District News

Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation (MVCSC) recently hosted a very productive legislative breakfast with Speaker Brian Bosma, Senator Michael Crider, and Representative Bob Cherry. MVCSC’s board members, administration, and many representatives from public schools enjoyed breakfast while engaging with our local legislators. School districts in attendance also included Eastern Hancock, Greenfield, Southern Hancock, as well as representatives from South Madison, Shelby Eastern, and Warren Township Schools.

The Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation (MVCSC) is asking ALL MV parents, any in-district residents, businesses and community members to be a part of the “MV Community Champions” initiative to develop a 10-year Future Growth Plan. MVCSC asked hundreds of community members to attend two meetings from 7 - 8 p.m. on August 27, 2019 and January 21, 2020. Attendees shared their thoughts on the multiple options of growth possibilities, including how grade configurations are assigned in our schools. 

In January 2020, three FFA members (Madisen Carns, Kaeden Smith, and Ruthie Lamaster)  from Mt. Vernon High School will be traveling to Denver to compete at the Western National Roundup in at Colorado State University.  

Mt. Vernon High School senior, Tessa Freeman, was one of two seniors in Hancock County to receive the Lilly Endowment Scholarship.  Both winners were formally recognized at a reception hosted by the Hancock County Community Foundation (HCCF) on December 10th. The CEO of the HCCF, HCCF Committee Chair, school administrators, and past Lilly scholars all spoke to honor the scholarship recipients. 

Bus stop violations are serious offenses that endanger the lives of children everywhere. Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation (MVCSC) wants to put an end to the stop arm violations by encouraging parents, community members, and student drivers to pay attention and always stop when a bus stop arm is out.

McCordsville Elementary School (MES) hosted their fifth annual “Shark Tank” on November 22, 2019.  This event gives the opportunity for fourth grade students create their own business ideas and present them to four fourth grade teachers who are posing as “sharks.”  The Shark Tank event began the event with a video clip of the “Little After Noon” talk show, hosted by MES Art Teacher, Terry Trowbridge, in which he interviewed the world famous band “Sonny and the Samsonites,” (also known as the MES fourth grade teachers).  

The Fortville Elementary School (FES) fourth grade students utilized a number of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) applications to create a gingerbread replica of the Town of Fortville.  Students were placed into groups and assigned a business to research and create. All buildings were then connected to create a delicious replica of Main Street.  

Mt. Vernon High School (MVHS) recently welcomed a group of 16 students and 2 teachers from Neihu High School in Taiwan. This is the start of a full exchange; in June, some of our MVHS students will be visiting these same students in Taiwan. The group from Taiwan were immersed in American culture for a full week, while sharing aspects of their own culture with Mt. Vernon students and staff.

For Mt. Vernon staff that are on the district’s insurance, Andrea Miles, Activate’s Nurse Practitioner, is scheduled to be on maternity leave beginning in early December. Two other Nurse Practitioners will fill her shoes through early February: Susan Conner and Kimberly Jefvert.

The Mt. Vernon High School (MVHS) Girls Soccer team was one of two Indiana teams to recently be recognized with the Team Pinnacle Award for the 2018-2019 season. To be considered for this award, the teams must have received a platinum, gold, silver, or bronze version of the High School Team Ethics and Sportsmanship Award, achieved the High School or College Team Academic Award, and winning percentage of 75% or higher during the respective season.  

Ressie Lemmon, a third grader at Fortville Elementary School, has just recently advanced to the ages seven through nine Drive, Chip, and Putt (DCP) National Finals at Augusta. Ressie scored 93 points at the Regional Qualifier at Oakland Hills to advance her to the Nationals. 

Superintendent Dr. Jack Parker has scheduled six “Traveling Talks” throughout the district for the 2019-20 school year.  These “Traveling Talks” are an opportunity for community members to communicate directly with Dr. Parker and share their hopes, questions, and/or concerns about Mt. Vernon schools. This casual dialogue is designed to connect the community with school leadership.  

The Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation has announced that Mr. Jeff Brandes has been named as a Mt. Vernon Middle School Assistant Principal, effective October 21, 2019. Mr. Brandes comes to Mt. Vernon Schools with a wide range of skills and experience, including school improvement, behavioral support, academic support, athletics, social support, and schoolwide data. 

Mt. Vernon Schools turned their September 25 eLearning Day into an annual Community Service Day. Mt. Vernon High School and Mt. Vernon Middle School students were given the opportunity to give back to their community through various service projects. Over forty students signed up to spend three hours of their eLearning Day serving the community in a variety of ways.

Mt. Vernon Middle School (MVMS) Seventh Grade Social Studies teacher, Ms. Deb Thomas, is a Top 10 Finalist for the Indiana Teacher of the Year.  Ms. Thomas has been exemplifying the use of student engagement, cultural awareness, and community learning in her classroom at MVMS for 29 years.   

IUPUI had some big dreamers visiting their campus in September!  As a part of the Hancock County Promise, nearly 1,000 kindergarteners flooded the IUPUI campus and were involved in activities that helped inspire their futures beyond high school. This annual event was held at IUPUI’s Michael A. Carroll Stadium.  

Mt. Vernon Mini-Marauder Preschool was recently awarded a capacity-building grant of over $17,400 from the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA). The Mini-Marauder Preschool will use these funds for additional staffing, classroom materials, evidence-based curriculum/instruction materials and family engagement.

The safety of students and staff is the number one priority at Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation (MVCSC). The district was recently awarded a $100K Secured School Safety Grant ($50K grant with $50K matching funds). This grant allows MVCSC to provide additional tools and resources to protect its students and staff.  

With Indiana’s unpredictable weather, Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation (MVCSC) parents/guardians should be prepared with childcare plans for school cancellations and multiple two-hour delays. In the unlikely event that we have more than six eLearning days per year, MVCSC has developed guidelines to ensure we have at least 174 (out of 180) days of in-school instruction. Beginning in the 2019-2020 school year, we will try to have no more than six cumulative eLearning days per school year. 

Providing support and resources for mental health is a top priority in the Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation (MVCSC). Mt. Vernon Schools are taking major steps in educating students, staff, and parents/guardians on the importance of mental health and wellness through programming and resources. 

Mt. Vernon High School sophomore, Maitlyn Griner, was recently selected to represent the state of Indiana as the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Youth Advocate.  D.A.R.E. is a program that is dedicated to teaching children about the dangers of substance abuse, violence, and other potentially harmful behaviors. Maitlyn will hold this position until she graduates in May 2022.

The Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation would like to welcome Mr. Ryan King as the new Assistant Principal of McCordsville Elementary School. Mr. King previously served in the Carmel Clay School District for nine years as a 4th and 5th grade elementary teacher. He has led or designed numerous professional development opportunities for staff and excels in cultivating positive relationships with students, parents, and his colleagues. 

New! Any resident living in our district that is at least 65 years old will be able to receive a new “Mt. Vernon 65+ Club” card that will provide them with free admission to most Mt.Vernon Middle School and Mt. Vernon High School events. There are a few exclusions, such as IHSAA playoff games, ISSMA events, HHC tournament games, and designated events. Additional information can be found on the www.mvcsc.k12.in.us/65Club webpage.

Mt. Vernon Middle School (MVMS) principal, Mr. Benjamin Williams, recently graduated from the Indiana Principal Leadership Institute (IPLI). Housed at Indiana State University’s Bayh College of Education, IPLI is a two-year experience that addresses the professional needs of Indiana public school principals with an emphasis on student success. It was created with bipartisan support by the Indiana General Assembly in 2013.  

The Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation (MVCSC) has named Mrs. Alissa Lockwood as the new Mt. Comfort Elementary Principal. She will begin this new leadership tenure on July 1, 2019. Lockwood has most recently served as the Assistant Principal of McCordsville Elementary School for the last three years. In her first year she helped to raise the school’s letter grade from a “D” to an “A,” and most recently was named a Four Star School by the Indiana Department of Education.

The Indiana Department of Education has recently awarded Mt. Vernon Middle School (MVMS) with the Indiana Gold Star School Counseling Award. This award recognizes the effort that MVMS continuously makes to have a comprehensive, data-driven counseling program that aims to reach ALL students.

Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation has recently named school board scholars from the 2018-2019 school year.

Mr. Casey Dodd has been named as the Mt. Vernon High School Principal and will begin his tenure on July 1, 2019. He has held a variety of leadership positions in all grade levels at Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation. Mr. Dodd most recently served the last two years as the Mt. Comfort Elementary Principal and the year as the district’s Title One Coordinator.

The Senior Class of 2019 celebrated their graduation preparation by participating in the “Marauder Mile,” modeling to younger students that they too can achieve the ultimate accomplishment: graduation. Seniors had the opportunity to parade through all three Mt. Vernon elementary schools, as well as Mt. Vernon Middle School (MVMS). The seniors were greeted warmly by the students who lined the halls, giving them high-fives throughout their walk.

McCordsville Elementary School (MES) and Fortville Elementary School (FES) recently celebrated the month of racing by hosting "Kindy 500." This event has also been called the “Cutest Spectacle in Racing.” Kindergarteners decorated a cardboard box as a race car, paraded through their school and completed a lap in front of an audience of parents. The former Indy 500 broadcaster, Paul Page, was in attendance to announce the race at MES. The festivities ended with medals, milk, and lots of smiles.

The Class of 2019's graduation was a great success with the graduates, speeches, performances and weather. There were approximately 298 students who walked across the stage to receive their diploma. The graduates seemed ready to move on to their bright futures, prepared with one of the finest academic preparations in the state. (See the photo gallery HERE).

The graduation ceremony for Mt. Vernon High School’s (MVHS) Class of 2019 will take place on Friday, May 31st at 7:30 p.m. at the MVHS Hancock Health Stadium.

Mt. Vernon High School (MVHS) seniors set out to give back to Mt. Vernon on senior work day. Seniors who participated in the event worked from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m., and went to several different locations to perform various service duties. Their day of service was followed by a cookout with the administration team at the track. After lunch, they picked up their cap & gown in preparation for graduation next week.

McCordsville Elementary School (MES) fourth grade students recently participated in their annual Living History Museum event. Each student was assigned a famous American from Indiana who they researched and personified for an afternoon. Students created a poster, dressed up as the character and prepared a brief speech that was automated when their “button” was pressed.

Mt. Vernon High School (MVHS) hosted its annual career fair on Tuesday, May 14th, 2019.

The music department at Mt. Vernon High School (MVHS) has recently been awarded with the coveted Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) All-Music Award for the 2018-2019 school year. MVHS is one of only 14 high schools in the state of Indiana to earn a Total Department Award in 2019.

McCordsville Elementary School (MES) art teacher, Mr. Terry Trowbridge, recently put forth a daring effort to break the world record for largest god’s eye, as found in the Guinness World Records. A god’s eye is a object made by weaving yarn around an “x” made with two wooden sticks. Mr. Trowbridge led his fifth grade class in the quest, and they will hear the results of their feat in the fall of 2019.

Many students from the senior class of 2019 attended the Senior Honor Night to be recognized for their outstanding achievements. As the seniors entered the stage, students’ names were announced with the college or university they plan to attend next year, as well as their intended course of study. The ceremony began with opening remarks from the Mt. Vernon High School (MVHS) Principal, Mr. Greg Roach and the Director of the Mt. Vernon Education Foundation (MVEF), Mrs. Renee Oldham. The MVEF sponsored the event as well as a reception for students and their families to celebrate after the awards ceremony.