District News

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

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.

Mt. Vernon staff were honored at the End of the Year Breakfast with a number of awards and recognitions, including Teacher & Staff of the Year, Make-a-Wish Educator of the Year

Mr. Greg Elkins has been named as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation (MVCSC), effective July 1, 2019. Mr. Elkins has been serving as the Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations for Blackford County Schools.

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).

Out-of-District Transfer Application Information:
2019-2020 School Year

Students who wish to transfer into Mt. Vernon Schools from another school district must complete an online application during the designated windows. This includes all students who are currently attending a Mt. Vernon school and are not residing within the school / district boundaries.

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. 

Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation (MVCSC) celebrated two days of Unified Champions field days in May. Unified Champions is a program that engages schools in creating climates of inclusion, acceptance, respect and human dignity for ALL students. Students with and without disabilities competed on the same teams to keep an inclusive environment where every student participates regardless of athletic, intellectual, ambulatory or functional abilities

We are asking ourselves the question: “As good as we are, what can we do to be even better?”  Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation has excellent programs for our students that are led by extremely dedicated staff.  In working to achieve our mission to engage, educate, and empower our students, we believe that a concerted effort to ensure that all students learn at high levels is our avenue to excellence!

Mr. Chris Smedley has been named as the Assistant Superintendent for the Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation (MVCSC), effective July 1, 2019. Mr. Smedley has been serving as MVCSC’s Chief Financial Officer since September 2017. In addition, he recently served as one of the Interim Co-Superintendents for MVCSC from June through December 2018.

The Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation (MVCSC) will be closing all buildings on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from June 3 through July 12 in an effort to be more efficient with our energy conservation. Employees will move to four 10-hour days during these weeks.

MVCSC anticipates this will save the district $10,000 - $20,000; this effort will continue to leverage our resources and maximize our operating and energy efficiency in preparation for the loss of our Increment Funds in 2022.  

As Jo-Anne Beitel led the Fortville Elementary School students through yoga poses and breathing prompts, she encouraged them to notice how they felt and thanked them for their mindfulness.

Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation Creates a Sustainable Budget Plan to Prepare for Intended Increment Funding Loss in 2022
 

Mt. Comfort Elementary School is embarking on a special project called “One School, One Book” for the month of April. “One School, One Book” is essentially a school-wide book club where all staff and students read the book at the same pace. Each student and staff member has received a copy of the book From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg. Students and staff will be asked to read the book at home with their families over the course of the next few weeks.

McCordsville Elementary School (MES) fourth grade students participated in the annual “Shark Tank” project. Students had to use their knowledge of the scientific method, persuasive writing, and presentation skills to develop a business as an entrepreneur. Finalists for the project presented their inventions in front of their peers, Superintendent Dr. Jack Parker, Principal Stephanie Miller, and the “Sharks,” who were their fourth grade teachers posing as famous band members. This year’s inventions included “Spros,” a backpack that is useful for all types of sports; “Flipsides,” double sided pillowcases; “Happy and Healthy,” a delicious and nutritious popsicle; “Cup-A-Desk,” a magnetic cup-holder that prevents spills; and finally “Flexi Mats,” a gymnastics mat that doubles as a chair.

Mr. Brandon Ecker, Mt. Vernon High School (MVHS) Athletic Director, has recently received the Indiana Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (IIAAA) “District 4 Charles F. Maas Distinguished Service Award.” Mr. Ecker was recognized for the following qualities of an effective athletic leader: integrity, honesty, citizenship, sportsmanship, self-discipline, communication skills, positive attitude, responsibility, impartiality, strong work ethic, and respect and honor of the profession.

Mt. Vernon Middle School (MVMS) eighth graders recently participated in the annual Walk-on-Water science experiment. Multiple teams competed in the project that challenged students to use their critical thinking skills. Each team had to build a float that would allow one member of their team to "walk" across the length of the pool. The floats were not tested until the day of the challenge. If the float sank before it crossed the pool, the team was out of the competition.

The Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation (MVCSC) is pleased to share that the Mt. Vernon High School and McCordsville Elementary School are among those recognized by the Indiana Department of Education as Indiana’s Four Star Schools for the 2017-2018 school year.

Mt. Vernon High School English teacher, Mrs. Jennifer Leavell, recently received a $2,500 grant from Forum Bank to purchase high interest books for her students. She was able to use the money from the grant to purchase 210 books- mostly novels, as well as a few nonfiction books. The Forum Foundation’s Educator Grants are offered to provide teacher materials for classroom projects and enhance student learning.

Mt. Vernon Middle School was selected among 61 middle schools in Indiana as the sole recipient of the Financial Field Day.  MVMS partnered with MassMutual Foundation, an organization that sponsors the FutureSmart digital course powered by EverFi, for a Financial Field Day. A group of MVMS students participated in a program over the course of a few weeks that helped them to recognize the importance of financial literacy. The curriculum ended with a special Financial Field Day lead by EverFi representatives that provided interactive group activities that corresponded with what they learned in the digital course.

