The Knight Times - Apr 2018

The

KNIGHT TIMES

Mount Vernon City School District Newsletter

Volume XII: April 2018

THREE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS UPGRADED TO SCHOOLS IN GOOD STANDING BY NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Columbus, Hamilton and Rebecca Turner elementary schools achieve double-digit improvements in Math and English Language Arts scores.

Three Mount Vernon City School District elementary schools have been awarded designation upgrades to Schools in Good Standing by the New York State Education Department (NYSED).

Columbus, Hamilton and Rebecca Turner elementary schools were upgraded from Focus Schools to Schools in Good Standing.

The New York State Education Department defines a School in Good Standing as one which has not been identified as a school in need of improvement, requiring corrective action, planning for restructuring, or requiring academic progress, or as a school under registration review.

“This achievement is due to the commitment of our teachers, administrators and parents who are determined to do whatever it takes to ensure our students are provided with Students at Grimes School take part in Read Across America. the best possible instructional services which will result in “We plan to continue these best practices and achieve further exemplary outcomes,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. improvement during the current and forthcoming school Kenneth R. Hamilton. “Their dedication to our students is years,” said Dr. Waveline Bennett-Conroy, the district’s a reaffirmation that we are doing exactly what we set out to Assistant Superintendent for School Improvement. do with our 20/20 Vision Program initiatives. The results speak for themselves, and the New York State Education While both Dr. Hamilton and Dr. Bennett-Conroy were Department clearly recognizes this positive change.” equally pleased to see that Pennington and Graham elementary schools were given NYSED upgrades from The three schools achieved double-digit improvements Priority to Focus school standings, they reaffirmed the in Math and English Language Arts scores. The upgrade district’s commitment to continuous quality improvement to Schools in Good Standing can also be attributed to the initiatives to ensure those schools receive a School in Good District’s improved educational practices of goal setting, Standing designation from the NYSED. managing for results, and providing data driven instruction.

Additionally, the District now provides ongoing and “They demonstrated improvement and we anticipate that sustained professional learning community time for next year they will advance to Schools in Good Standing,” teachers to collaborate on best practices while offering a Bennett-Conroy said. “We will not be satisfied until these unique Parent University Program for parents. schools achieve a Schools in Good Standing designation.”

Mount Vernon City School District Newsletter

SUPERINTENDENT’S LETTER Dear Readers, It is hard to believe that this August will be the beginning of my fifth year at the helm of the Mount Vernon City School District! I could not be prouder of the work we have done here thus far and look forward to unlocking all that the future holds for our students, staff and the greater Mount Vernon Community.

Over the last several years, our schools have made great strides in transforming the way we think about and deliver education to our students. We have unified and streamlined our professional development to ensure teachers and administrators are receiving training that will have a direct, positive impact on instruction and therefore on the success of our students.

Our efforts are paying off! We have been notified by the New York State Department of Education that five of our elementary schools have seen significant improvements. Columbus, Hamilton and Rebecca Turner are officially Schools in Good Standing, while Pennington and Graham are no longer Priority Schools, and have been rated as Focus Schools.

Not only has Rebecca Turner Elementary School been rated as a School in Good Standing, but we have been notified that it is a Reward School. In order to achieve this classification, a school must: • Be among the top 20 percent of schools in the state for English language arts (ELA) and math performance for both the 2014-15 and 2015-16 school years or be among

the top 10 percent of schools in terms of gains in ELA and math performance in the 2015-16 school year; • Have made Adequate Yearly Progress for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 school years for all groups of students on all measures for which the school is accountable, including the requirement that 95 percent of all groups participate in the English language arts and mathematics assessments; and • Not have unacceptably large gaps in student performance on accountability measures between students who are members of an accountability group (e.g., low-income students) and students who are not members of that group.

This is proof positive that given the appropriate resources, talent and commitment, we can transform ALL of our schools into high performing schools with a rigorous curriculum designed to ensure that our students graduate college and/or career ready.

I am confident that if we continue down this path, we will be recognized as a national model for school district turn around.

I look forward to continuing this journey with you, knowing that only together can we achieve the greatness our students and community deserve.

Yours for the sake of all children,

Dr. Kenneth R. Hamilton Superintendent, Mount Vernon City School District

STUDENTS WILL CHOOSE FROM THREE HIGH SCHOOLS Quality instructional transformation continues on the high school level, with the district’s recent announcement of the creation of three, theme-based high schools.

This fall, STEAM (Science-Technology-EngineeringArts-Mathematics) High School, Thornton School for the Performing and Visual Arts and The Mount Vernon High School will open.

