Skip To Main Content

Students receive EMT training in new program at Mount Vernon High School

Students strapping instructor onto board
Students receive EMT training in new program at Mount Vernon High School

Mount Vernon City School District students, equipped with medical supplies, administered care to mannequins during their emergency medical technician (EMT) training course at Mount Vernon High School on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. The Career and Technical Education (CTE) Department added a new EMT program earlier in the school year, and classes began in December. 

Students practicing CPR

“The Mount Vernon City School District has been going back to the basics academically, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the new EMT program where students are radically going back to the basics and saving human lives,” said Director of CTE Brian Simmons. “There is an incredible amount of rigor involved in training to be an EMT, and that is being doubled by students who are simultaneously in both the nursing assistant program and the EMT training program.” 

Students meet at the beginning of the week for classroom work, which includes learning terminology and different techniques. At the end of the week, students get hands-on lab experience using medical equipment on mannequins, themselves and sometimes even their instructor.  

Student taking blood pressure

“My experience has been amazing,” said Curtis Jackson, 11th grade MVHS student. “I’ve learned many ways to save people from choking or just sickness overall. If I was to find someone in a car accident, I would know how to handle the situation whether or not an ambulance was at the scene already.” 

The class meets every Monday through Thursday at MVHS. Out of the 10 students in the program, seven are concurrently enrolled in the nursing assistant program. If they pass certification exams at the end of the year for both programs, they will have two credentials to help them further their education or begin their careers.  

Kevin Bunch and Christiana Corrado, paramedics with Westchester County, come to MVHS to serve as the instructors for the EMT training program. In the first two weeks of the program, students learned how to do CPR and received a CPR certification from the American Heart Association. 

Student taking blood pressure

During lab days, students practice taking blood pressure, doing patient assessments, moving patients on boards, putting splints on arms and legs, assessing for injuries after motor vehicle accidents, and other EMT responsibilities. 

“I think it’s a great program,” said Mario Gibson, 12th grade student at MVHS. ”I like that they brought it to the school, since some people have to go out of school to get it. I’m glad that we’re able to get it in school for free for a couple hours a day. I’ve learned how to act in sudden emergencies, how to distribute Narcan and much more.”  

Students who are concurrently in the nursing assistant program work in a nursing home for their nursing clinicals, and then they come back to MVHS for EMT training. The nursing assistant program, which four students completed last year, has grown 150% in the past year and now has 10 students enrolled. The EMT program will hold a graduation ceremony later in the year.

BoE Regular Meeting 4/22
STEAM Academy students visit Montefiore Mount Vernon to participate in disaster drill

Acting can be scientific too; Mount Vernon STEAM Academy students recently participated in a disaster drill at Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital, acting as patients and family members. Students in Project Lead the Way (PLTW) classes visited to be a part of the hospital’s annual stress test, serving as patients in an active emergency room. 

Logo for news post
Placements for Student Transfers in Building Reorganization

Students will receive an official notification of which school they will be placed in during the first week of June. These assignments apply only to students who are not in a special placement or program class assignment, such as special education. Those placements will be determined based on their Individualized Education Program (IEP) and the Special Education Department. The current placements of students who are transferring can be viewed in this news post.

These placements are subject to change based on student residency.

Students cooking with their parents.
Kids in the Kitchen returns as parents and students learn about nutrition with Feeding Westchester

Prekindergarten students and their parents learned about nutrition and cooked together during the Kids in the Kitchen workshop last Thursday. Through a partnership with Feeding Westchester and with support from the students in the Culinary Arts Program, families received important information about feeding their children a healthy diet and practiced preparing a healthy meal.

Kids in the Kitchen workshops are held throughout the year for pre-K students. If you have not registered your child for pre-K3 or pre-K4 lotteries for next school year, you can find more information about registration on the registration webpage at https://www.mtvernoncsd.org/family-community/registration/online-registration. Pre-K lottery registration closes on June 27.

Logo for news post
Community Message - May 16, 2025

Dr. K. Veronica Smith, Acting Superintendent of Schools: 

As has been recently reported and thereafter confirmed by the Westchester County District Attorney’s office, a former volunteer coach for the District, Dwayne Murray, has been arrested for certain alleged acts of sexual misconduct involving a minor. The organization identified as being affiliated with Mr. Murray in a recent Journal News report, the Junior Knights, is an independent entity from the District. As of this morning, the District has not been made aware that any of our students or former students are in any way connected to this matter. 

 

Overcoming the Odds Awards
Two MVCSD students recognized at Student Advocacy's Overcoming the Odds Awards

Students show resilience by thriving in challenging situations, and two Mount Vernon City School District students were recognized for their academic excellence and accomplishments at Student Advocacy’s Overcoming the Odds Awards. Kwanell Williams, a senior at Mount Vernon STEAM Academy, and Prosper Ibeto, a senior at Mount Vernon High School, received about $700 in financial assistance to help start their post-secondary education.