Mr. Caleb Zelencik, chemistry teacher at MVHS, recently received a grant from the Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program through Lilly Endowment. The grant was first started in 1987 as a way for teachers to renew their commitment and passion for teaching. Mr. Zelencik will be using the $12,000 in grant funds to take a month long trip to Spain this summer and walk roughly 500 miles on the Camino de Santiago. This trip will connect him with his Spanish speaking students and share the enriching culture collectively with his students.

Student Council members from Mt. Vernon Middle School (MVMS), Fortville Elementary School (FES), and Mt. Vernon High School (MVHS) worked together to host a Million Meals Movement at MVMS on Saturday, February 16th. Million Meals Movement is an organization that was created in 2007 with a two-fold vision- to feed the hungry and promote volunteerism. The Mt. Vernon community packed a total of 15,000 meals that will be distributed to central Indiana residents, making Mt. Vernon’s first district meal packing event a success!

Mt. Vernon Middle School 8th Graders celebrated Black History Month in February with an annual live jazz concert featuring many genres, including blues, rock, R&B, and contemporary/pop. This private concert celebrating music performed by famous black Americans is always a big hit with the students. The band played music performed by Prince, Louis Armstrong, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Lenny Kravitz, James Brown, among other notable black American musicians.

Mt. Vernon High School (MVHS) junior, Cam Cole, is one of 23 students in Indiana fundraising in an effort to earn the title of Student of the Year through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) and the first student at MVHS to do so. The campaign began on January 24th and lasts seven weeks, ending on March 16th. Cam and his team, comprised of other Mt. Vernon students and parents, are aiming to raise $15,000 in donations to ultimately move closer to a cancer-free world.

Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation is welcoming a new medical assistant to the Activate Health Clinic, Ms. Caitlin Laughlin. The staff will enjoy her welcoming smile and friendly demeanor when visiting the clinic.

Students in Mrs. Jessica Daugherty’s high ability class at Fortville Elementary School have been participating in a unique STEM project with Katey Kitterman from Sunrise Bakery. The students were assigned to create a bakery of their own- including a business model, recipe chart, and marketing techniques to help them learn about strategic planning.

The Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation recently hosted a legislative breakfast focused on education topics with panelists Speaker Bosma, Senator Crider, and Representative Cherry. Leaders from all school districts in the county attended, as well as a few districts bordering our county.

Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation’s new Superintendent, Dr. Jack Parker, started his mission of becoming familiar with the district by riding a bus with elementary students on his first day. Within his first week, he toured each of Mt. Vernon’s five schools and the preschool. Within the next six months, Dr. Parker plans to engage with staff and students at each of the schools, learn about Mt. Vernon, and connect with the community.

Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation (MVCSC) recently welcomed a group of three administrators and 13 elementary students from Taiwan. The group had the opportunity to experience several aspects of American culture, including education in a one-to-one environment (one computer device for each student/staff). The Taiwanese came to Mt. Vernon in hopes of learning more of the English language and immersing themselves in the daily schedule as a Mt. Vernon student/teacher.

Fortville Elementary School (FES) fourth graders have used their STEM knowledge to create a replica of the Town of Fortville using graham crackers and other additional edible materials. This “Gingerbread Town of Fortville” gave five fourth-grade classes an opportunity to collectively create a replica. Each class was given a portion of the town to develop, and then pairs of students were assigned a specific building.

The holiday season often inspires a love of giving, and a Mt. Vernon High School (MVHS) student took it upon himself to give a teacher something he will never forget: the gift of seeing colors.

The High-Tech Academy teacher at Mt. Vernon High School (MVHS), Mrs. Julie Bravard Johnson, has been instructing her students on how to make arcade machines in order to advance their initiative of learning more about the science of programming. A unique twist to this technology project was that it involved fifth graders to test their product.

Fortville Elementary School held their second annual Grandparents Day on Friday, November 30th, 2018. Approximately 1,000 guests joined the celebration. The day consisted of students spending quality time with their loved ones while browsing the selection of books at the book fair and making crafts with their grandparents.

The School Board of Trustees at the Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation has named Dr. Jack Parker as Superintendent. Dr. Parker will officially accept the Superintendency position at the December School Board meeting on December 17, 2018, and the start of his contract will be effective on January 7, 2019. The community is invited to attend a reception in his honor after the December 17 School Board meeting at approximately 7:30 p.m. in the Administrative Service Center, 1806 W. State Road 234, Fortville, IN 46040.

Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation (MVCSC) was recently awarded with a K-6 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Acceleration Grant from the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE).  In recent years, both the IDOE and MVCSC have focused on a multitude of efforts to increase the STEM initiative in schools. The IDOE awarded MVCSC nearly $50,000 to further advance STEM education in the elementary and middle schools.