STEAM High School, which is currently A.B. Davis Middle School, will provide an approach to teaching and learning that integrates the content and skills of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

2

Thornton School for the Performing and Visual Arts, which is currently Nellie Thornton High School, will build on its existing success in the arts field. Students will transfer their creative skills to the classrooms to build and support the cognitive framework and affective mindset necessary to nurture strong readers, mathematicians, thinkers and learners.

The Mount Vernon High School will provide a rigorous and comprehensive high school curriculum featuring a heavy emphasis on humanities, career and technical programs.

Following an extensive presentation of each high school’s curriculum to students and families, students are in the process of making their high school choices for the next school year.

Volume XII: April 2018

STUDENT INQUIRY ALIVE AND WELL AT LINCOLN SCIENCE FAIR Sixth-graders Enmanuel Contreras, Rashaun Grey, Andrea Rodriguez and Mohamed Basheer joined forces to present a project called, “Medical Testing.”

When asked what was most important about their group work experience, each focused on different things.

“Working in groups is easier than working by yourself,” said Enmanuel. “I learned about x-rays,” Rashaun said. “I learned how they help to find bad stuff in your body.”

“I learned about MRIs and what their images are going to be used for,” added Andrea.

“I learned what a CT scan does and what it’s used for and how it can be good and harmful,” said Mohamad.

Fifth-grader Isaac Amouzou was among a group of students who had special outside visitors see their projects.

His grandfather, Bruno Pennanesch, was eager to hear all about his project.

“Science” was the big word of the day at Lincoln Elementary School recently when students in all grade levels celebrated the various methods and principles of scientific inquiry at the school’s annual Science Fair.

Elaborately created tri-board displays lined hallways and classrooms as students in the third through sixth-grades toured the building with their teachers. Outside visitors included parents, grandparents and school officials, who were happy to see their science research work and often quizzed students on the details of their displays.

“The fair was about making connections with science and building more and more knowledge,” said Assistant Principal Marc Molina. “This brought our stakeholders together. It gave children a chance to interact with each other, and projects were a result of cooperative or independent learning. For teachers of different grade levels, it gave them a chance to see what other grade levels are doing.”

Isaac’s project was entitled, “The Epemba Effect,” named after Erasto Epemba, who, with his friends, realized it was quicker to make ice cream using boiled, hot milk. As his grandfather intently listened, Isaac explained the science behind that, noting most people would think just the opposite.

“It’s better to freeze hot water,” he said. “If you want to make a popsicle quickly, you must use hot water.”

Though Isaac said he’s definitely interested in science, he doesn’t plan a career in the science field.

When asked what he’d like to be when he grows up, Isaac immediately responded, “I’m going to be a criminal lawyer.

And, I’m going to attend Cornell University Law School.”

While he’s there, he’ll undoubtedly be making hot water popsicles for his professors and classmates.

Each grade level was assigned a specific theme to match its curriculum. Third-graders developed science projects tied to endangered species; fourth-graders focused on simple machines; fifth-graders created projects tied to life science; and sixth-graders were afforded a chance to create a research project on the topic of their choice.

3

Mount Vernon City School District Newsletter

DISTRICT WORKS TOWARD DIGITAL EQUITY FOR STUDENTS Children who do not have reliable Internet connectivity at home are unable to complete their homework from home, search for jobs, or apply to colleges or for financial aid.

The Mount Vernon City School District is working toward closing that digital equity gap by providing 300 students with devices and free high-speed Internet access through Sprint’s “1Million Project.”

“Ensuring that our students have the tools they need to succeed is a top priority for the District,” said Dr. Kenneth R. Hamilton, Mount Vernon City School District Superintendent. “By participating in the 1Million Project, we are able to provide 300 students with access to the Internet, a resource that has become increasingly more important for them to complete coursework and to excel academically.”

Mount Vernon is one of 120 school districts across the U.S. participating in the first year of Sprint’s “1Million Project,” a five-year program that seeks to provide free high-speed Internet access to one million students across the country, giving them the resources they need to achieve their full academic potential.

Since its launch in August 2017, 1Million Project has provided devices and Internet access to 120 eligible students at Mount Vernon High School, Nellie A. Thornton High School and Nelson Mandela High School. Students received their devices at the District’s holiday concert in December.

In order to qualify for a free phone, students must demonstrate a lack of access to the Internet at home by completing a form, which students’ parents are required to sign before the District processes their applications.

Qualifying students receive a free cell phone with 3GB of high-speed LTE data to use per month, as well as a text and calling plan that lasts for four years or until the student graduates high school. After graduation, students are able to keep their devices.

