Skip To Main Content

Sixteen schools designated as Gold Star No Place for Hate

Sixteen schools designated as Gold Star No Place for Hate

For the second year, all 16 Mount Vernon City School District schools were presented with No Place for Hate (NPFH) banners at a ceremony on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at NYU Skirball Center in Manhattan. The district continues to be the largest and now is the first school district in Westchester County to have all of its schools designated as Gold Star No Place for Hate.  

The Mount Vernon City School District was one of the many school districts from New York to attend the NPFH Banner Ceremony. Presenters from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and special guest speaker, Chancellor David C. Banks, NYC Public Schools, gave testimonials about how NPFH has positively impacted school communities across the country and the progress that NPFH has made. Grammy Award Winning Violinist, Miri Ben-Ari was presented with ADL's Making a Difference Award.  Ben-Ari spoke to the students about bringing people together through music. 

Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Curriculum, Instruction & Administration Dr. Jamal Doggett first started the program during his time as principal at Rebecca Turner Elementary School. They received the NPFH designation for each of the six years after they implemented the program. When he became an assistant superintendent, he brought the program district wide. He established a leadership team and continues to ensure NPFH is implemented in each school and able to fulfill the NPFH requirements with fidelity now in its second year.

“I am extremely proud of the work accomplished by our schools to ensure the fight continues against all forms of hate, bias, bullying, and discrimination,” said Dr. Doggett. “We anticipate that No Place for Hate will assist with providing safe learning environments for our schools to ensure our academic programs and student outcomes thrive.”

Josephine Kirkland-Hudson, school social worker at Benjamin Turner Academy; Jennifer Goire-Peralta, school counselor at Rebecca Turner Academy; Melissa Sansotta, special education teacher at Benjamin Turner Academy; and Dr. Doggett led the initiative as NPFH coordinators. Last year, Ms. Kirkland-Hudson was presented with ADL's Gold Star Educator Award.  Ms. Kirkland-Hudson presented this year's Educator's award to Phyllis Beatus-Jacoby, a school social worker with the NYC Department of Education.

Two of our students, Hailee Norwood, a 7th grader from Nelson Mandela/Dr. Hosea Zollicoffer School and Raissa Santiago Pinto, a 7th grader from Mount Vernon Leadership Academy were nominated for the Cynthia Marks Legacy Award.  This award is presented annually by the ADL to recognize students who exhibit exemplary leadership in their school’s No Place for Hate program.   

Each school has gone over and beyond to complete several NPFH activities throughout the year to achieve their gold star designations. These activities focused on diversity, inclusion and acceptance.  On May 29, 2024, all schools will participate in the district's first No Place for Hate Day.  Families are encouraged to walk their child to school on this day where each school has planned NPFH activities.

Students participated in the pre-ceremony activities taking pictures with their banners, admiring artwork and learning more about combating bullying and defining allyship. 

Each school can display their banners prominently in their buildings to signal that it is No Place for Hate. Students will know when they come to school that they are entering an accepting environment that will help them succeed socially, emotionally and academically. Congratulations to all of our schools on a job well done!  

Students smiling for the camera.
Students posing for the camera.
Students and staff with no place for hate banner.

 

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.

Logo for news post

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.

Click here to submit your responses.