to museums, monuments, a Mystics game and visited Howard University.

Adderley earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 1998 and went on to earn his Master of Arts in liberal arts as well as education administration and supervision from Georgetown. He was an All-American in the indoor distance medley relay (DMR) and a BIG EAST Champion in the 4 x 800 relay. He currently holds two school top-25 times in the 500 and 800m indoor events.

The KIPP/AMP Academy started in June 2005 with a fifth grade class of 70 students. The school is located in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, N.Y. and will serve approximately 280 students in fifth through eighth grade by July 2008.