MEDIA INVITE 

 

2026 NATIONAL OUTSTANDING ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AWARD ASSEMBLY 

 

WHEN: Tuesday, January 20th at 9:30 am  

 

WHERE: Monterey Elementary School, located at 2311 Monterey Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80910

 

 

Renee Dahl is the assistant principal at Monterey Elementary School in Harrison School District 2 and has been selected as the 2026 National Outstanding Assistant Principal by the Colorado Association of Elementary School Principals, a department of the Colorado Association of School Executives. 

 

Monterey Elementary School is helping Dahl to celebrate this great achievement by hosting a school parade in her honor, along with an assembly to recognize her as the 2026 National Outstanding Assistant Principal, and we are inviting our media partners to come capture this awesome moment happening in our D2 community.   

 

This annual award recognizes elementary assistant principals who demonstrate exceptional commitment to student success, instructional excellence, and school improvement. Dahl has been with Monterey Elementary since 2020, first serving as an interventionist. 

 

One of the reasons Dahl is being recognized as a top educator is that her work is making a difference, and the statistics reflect the impact on our D2 students. She’s credited with implementing a math instructional shift at Monterey Elementary that led to a 50% increase in the average number of students meeting or exceeding grade-level expectations in the classroom. Under her leadership, Monterey Elementary School is now one of the top-performing schools in D2.    

 

You can read more about the award in this web article published on the CASE Website.  

 

 

MEDIA ALERT:  

 

Registration Open For Educating Children Of Color Annual Summit 

 

This highly anticipated event provides students in 8th to 12th grades from across southern Colorado with an opportunity to acquire important skills and explore various career options. Each year, the Summit features nationally recognized speakers, powerful sessions for youth, parents, and professionals, and celebrates student achievement. The Educating Children of Color Summit also provides a unique opportunity for educators, college students, and professionals to enhance their ability to retain and inspire the students they serve.  

 

The Educating Children of Color Summit will be held on February 21, 2026, at Fountain Fort Carson High School. Registration is up and running! At this event, we'll be awarding more than $60,000 in scholarships.  

 

Students, now is the time to apply for those scholarships and to sign up to be a part of this special event! To be eligible for scholarships, you must attend the summit and submit your application via the scholarship application form. 

 

Attendance is FREE for all youth, college students, and parents. 

 

The 2026 Summit theme is:  

“For there is always light...if only we’re brave enough to be it.” - Amanda Gorman 

 

To register, apply for scholarships, and to learn more about the ECOC Summit you can visit this website: https://www.educatingchildrenofcolor.org/ecocsummit 

 

At ECOC, we are deeply committed to breaking down barriers that hinder children of color and children of poverty from accessing quality education and achieving their full potential. Central to this commitment is our dedication to providing scholarships for deserving students, empowering them to pursue higher education 

Educating Children of Color, Inc. (ECOC) is a registered 501(c)3 organization that is on a mission to dismantle the cradle-to-prison pipeline for children of color and children in poverty through education. We empower youth by addressing over-representation in our incarceration systems. We support education milestones by fostering aspirations and guiding parents and professionals to help break the cycle of poverty and systemic injustice.