“As teachers increasingly adopt online curriculum tools, it’s important that we as a District seek to provide digital equity to our students beyond the school day,” said Joseph McGrath, Administrator for Technology for the Mount Vernon City School District. “We started by inviting our ninth graders to apply for the 1Million Project so that we could ensure long-term benefits through the program and are now offering it to all high school students.”

By the end of this school year, 300 high school students will have received a free cell phone and access to the Internet.

Every year for the next five years, 300 high school students will be selected to receive a free cell phone, data, texting and calling plan powered by Sprint. Qualifying students will be selected on a first come, first serve basis.

GETTING A FREE PHONE MIGHT BE EASIER THAN YOU THINK The Mount Vernon City School District has partnered with Sprint to provide 300 students with access to the internet through the 1Million Project.

If you have limited internet access at home, you may qualify for a free cell phone through the 1Million Project. You’ll also receive 3GB of highspeed LTE data to use per month, as well as a text and calling plan that lasts for four years or until graduation.

For more information, please contact your guidance counselor.

4

Volume XII: April 2018

TRAPHAGEN STUDENTS CELEBRATE AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE LADY KNIGHTS RETIRE #30 JERSEY Shamoya McKenzie’s No. 30 jersey was recently retired at the Mount Vernon High School gymnasium before her former teammates, friends, family, coaches and community. The touching tribute came prior to a girls junior varsity game, when her jersey which will be attached to the gymnasium wall was unveiled.

The Brotherhood Assembly at Traphagen School was set in post-World War I Harlem during the time of the great migration. Two million African Americans had headed north to look for work and to escape the Jim Crow Laws of the south. Those who settled in Harlem found themselves in the center of an arts renaissance. Fittingly, the students in the assembly used song, dance, and poetry to tell the story.

From a stirring rendition of the black spiritual “When the Saints go Marching in” featuring students on recorders to a soulful reading of “Dreams” by Langston Hughes, the assembly honored Black History Month by celebrating the many contributions people of African American descent have made to society.

Students Audrey Adejei, Sydney Whitaker and Natalie Medina narrated the assembly. They said they were happy to share facts people should know about African American history and culture.

“One thing I learned is that African American people fought in World War I,” said Medina.

The 13-year-old Graham Elementary School honor student died suddenly on New Year’s Eve 2016. Shamoya was a player on the junior varsity basketball team and was on her way home from her first practice with the varsity team when she tragically died. She had hopes of playing for UConn and the WNBA. “The significance of this event speaks to our belief in Shamoya’s great potential that wasn’t realized here in Mount Vernon,” said varsity girls basketball coach Erica Naughton. “She would have definitely ended up on that wall had she not been tragically taken from us.”

Shamoya’s mother, Nadine McKenzie, thanked the team for their support and comfort, which has helped the family go through this difficult time. She also challenged them to live solid lives in Shamoya’s honor. “Make a difference in society,” she told them. “Help me make sure that violence is discouraged.”

“Shamoya’s parents, family, teachers, principal, coaches, friends and teammates taught her to do the things it took to not only win basketball, but to win the game of life,” said School Board Trustee Israel Williams, who also helped create the Shamoya McKenzie Foundation. “She always displayed and played with sheer will, hard work, great energy, perseverance and a relentless winning mentality.”

“African American people made simple things that we use every day,” Adejei said.

“Without African American people we wouldn’t have some things that keep us safe today,” Whitaker added.

Things like lawn mowers, gas masks and traffic lights.

Principal Carol Quinones said the assembly aimed to expose students to the various narratives that exist in African American culture.

“It’s important that students understand their contribution to the fabric of our country,” said Quinones. “They have a role; they have a voice in our society; and they have to have historical perspective.”

5

Mount Vernon City School District Newsletter

DISTRICT LAUNCHES ‘BASICS’ EARLY EDUCATION CAMPAIGN • Count, Group, and Compare • Explore through Movement and Play • Read and Discuss Stories “We close the achievement gap as soon as our students are born,” said Dr. Gayle White-Wallace, Standards Administrator for Pre-K, ELA, Literacy and Social Studies (Elementary). “The Mount Vernon Basics is about loving, it’s about caring, and most of all, it’s about spending quality time with our children.”

The Mount Vernon City School District has launched the ‘Mount Vernon Basics’ campaign, an initiative that seeks to provide parents with the tools and resources needed to support their child’s early education.

The Mount Vernon Basics campaign is an effort to help support another districtwide initiative: Mount Vernon MBK Alliance. My Brother’s Keeper, established by former President Obama, aims to ensure that the nation’s boys and young men of color have equal opportunity to achieve academic and social success and prosperity. The mission of the Mount Vernon MBK Alliance is to make the American dream available to all boys and young men of color as a priority, and to all students of the Mount Vernon City School District overall.

