One Mount Vernon Digital Newsletter
MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
Greetings MVCSD Community,
Our comprehensive programs at Denzel Washington School of the Arts were featured on CBS during “Class Act” with Chris Wragge last week! DWSA scholars showed off their immense talent and displayed great poise and composure while performing on live television. It was a very impressive performance from the top down. This was a great job by our students who performed and the teachers and administrators who have taught them and helped them get to this point. Artistically, there is no place like DWSA, but the strong academics are just as important in that building, as discussed on “Class Act.”
Cecil H. Parker School scholars were treated to an engaging read-aloud, courtesy of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Students listened along and also took turns standing in front of the class to read. It is so important to continue our emphasis on literacy, and making reading fun and engaging for students helps to make our lessons even more impactful.
Freshmen at Mount Vernon High School participated in their monthly Knights Day activities this week. They had productive sessions with their school counselors and connected with community based organizations. Thank you to all the organizations who showed up to help support our scholars!
In the Senior Spotlight Series, we are shining a light on Tianna Patten, a fantastic scholar and athlete at Mount Vernon High School. Tianna recently reached the prestigious milestone of 1,000 points with the Lady Knights, and we are so proud of her. We are even more proud to see how many scholarships she has earned with her tremendous work ethic. Great work Tianna!
We are featuring an alum, School Counselor Takisha Sales, in this week’s Our Student, Now series. Ms. Sales has been working in the District for 30 years now, and she has done great work assisting all the students she has worked with in this time. Our counselors are vital for our scholars, and it is so valuable to have one that grew up in this city and excels at working with our students.
Kindest Regards,
Dr. K. Veronica Smith
Acting Superintendent of Schools
DISTRICT BEGINS SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH COMMUNITY FORUM ON WEDS., FEB .5
The Mount Vernon City School District is launching a search for its next Superintendent of Schools. The Mount Vernon Board of Education hired Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA) to conduct the search. The Board is aiming to select a superintendent by May to start in the 2025-2026 school year.
As part of the superintendent search, the Board has authorized a community forum with HYA consultants on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, at Mount Vernon Honor Academy from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The community forum will also be livestreamed at www.mtvernoncsd.org/superintendent-search.
DWSA STUDENTS PERFORM ON 'CLASS ACT' WITH CHRIS WRAGGE ON CBS
Denzel Washington School of the Arts students were featured on CBS’s latest “Class Act” with Chris Wragge. A pep rally was held on Friday, January 24, 2025, featuring drumline, dance, poetry and vocal performances. Students in the crowd cheered on their classmates as they performed for the live broadcast.
To view more coverage of "Class Act" with Chris Wragge at DWSA click here and here.
Read more to view more clips from the show!
SCHOLARS AT CECIL H. PARKER SCHOOL PARTICIPATE IN READ-ALOUD
“Who’s a good reader?” asked the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. President Eddie Campbell to students in Ebony Cooper-Williams fourth grade class on Friday, January 24, 2025, at Cecil H. Parker School during their reading celebration. Students shot their hands up in excitement before diving into their read-a-loud session with members of the New Rochelle-White Plains Alumni Chapter.
FRESHMEN AT MVHS PARTICIPATE IN MONTHLY KNIGHTS DAY
Ninth graders at Mount Vernon High School spent the first hours of the school day learning about programs in the school and engaging in workshops with community-based organizations (CBO). On January 28, 2025, these students touched base with their school counselors, received academic intervention and met with local organizations. The Social Butterfly, Safe Place 4 Our Girls, the Guidance Center of Westchester, Family Services of Westchester, the SNUG Street Outreach program and the Sexual Risk Avoidance Education Program (SRAEP) visited the school to help students learn valuable life skills.
LADY KNIGHTS SENIOR STAR EARNS OVER $300,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS
Tianna Patten, a senior at Mount Vernon High School, displays her talent and skills on and off the court by displaying hard work, dedication and leadership in every area of her academic and athletic careers. Tianna is the current captain and lead scorer of the Mount Vernon Lady Knights Varsity Basketball team and balances academics and athletics with honed mastery.
OUR STUDENTS, NOW: SCHOOL COUNSELOR TAKISHA SALES
Takisha Sales, school counselor at Mount Vernon High School, graduated from the school in 1989. This year, she is celebrating her 30th year in the District, committing her entire career to supporting Mount Vernon scholars. She values the opportunity to provide for students in the city she grew up in and where her parents met.
PARENT INVOLVEMENT DAY - MON., FEB. 10
The Mount Vernon City School District is holding its 28th annual Parent Involvement Day at all schools on Monday, February 10, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. This day is a special opportunity to take your child to school, visit their classes, meet and speak with other parents, and hear from administrators, teachers and specialists.