By Dominic Scianna

Alexander Graham Bell Grammar School on Chicago’s North Side has a historic past of more than 100  years of service to a diverse group of students. Opening its doors in 1917, the school was billed as one of the largest in the Chicago area at that time. 

The Chicago Public School (CPS) was dedicated to its namesake who was a staunch advocate of education for deaf students. Fifteen classrooms were dedicated to deaf students and twenty-four classrooms for hearing students in that first year of existence.

Today, the school has 900-plus students that are made up of neighborhood kindergarten through 8th graders who live within the attendance district. Regional gifted pupils with admission are determined by CPS testing, and deaf/hard of hearing students with individualized education program needs indicated through eligibility.

Bell’s reputation and commitment to service has continued to rise, and in recent years, talk of creating more unique opportunities to support its mission was a key topic of conversation to elevate participation in extracurricular activities at the school.

“One of the things that was really important and talked about in my interview (for the principal’s job) was finding ways for all of our students to come together more effectively,” said Ashley Reyes, current principal at Bell who took over the position in August 2023. “It became clear that one place where it was really working well was through our sports programs, so the decision was made to continue growing our sports and build on that. And it really has grown to have a real positive effect on our student population.”

The sports initiatives have become a game changer and success has followed. Their girls and boys basketball programs at the seventh- and eighth-grade levels have flourished with city championship hardware in recent years. And in 2025, the girls competitive cheerleading team won its third network championship in a row, and first city title to become the newest Bell champion to join the list. 

This team took home the gold in the CPS SCORE! Elementary School Large Division City Championship, besting 79 other participants including Brooks (runner-up and past champion) this March, and won the network crown in February. One of the key contributors to the team was Kylee Delgado, a deaf athlete and seventh-grader, who got into the sport because of its appeal to her at a young age.

“I always pretended to be a cheerleader when I was little, ” said Delgado, through an interpreter while being interviewed recently in the Bell School Auditorium. “Plus, I already knew some of the girls on the team and my Mom was a cheerleader too. 

“This year was really fun (to compete), and I felt so proud of my team and myself when we won the Cheer Championship because we all really worked hard. I have my first-place medal hanging on my mirror in my room. I love cheer and it has really helped me express myself.”

The SCORE!  program has become a staple of elementary school athletics competition for 5th through 8th graders in the CPS community offering robust sports programs to district-managed and charter school members.

The SCORE! Cheer program at Bell was so popular this year that coaches Jennie Dede and Kallie Timmons had to create two teams to accommodate the 37 girls who tried out for the sport. Dede oversees the competitive cheer squad (made up of 20 team members ) as head coach with assistant Griffin Goldin, while Timmons serves as team coach for her 17 rostered cheer members who perform at Bell basketball games. 

SCORE! allows for all athletes to participate (no cut rule), and this year Bell was able to provide their students with two ways to learn and develop cheerleading skills. 

“I’ve been coaching cheer for more than 20 years and I continue to be inspired by introducing the sport and competition to young athletes,” Dede said. “Athletics gives kids the opportunity to put in effort and experience a feeling of accomplishment and hopefully winning which makes them come back, work hard and do it again. I think the correlation between effort and winning is really important to learn at an early age.” 

The City Championship was a goal from the start of the season as the Bell competitive team had finished second two years previously. 

What was the difference this year to push through and win the title? 

A great team dedicated and prepared to work as one to get to the finals, plus the efforts of Delgado, who served as the lead backspot to push her squad over the top to victory. 

“She (Kylee) won our Powerhouse Award this year and is immensely strong. She is the center of our largest stunt, the foundation, and the backbone of this team. And, it’s been really special to see her transformation and the interactions she’s having with her teammates and the friendships she’s made. I’ve seen her smiling and laughing more this year. She’s just amazing,” admitted Dede. 

One of Kylee’s teammates, Tallulah McComas, noted the cheer squad’s determination to win and trust in one of her teammates as the most memorable experiences leading to this season’s success.

“It was so fun to compete and the feeling was so amazing to win,” said McComas, a first-year competitor and sixth-grader. “Kylee was also a strong backspot for me all season (as a flyer) and I felt so safe with her (catching me). Plus, our interpreters, Coach Jen, Miss T (Timmons), and Coach Griffin really pushed all of us so hard which led us to this championship.”

Sign language and interpreters, as McComas alluded to, were vital to the success of the team. They work the sidelines and are involved in team huddles at competitions and practices to help coaches communicate for the deaf student-athletes.

“I’ve been interpreting for cheer at Bell for 13 years and helped to start this program,” said Melissa Barribeau, teacher and interpreter. “We’ve added help and now have three interpreters (Daniella Doll and Umi Nakamura complete the team with Barribeau) this year because we have two deaf participants involved in cheer right now.  It is quite an experience because when the girls huddle up and are not with the coaches, and they’re getting each other pumped up, it’s fun for me to be in their minds. And, then interpreting to the adults (coaches), and what’s going on in their heads as well makes it a special experience for me.” 

Gianna Malone-Cambone, a deaf athlete and fifth-grader, is a part of the game team coached by Timmons. She was amazed how both teams were there for each other, and what great experiences it was for all the cheer girls to go through the year as a true total “team effort” epitomizes in every sense of those words. 

“It is my first year coaching and it was amazing how much of an integrated effort it was for both of our teams to interact and train together. We have cheer practices and competitions which take up about 4-5 days every week, so it was a busy schedule but all worthwhile as I helped with the competition team too,” said Timmons. “Gianna meshed with the girls right from the start. She amazed me how quickly she picked up all of our sidelines and routines especially since she had never cheered before  (in her first year). She brings a great light and happiness to our team.”

Gianna’s face lit up when talking about her experience in her first season of cheer at Bell.

“What I liked most about cheer was getting to try something new and practicing,” said Gianna, in signing her answers to interpreter Nakamura. “My mom, dad, and grandpa, aunts, and uncles come to watch me a lot. But I don’t look at them (in the stands) when I cheer because I have to stay focused. The most challenging thing for me is stunting – so I have to work on that more next year – but I really like to cheer.”

Nakamura sees so much growth and maturity in both teams each year and this season was no different. 

“Working with these teams is so inspiring,” said Nakamura. “As interpreters, the attention is not supposed to be on us and seeing the pride in their faces is truly so worth it for me. Gianna has grown so much and is so fearless when it comes to the team and her being a part of cheer. That’s the magical part about doing this for me, to see how these young girls (like Kylee and Gianna) grow and mature each year.”

The culture at Bell is indicative of the emphasis the school places on academics and athletics. There is no differentiation when it comes to the student body population; it’s all for one and one for all. That’s what makes Alexander Graham Bell Grammar School so special as it continues its mission statement more than a century old and still going strong.

“We have a very vibrant deaf and hard of hearing initiative here at Bell and it’s the longest-standing program at our school,” said principal Reyes in closing. “Athletics is part of our mission and vision and it shows what we are creating here at Bell is coming to life. We want all of our students to realize their gifts and talents and the impact they can have on the world. Every student can find a place here at Bell while learning, making friends, and participating in activities that help them grow as individuals. It’s wonderful to see all of them thrive and integrate together in this environment.”

Photos by Allie Conwell/OSA and Jennie Dede