Columbia Heights Educational Campus

2008-2009

Febuary 5, 2009 - at the invitation of First Lady Michelle Obama, Bell Sophomore Juan Rodriguez attended the President’s address to the joint session of Congress and the Nation on the evening of February 24. Juan originally met the First Lady on February 10 when she visited a neighborhood after-school program and invited him and two other students to sit with her in the first lady’s box for the President’s speech.


On February 9, 2009, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and DCPS Chancellor Michelle Rhee announce that Bell Multicultural High School had the largest growth in graduation rates of any high school during the previous school year. This achievement represented an increase of 14.3% in the graduation rate between 2007 and 2008..

2007-2008

The May 26, 2008 edition of Newsweek listed Bell Multicultural High School as one of the top 100 US public high schools in the country. Bell was ranked #77 and the only DC school granted this honor.

In March 2008 The Washington Post's Challenge Index ranks Bell 10th in academic rigor among low income schools in the D.C. metro area academic rigor. The ranking provides Bell the distinction of being the District's most academically challenging program for low income students.

In January 2008 Maria Tukeva received the Hugh A. Johnson Jr. Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Latino Community by the DC Hispanic Bar Association.

2006-2007

In rankings for 185 Washington area high schools (including Virginia and Maryland) conducted by The Washington Post's Challenge Index in assessing the degree to which schools academically challenge their students, Bell places 45th. No higher ranked school had a free or reduced lunch percentage (indicator of poverty) as high as the Bell percentage (listed as 81%). On the list, Bell is the second highest rated DC School. Unlike higher ranked Banneker, Bell does not limit enrollment through a selective process for incoming students.

In the same listing, Bell ranks second among schools with at least 40 percent of students qualifying for federal lunch subsidies.

Bell Capstone Instructor Barbara Altman is named a Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction. This award is given by the family that established the Noble prizes.

Bell student Christian Blanco's original play "Who's the Big Bad Wolf?" was performed by Young Playwright's Theatre on April 30 at the Wooly Mammoth Theatre Company.

Maria Tukeva is inducted into D.C's. Education Hall of Fame at the University of the District of Columbia.

2005 - 2006

Bell meets Adequate Yearly Progress for both Reading and Math.

Bell adds subject offerings for Advanced placement courses: AP Physics, AP Chemistry, AP Economics

2004 - 2005

MCIP reaches the $7 million mark in its private $10 million capital campaign to build the Columbia Heights Educational Campus on 16th & Irving Streets, NW. The private campaign is part of a $72 million construction partnership with DC Public Schools.

The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) recognizes Bell Multicultural High as a "Breakthrough High School." Breakthrough schools serve high minority and high poverty populations and demonstrate significant student achievement, high graduation and college admission rates.

Maria Tukeva is awarded the 2004 "Las Primeras" award from MANA, a National Latina Organization

Maria Tukeva is awarded the 2004 March of Dimes "Celebrando La Mujer Latina" Award

Bell meets AYP goals for Math for the fifth consecutive year

Bell adds subject offerings for Advanced placement courses: AP French, AP Biology

2003 - 2004

The National Council of La Raza selects Bell Multicultural as the DC Metro area's first Early College High School. An Early College school is an institution with the capability of granting both secondary school diplomas and an associates degree or sixty college credits toward a Bachelors degree. Bell was one of 69 schools nationwide and the only DC Public School to receive this award.

Bell Multicultural High is recognized in Thomas Toch's publication "High Schools on a Human Scale" - a Beacon Press publication.

Maria Tukeva is awarded Met-Life Ambassador in Education - honoring principals as outstanding citizens.

Elizabeth McCarthy Bell 9th and 10th grade English teacher - DC Public School System First Class Teacher award for best first-year high school teacher.

Bell adds subject offerings for Advanced placement courses: AP Statistics, AP Computer Science, AP US History

The National Association of Secondary School Principal (NASSP) recognized Bell Multicultural High School as a Breakthrough High School today. Breakthrough High Schools are projects featuring schools with high minority and high poverty populations. These schools demonstrate significant student achievement, as well as high graduation and college admission rates.

The Hispanic Support Organization (HSO) of Verizon, DC recognized Bell Multicultural High School as a model educational program with a $100,000 award.

2002 - 2003

Maria Tukeva receives The Washington Post's "Distinguished Educational Leader" Award

Maria Tukeva received National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) DC Principal of the Year Award

Bell Multicultural High is one of seventy schools nationwide to be awarded the White House recognition for outstanding service-learning.

Bell reaches five of six DCPS standardized test targets (all Math testing met with Adequate Yearly Progress [AYP] goals)

Maria Tukeva becomes a founding member of the Taskforce on Gang Violence within the Columbia Heights/Shaw Family Support Collaborative - part of a school and community-wide effort to stem gang violence, delinquency and truancy among local youth.