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2025 SAC Grant Recipient: KIPP Indy Legacy HS
INDIANAPOLIS- People play high school sports for a variety of reasons.
To test themselves against competitions. To be with their friends. To represent their school and community. Physical fitness.
At KIPP Indy Legacy High, Director of Student Life Bri Leeper works daily so that every student who passes through KIPP’s athletic department develops the skills and confidence to stand tall alongside their peers both inside the school’s halls and across the state.
“We always emphasize being a leader within our sports programs,” Leeper said. “With our Student-Athlete Leadership Team (SALT) program, it’s easier for the student to see what that means – giving them the tools and the access and the ability to do it. Now, coaches know they are leaders. Their peers know it, too. The team sees them as role models and holds them up. Part of the struggle was having the resources and tools to help them do the right thing every day.
And a $1,000 grant from the IHSAA Foundation is helping.
“Miss Leeper set the foundation, and we are building on it.”
Tayshawn Henderson, Senior, KIPP Indy Legacy
KIPP’s SALT program meets during the day so student-athletes can practice, work, or attend to other after-school responsibilities. Grant money helps supply food and snacks for those who miss their lunch period.
Leeper attends the meetings, but the students run them. That is part of developing the skills they need.
“Being part of SALT helps me understand how to be a better member of a team and to have a mission in life,” said Darniesha Williams, a sophomore who competes in volleyball and cheer. “If we have team conflicts, we find resolutions. We meet as a team and bond and deal with things before they become problems.”
“It’s opened my mind about how to talk with my team,” said Kay’Tayjianna Williams, a senior volleyball player. “When you do great works, you get rewards. You gain opportunities to get your name out there in a positive way.”
The IHSAA Foundation grant supported sending Williams to the IHSAA Student Leadership Conference at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last summer. There she workshopped what it means to take responsibility for yourself and others.
She also talked face-to-face with other student-athletes from throughout Indiana, learning about their challenges and sharing hers.
Williams admits that many of her difficulties early on in life were self-inflicted.
“I’m not going to lie; I was a problem,” Williams said. “Being in SALT, I like the trips, the meals and being part of a team. But I also like being a better person. Trouble is stressful. I can do so much more than just surround myself with drama.”
Fellow senior Nadya Abdullah agrees.
“Before sports, I was never a leader,” said Abdullah, a basketball and cheer team member. “I wasn’t into school. I got in trouble. Now, I represent my school and team so others can do good things, too.”
KIPP’s sports programs are competing this school year for a sportsmanship award. One of the steps toward that was hosting a grant-funded camp for the KIPP Legacy elementary school students.
SALT members shaped the event, equipped it, and ran stations for cheer, basketball, soccer, volleyball, and track.
“By sharing our sports with younger students, we learned how to plan and to execute an event,” said Shalon Robinson, a senior in basketball and cross country. “It takes a lot of patience to work with those kids.”
“I have a short temper, but you can’t be that way with young kids,” added Tayshawn Henderson, also a senior in basketball and cross country. “I’ve learned that when I talk to someone in a softer tone, they are more likely to listen. … It gave me a whole new respect for teachers and coaches.
“This camp not only showed some of the opportunities for school sports, but it also gave the kids a chance to build confidence and try them,” Abdullah said. “Now they know that opportunities are out there.”
What Leeper witnessed that day was unlocked potential. Not just among the younger students but the high schoolers as well.
“I saw the love and support the varsity athletes were sharing with the young kids,” Leeper said. “Having the resources and tools to help them do that is so important.”
KIPP’s SALT team members are paying it forward. The school opened in 2019 but didn’t focus much on extracurriculars until 2022. Most of the clubs and sports are so new, they don’t have much in the budget beyond uniforms and basic equipment.
The IHSAA Foundation grant provides KIPP with resources to hone those leadership skills every day.“Miss Leeper set the foundation,” Henderson said, “and we are building on it.”
Learn more about the IHSAA Foundation's SAC Grant at IHSAA.org/Foundation/SAC-Grant.