Inspired by the research of Dr. Ronald Ferguson, the Mount Vernon Basics program shares tips and tools for families and caregivers to boost their children’s cognitive and social emotional development through simple, everyday tasks.

The program focuses on five evidence-based principles that support the early development of infants and toddlers ages 0-3.

“One of the tenets associated with MBK centers around early literacy, making sure students are on or above grade level by the time they’re in third grade,” said Dr. Kenneth R. Hamilton.

“The more skills we give our parents, the more resources we put in their bag of tricks, the more likely it is that we’ll be able to close the learning gaps faced by our students.”

“This program helps us reach out to our parent community and empower them with skills to help facilitate the learning process for kids,” said Dr. Kenneth R. Hamilton, Mount Vernon City School District Superintendent of Schools. “It’s about letting parents know what resources are available to them and bridging the gap between home and school.”

Through a series of videos, booklets, and ongoing workshops, parents in the Mount Vernon Community will have the opportunity to learn more about the Basics program, as well as tips for using everyday interactions to best support their children’s education and future success in life.

A kickoff event, sponsored by Dr. Waveline Bennett-Conroy, Assistant Superintendent of School Improvement and the district Parent Liaisons, was held in January at Friendship for Tots Early Child Learning Center and provided Mount Vernon parents of children ages 0-3 with an overview of the program.

Members of the Mount Vernon community, including Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas; Dr. DaMia Harris-Madden, Executive Director of the Mount Vernon Youth Bureau; and Wanda White, Board Trustee Vice President, addressed the parents and caregivers in attendance. Parents were then encouraged to participate in interactive sessions focused on the five principles that comprise the Basics program:

• Maximize Love, Manage Stress • Talk, Sing, and Point 6

Volume XII: April 2018

PERFORMING ARTS AND MAGNET SCHOOL STUDENTS PRESENT THE LION KING JR.

Students in the District’s Performing Arts and Magnet School captivated audiences with performances in January and March of The Lion King Jr. at Mount Vernon High School.

Over 1,000 people from the greater Mount Vernon community attended the performances, reaffirming the importance of arts in education.

The Performing and Visual Arts Magnet School was awarded a national grant to produce the show using the strengths and skill level of middle school students.

“This grant supported our efforts to present a stellar theatrical and musical production while providing our students with a holistic arts education experience that will help prepare them to be successful no matter what their future career paths,” said Evelyn Collins, the Performing and Visual Arts Magnet School’s founder/director. “The talent that we have in our community is amazing and every student who had a part in this production must be commended for the months of preparation it took to make all of our shows so fantastic and memorable.”

The Performing and Visual Arts Magnet School has 250 students in grades 6 through 9 from all Mount Vernon elementary, middle, private, Catholic and charter schools.

7

Mount Vernon City School District 165 N. Columbus Avenue Mount Vernon, NY 10552

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Permit # 5140 White Plains, NY

Board of Education Adriane G. Saunders, President Wanda White, Vice President Serigne M. Gningue Rosemarie Jarosz Micah J.B. McOwen Stanley Russo Arlene Torres Israel Williams

***ECRWSS*** Postal Patron Mount Vernon, NY

Lesly Zamor

MVHS BASKETBALL COACH TAKES HOME 500TH WIN Hamilton, Mount Vernon City School District Superintendent.

“The impact both he and his program have had on his students and community is immeasurable.”

Cimmino is the fourth Section 1 coach to have hit 500 wins and the first in the Mount Vernon City School District’s history. He is a six-time New York State Coach of the Year and a six-time Conference Coach of the Year. Additionally, Cimmino has been inducted into the New York State Coaches Association.

“The career total reflects many dedicated student athletes who have bought into our program of hard work, determination, and dedication,” said Cimmino. “I am also blessed with the best coaching staff in the USA. Lastly, there is no community to coach in like Mount Vernon. The Mount Vernon community loves and supports their Knights.”

Bob Cimmino, the Mount Vernon High School varsity boys’ basketball coach and athletic director, has won his 500th game. The milestone was achieved when Mount Vernon beat Scarsdale High School on Jan. 23.

In his 24 years as the Mount Vernon High School head coach, Cimmino has led his teams to 21 league championships, 16 New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYPHSSA) Section 1 titles, 15 of which have been won consecutively since 2000, seven NYPHSSA Class AA state championships, and four New York State Tournament of Champions Class AA titles.

“Having been an educator for over 30 years, I can say unequivocally that Coach Cimmino’s commitment and dedication to his players, to his coaching staff, to the school and to this community is incomparable,” said Dr. Kenneth R.