“I am a product of St. Louis Public Schools and the City of St. Louis.”
It’s usually the first thing Cori Cloyd says to potential students and families he recruits to KIPP Triumph Academy. He wants them to know that he attended Scullin Elementary and McKinley Classical Junior Academy. He’s a graduate of Cardinal Ritter College Preparatory High School, the “old Cardinal Ritter on Thekla,” in North St. Louis, he says, “back when you had to catch the 41 Lee bus every day and then take that long walk down Emerson.”
He has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi, and will receive a second master’s degree in December from Lindenwood University. Most of all, he wants students and families to know that he’s a success story.
“In St. Louis, people count out the students from the St. Louis Public Schools,” Cloyd said. “But they’re the missing piece. If you change the graduation rates and have them come back and teach, after a few generations this district can be as successful as any in the metro area.”
Cloyd epitomizes a generation of successful students who are returning to the city to give back. He’s part of the 2016 cohort of Salute to Excellence award recipients in education, selected for their tireless efforts to mentor young people and their commitment to the community.
Cloyd is dean of students and recruitment lead at KIPP Triumph Academy, where he stands out as an educator who is “truly vested in students and has won the trust of students and families,” said Elizabeth Balerio, founding school leader at KIPP Triumph. “He’s the face of our team.”
Cloyd provides some familiarity to residents who may not know much about the new school. KIPP Triumph, a public charter school, opened in 2015 with just fifth grade; the school added 6th grade this school year. “I recruit mostly from St. Louis city so it’s natural to go to Wohls and the rec centers in the city, because those places are already part of my community, I’m already involved there,” Cloyd said.
And in a city where connections are made based on what schools you’ve attended, Cloyd knows he has an edge. “In some cases I went to elementary and middle school with the parents,” he said. “I also did a lot of work with the St. Louis Blues track club and have some students who end up being scholars at [KIPP].”
The majority of KIPP’s students come from families where no one has graduated from college. As chief recruiter, Cloyd’s pitch to student and families is “to get all KIPP graduates to college and through college,” preparing them as early as the fifth grade.
“We strive to provide a college preparatory environment, so even our classrooms are named after universities,” he said. “We want to get them in the mindset of thinking about college now.”
That mindset was instilled in Cloyd early on, who comes from a family of educators. His father, Harvey Cloyd, retired from SLPS after a 40-year teaching career; his mother, Selena Cloyd, was a dance instructor in the district for 28 years. The couple’s three sons all played football and ran track at Cardinal Ritter.
Cori continued to play sports at the collegiate level and ran track in national championships. “Cori grew up around educators and stayed involved in sports. You need discipline and self-control to stay in athletics and Cori had that,” Harvey Cloyd said.
He continued, “I believe that Cori brings a stabilizing effect there to the new school. He is a strong disciplinarian because that’s what he received at home and he absorbed it.”
Cloyd’s newest role as dean of students at KIPP means he’s the school’s chief disciplinarian, a role that Balerio says is a perfect fit for Cloyd.
“It’s not much fun,” Balerio admits, “because he sees the students when they’re struggling and not at their best moment. But he really works to see the good in them. And our parents and families deeply trust him with their children.”
A popular slogan among KIPP’s teachers is “Whatever it takes.” For teachers, that often means long hours and home visits to stay connected with families to ensure students’ success.
For Cloyd, the slogan has always been a part of his personal mantra. “My motto as a coach and a teacher is, ‘Do you want to be good or do you want to be great?’ We have to do what it takes to get our students to that level of greatness.”
