Three new principals, each with more than 20 years’ experience in education, will lead schools in the Mount Vernon City School District this year. The principals were hired Wednesday, Sept. 1, by the school board. They are: Matthew Gonzales for Mount Vernon High School; Thrusha Henderson for the Pennington School; and Sharon Spencer for the Mount Vernon STEAM Academy.
The Mount Vernon City School District Board of Education adopted on Wednesday, September 1, a comprehensive Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy. According to the policy, the school board “is committed to creating and maintaining a positive and inclusive learning environment where all students, including and especially those currently and historically marginalized, feel safe, included, welcomed, and accepted, and experience a sense of belonging and the potential for academic success.
Hometown hero Rai Benjamin, with gold and silver Olympic medals around his neck, returned to Mount Vernon Friday, September 10, 2021 where he was cheered by school children throughout the city, gratefully accepted a handful of proclamations, and received the Key to the City. Beginning shortly after noon, he was carried on a parade platform through the city in a motorcade, a fire engine and a police escort. With family members, supporters and city and school district leaders, the motorcade included members of the entourage in classic cars – a blue Oldsmobile Cutlass convertible, a red Chevrolet Bel Air, a pale yellow Thunderbird among them.
Across the Mount Vernon City School District, students reported for the first day of the 2021-22 school year today, with adjusted COVID regulations – requiring 3 feet of distance rather than 6, for instance – making it possible to hold in-person school for the entire enrollment of 7,500. Students were excited to fully engage in lessons as well as eat lunch with schoolmates and friends.
The Mount Vernon City School District kicked off the school year at its annual convocation on Wednesday, September 1, with inspirational messages for faculty, staff, administrators, and the community. The theme of this year’s event focused on Rebuilding, Refocusing and Reimagining Education.
