New year, new smart scholars cohort starts summer program

In June of 2020, over a hundred Mount Vernon City School District students applied and were on board for the new Smart Scholars Early College High School Program, which sought to improve graduation rates and college enrollment amongst its students. With its first class graduating this past June, it is evident that the program produces successful results in its mission to support its students on their journey to post-secondary education and beyond. 

“The graduated students of the Smart Scholars were able to take on a more ambitious workload. Towards their senior year, they learned a variety of  science, math and reading skills beyond the Regents testing criteria,” said Laura Fishlock-Claro, an English and AVID teacher. The summer program lasts four weeks and is implemented to avoid the dreaded “summer slide.’ The Smart Scholars program engages the child’s mind during the summer, a time when students often tend to fall behind in their education.

  The program is split into two sections, the summer portion and the school year portion. This summer, students from the different Mount Vernon high schools are receiving additional support from teachers, engaging in advanced course materials, and touring various college campuses such as Princeton University and Mercy University. Students are also able to foster relationships with other students in their grade who they will be learning within proximity for the next four years.

The Smart Scholars program allows students to realize their greater potential in education and even gain valuable college credits. Students also participate in college-level classes from Mercy University, earning credits towards their transcript. As a part of the Social Emotional Learning program led by School Counselor Toni Ann Trombetta, students interact with college representatives from several schools,  do teamwork exercises, and this summer, they plan to do many fun trips.

“As a Smart Scholar, it has been really challenging, but it gives you the opportunity to stay after school and get help with AP Classes,” said 12th grader Jean-Pierre Johnson. A lot of people tend to struggle with classes like AP Chemistry, but our teacher Mr.Glinias stays with us after school to constantly work on our skills. I really do appreciate that. It’s teachers like him that make the experience of Smart Scholars very enjoyable.”

Teachers are the greater assets of this program, dedicating their summers to ensure the educational development of the Smart Scholars. Students learn essential subjects such as Social Studies, Math, English Language Arts, and Technology/AVID. In social studies class with Brian Pally, students were tasked with creating a ten-minute presentation on any topic of their choosing with the challenge of not having any words on the screen. Through this students flexed their creative muscles and public speaking skills, whilst engaging in a wide variety of topics such as Harry Potter to gentrification in NYC. In David Bendlin’s Technology and AVID class, students are working towards the completion of a podcast on a topic of their choosing and learning several different methods of note-taking and researching.  

Parents are encouraged to reach out to their students' guidance counselors or school administration if they are interested in having their child participate in the Smart Scholar program. Students are placed into the appropriate learning group based on their request; most recent progress reports, marking period grades and teacher recommendations.