Students at Community College Preparatory Academy Public Charter School in Southeast returned to school for the fall session prepared for the third annual “Evening with the Stars” event, which celebrates students who have achieved high levels of success.
One of the first “Stars,” Harry McNeil, came to CC Prep two years ago because he needed to improve his skills to be competitive in DC’s workforce.
A high school graduate who grew up in Ward 8, Harry had to manage class, a bedridden wife, two children and a full-time job — all while maintaining perfect attendance.
Harry now works for Verizon with an annual salary of $64,500 and mentors new adult students at CC Prep.
Jack Kent Cooke Scholars
Howard University Middle School students Mikaela Johnson and Charles Minnis were speechless to learn they’d been selected as the only participants from the D.C. region, as well as two of the 65 participants nationwide for the Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholars Program.
Mikaela and Charles had no idea that the staff at Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science in Northwest and their families would surprise them with the great news about being accepted for the prestigious program.
“This is such a blessing,” said Michaela’s mother, Corrine Crick.
Charles’s mother, Kimberly Kemp, and his extended family summed it up this way: “There are times when something so special happens and you don’t know what to say! This is one of them!”
The Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholars program will provide Mikaela and Charles with a personal academic and college counselor, funding for academic and extracurricular programs during the school year and in the summer, internship and study abroad opportunities, and a variety of educational resources.
To be admitted in the program, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation analyzes academic ability and achievement, financial need, ambition, leadership, and a desire to help others.
Mikaela aspires to become a surgeon while Charles plans to take a dive into medical research where he hopes to find the cure to multiple sclerosis.
St. Coletta Partnership
Staff and parents of St. Coletta Special Education Public Charter School in Southeast believe it’s not only important for special education students in the District to have a place that takes into account their individual learning needs, but also capitalizes on their talents, strengths and interests.
Currently, in a program that partners the school with the D.C. Department of Public Works, St. Coletta’s senior students are learning about recycling with hands-on learning opportunities and how to keep the community clean.