Catherine "Katy" Harvey, principal of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School since 1999, has been selected to receive the 2003 Washington Post Distinguished Educational Leadership Award for Montgomery County. The award is presented annually to one principal in each of the local school systems and one private school. Ms. Harvey was recognized for doing a remarkable job of working with parents, students, and community partners in promoting an excellent academic program and creating an exceptional educational environment.

Ms. Harvey came to Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in July 1999 following three years as founding principal of Rio Ranch High School in New Mexico, a state-of-the-art high school that was profiled in Time magazine as a school of the future. In her four years at B-CC, Ms. Harvey has reversed declining enrollment, raised test scores, and rebuilt school spirit, while weathering a two-and-a-half year relocation to a holding school as the old school was being modernized. Freshman enrollment has increased by 40 percent, to 450 students this school year, with many students returning to B-CC from private schools. B-CC also has the greatest SAT gains in the county in the past five years.

One of Ms. Harvey's most important contributions was her leadership in the creation of a technology vision for B-CC, titled "A New Century of Possibility." A technology task force, including faculty members, parents and community residents, met for a year to frame a vision for B-CC technology. This vision is now a reality, with the B-CC Educational Foundation helping raise funds to enhance the technology budget for the new school. Technology at the school includes personal laptops for every teacher, three computer labs, and the B-CC Cyber Cafe, which opened earlier this year.

Ms. Harvey's appointment last year to the National Assessment Governing Board, which includes only two principals nationwide, speaks to her national credentials and the respect she commands within the professional community. In addition, in summer 2003 she was one of six principals awarded a fellowship from the embassy of Italy and The Washington Post to study Italian culture and the Italian language in an intensive two-week seminar in Milan and Siena.

"One of the most valuable things that Katy Harvey has brought to B-CC is vision," Matthew Gandal, president of the B-CC High School Educational Foundation, said in a letter of support for Harvey's nomination. "Her vision includes a school with state-of-the art technology and a commitment to improving the education offered to disadvantaged students while continuing to challenge those at the very top of the academic pyramid."

(Excerpted from Montgomery County Public Schools Public Announcement, November 14, 2003)