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Lady Knights Senior Star earns over $300,000 in scholarships

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. 

Recently, Tianna celebrated scoring her 1000th point on the court during the last eleven seconds of the game against Staten Island Academy. Mount Vernon City School District congratulates Tianna on this significant achievement. The hard work she dedicates to her team and going above and beyond does not go unnoticed.

View this Instagram post of the Mount Vernon Lady Knights congratulating Tianna on her 100th point!

Tianna has been a part of the Lady Knights basketball team since seventh grade and a member of the varsity team since her freshman year. She has earned many accomplishments, even while encountering hardships over her tenure as player and captain in her senior year. Whilst facing the pressure and responsibility of being team captain, she has been taught how to effectively lead a team to victory, learning how to approach different team-members and personalities whilst managing personal expectations. She also emphasizes the importance of taking care of your mental health as an athlete. 

“I feel like mental health really matters,” said Tianna.  “A lot of people don’t take care of their mental health, especially athletes. You have to think about yourself as a person. You have to tell yourself “I am human. I make mistakes.” It’s okay to step back and take care of yourself and your body.” 

She enjoys being on the girls' basketball team, expressing that her favorite part is having fun and bonding with her teammates. She enjoys meeting new people at the games her team plays and despite the outcome, being able to connect with others whilst playing basketball. 

As a member of the Lady Knights, Tianna also participates in group community service with her teammates. In December, the Lady Knights participated in a Secret Santa gift exchange with Althea Simon’s second-grade class at Edward Williams School, where they made breakfast and provided gifts to students to open during a holiday party. 

Tianna is also a star scholar, earning a 98 cumulative grade point average and maintaining honor roll every semester for four years whilst a student at Mount Vernon High School. 

In the midst of late practices and lots of schoolwork, Tianna stresses the importance of time management. She uses her notes, phone reminders, and numerous alarms to keep track of important assignments and deadlines and keep herself on the road to academic success. 

From her time at MVHS, her favorite subjects have been U.S. History and literature. She enjoys reading and writing, as they have always been her stronger areas. Tianna has also dabbled in creative writing during her time at MVHS, citing a poem she wrote about her experience as a student-athlete titled “What’s My Identity.”

 “Two years ago I wrote about my identity,” said Tianna.  “It was ‘Bring a Poem to School Day’ and my English teacher said we could write our own poem. I wrote about who I was as a person, and not just an athlete.”

Tianna has a bright future ahead of her and has applied to over fifteen colleges and has received ten acceptances from these institutions. She has received acceptances into Le Moyne University, Purchase College, Pace University, and St. Thomas Aquinas College. 

She also received over $300,000 in scholarships ($100,000 in total from Le Moyne University, $140,000 from Pace University, $72,000 from Farleigh Dickinson University, and a half-tuition scholarship from St. Thomas Aquinas). Along with her acceptance, she was given a place in St. Thomas Aquinas University, Mercy University, and Pace University’s honors programs. 

In college, Tianna is looking forward to majoring in sports management with a possible minor in psychology.  

“I want to learn the business side of sports,” said Tianna. “I want to be an athletic director and one day maybe come back to Mount Vernon High School.”

Tianna is inspired by Coach Robert Cimmino, the Athletic Director and a teacher at Mount Vernon High School. During college, she looks forward to experiencing life independently and learning new things from her classes. 

Tianna looks back on her experience at MVHS and highlights the positive memories that she’s made with her teammates and friends over the years. There is a sports banquet -held to celebrate high-achieving student-athletes and all their hard work over the school year, and she always looks forward to seeing her teammates and fellow student-athletes dress up and get the hype they deserve. 

Tianna earned the Scholar-Athlete Award in her freshman year and sophomore year. She has also been awarded All-League and All-Conference awards in her junior year. 
 

Dr. Smith and Betty Rosa

Today, Friday, February 14, 2025, marks the two-year anniversary of Dr. K. Veronica Smith’s first day as Acting Superintendent. Join the Mount Vernon City School District in wishing her a happy anniversary! In these two years, the District has emphasized its commitment to its scholars. Through the Back to Basics, Forward to Mastery approach, where teachers are getting back to the fundamentals of teaching and learning, the District has seen great academic improvements, leading graduation rates and test scores to trend upward. 

Yanick and Anna Valinda

Yanick St. Cyr and Anna Valinda Mendy, Mount Vernon High School 12th-grade Nursing Assistant Program students, volunteered at the Southern Westchester Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) SkillsUSA Regional Competition on Saturday, February 1, 2025, at the Center for Career Services. Yanick and Anna are also in the SkillsUSA Club at MVHS.

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The Mount Vernon City School District’s superintendent search survey, conducted by Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA), has been extended to Monday, February 24, 2025, at 11:59 p.m., to allow for further engagement with the community. HYA will present their leadership profile report at the Board of Education on Thursday, February 27, 2025, at 6:30 p.m.

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