Mt. Vernon Middle School (MVMS) is one of the six middle schools in the state to receive an award from Champions Together in the Middle for the 2017-18 school year. Champions Together in the Middle is a partnership between the Indiana Middle-Level Education Association and Special Olympics Indiana.

Thanks to a grant from the Mt. Vernon Education Foundation, 19 Mt. Vernon High School students experienced a writing workshop from published author, Mike Mullin.  Mr. Mullin wrote the Ashfall trilogy and most recently published the book Surface Tension.  All students left the “funshop” with the start of their own novel.  

Each year, two students from Hancock County are carefully selected to receive a full-ride scholarship to any Indiana college through the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship, which is administered by the Hancock County Community Foundation. Two students from each Hancock County high school in the top 15% of their class are chosen to be finalists for the scholarship. The finalists are accomplished and driven teens who set themselves apart from their peers with their philanthropic interests.  The two Mt. Vernon High School students chosen as 2018 Lilly Endowment Scholarship finalists are seniors Cade Gentry and Emma Walker.

The Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation recently celebrated Veteran’s Day at McCordsville Elementary, Mt. Comfort Elementary, Fortville Elementary, and Mt. Vernon Middle School, honoring those who have served or are currently serving in the United States Armed Forces.

The students participating in the aviation classes at Mt. Vernon High School have already experienced more training at their age than most employed pilots.  These aviation students, comprised of students from Greenfield Central High School and Mt. Vernon High School, have flown with a pilot and also visited the Indianapolis Regional Airport where they saw the Indiana State Police’s planes and helicopters in their aviation hangar.  The students recently participated in a flight simulation training, as well as being among the select few admitted inside the Indianapolis International Airport’s control tower.

Recently, a group of Mt. Vernon educators visited Anshan, China to exchange educational practices with schools in Anshan. MVCSC hopes to continue the partnership with Anshan schools and set up further student and teacher exchanges to advance Mt. Vernon’s International Exchange program.

Mt Vernon Community School Corporation is excited to announce that we were rated as an “A District” by the Indiana Department of Education for the 2017-2018 school year.  We would like to congratulate our students, teachers, administrators, and support staff for their outstanding performance as well as their commitment to excellence.  

Mt. Vernon High School (MVHS) recently introduced a Makerspace room as yet another STEM infusion to benefit the high school students and staff.  A Makerspace is a collaborative work space providing a hands-on, creative way to encourage students to design, experiment, build and invent as they engage in science, engineering, learning and exploring.  

The Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation (MVCSC) has partnered with the Fortville Entrepreneurship Initiative to offer a startup pitch competition for high school students and entrepreneurs in the community.  This startup pitch competition event is for high school students, nonprofits, and area startups with the goal to foster an entrepreneurial mindset in our community and provide a forum to share big ideas. Entrepreneur ideas pitched that night will be in part funded by the audience’s selection.

Mt. Vernon High School recently sent a group of 6 students and 3 administrators to Québec and Montreal, Canada to experience French culture and utilize the French that the students have learned in school. Mt. Vernon has been pursuing trips similar to this one in order to advance the goal of expanding the district’s international program and immersing students into other cultures.

The Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation is transforming teaching environments by partnering with a program called Modern Teacher. This program has been used for the past two years, engaging leadership and teaching staff into defining what an effective modern teaching environment looks like in the classroom.

Approximately 85 Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation (MVCSC) students chose to serve their community on the district’s scheduled eLearning Day. Mt. Vernon is constantly demonstrating to students the importance of serving others and building quality character traits.

Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation (MVCSC) is inviting all realtors and home builders to attend a (free) breakfast on Wednesday, October 17th from 9 - 10:30 a.m. at the MVCSC Administrative Service Center.  Realtors will learn about Mt. Vernon Schools and enjoy a facility tour. See the realtor breakfast flyer for additional information.

Rebekah Tilley tightened a long, stretchy tourniquet around the upper arm of Laurie Gwaltney.

One youngster wants to be a swimming teacher. Another is undecided. And one little girl, in kindergarten at J.B. Stephens Elementary School in Greenfield, told counselor Christy Harpold she wants to be a T-Rex.

Mt. Vernon High School (MVHS) recently became part of an elite group of approximately eight high schools in Indiana that offer a college aviation course.  MVHS began a collaboration with Ivy Tech Community College to implement an aviation course for juniors and seniors this 2018-2019 school year. The key coordinators who worked on putting this course into practice were the Director of Secondary Education Mr. Scott Shipley, Mt. Vernon High School Principal Mr. Greg Roach, Ivy Tech Aviation Program Chair Mr. Matt Medley, and the Ivy Tech Aviation Course Instructor Mr. Jack Morton.