MountVernonToday.com

A four-member team quickly enters a burning building searching for victims in need of medical attention. Outside a two-member team works to douse a fully engaged fire.

The situations are all simulations, scenarios being carried out by MV CERT (Community Emergency Response Team). The team recently held a practice drill at the Westchester County Fire Training Center where members performed a search and rescue and triage, fire suppression and received training on radiation monitoring and defibrillator usage.

Last year the Mount Vernon City School District implemented a new form of communicating with parents and the community. The district began holding Community Conversations, a town hall meeting hosted and moderated by the PTA. Each meeting focused on a specific topic and gave parents and community members an opportunity to share their concerns, ask questions from district officials and staff.

The district is moving forward in the 2010-2011 school year with our Community Conversations. Dates and topics can be found below:

Former Mount Vernon, New York resident and Class of 88 Mount Vernon High School graduate, Kaya Henderson has been named the interim Chancellor of the Washington DC school system. We will have a full story on these developments in the coming days.

Additionally, Chancellor Henderson will be the special guest of Mount Vernon Today in our first ever LIVE symposium featuring ”The Mount Vernon Distinguished Leaders Series” to be held in Mount Vernon, New York and simulcast LIVE on WVOX and moderated by former Westchester County Executive Andy Spano.

As luck would have it, Mount Vernon Today had previously been discussing  the details of the symposium with Chancellor Henderson months prior to her new appointment and discussed the particulars just last week. Mount Vernon Today will be announcing the details of the symposium which will be highlighting education very soon.

(Please check back here for developments in this breaking story)

Grimes Elementary School opened its doors Friday after a four-day closing due to a power outage that occurred on Monday.

The 56,000 square foot building with more than 500 kids had a short circuit on the main power cable, according to Director of Communications for the Mount Vernon City School District Desiree Grand.

School officials closed the Grimes for four days to give electricians enough time to fix the cables. “We wanted to make sure that the cables got fixed and everything was working properly,” said Grand adding that they were not sure as to why the building had a power outage: “It’s a fairly new building.”

While kids enjoyed school being out, teachers attended three days of professional development. To make up for missed days, children will attend school on days initially scheduled as teacher professional development days. “Instead of having half days, they will have a full day of school.”

With no fatal injuries, the school will continue to use its emergency evacuation procedure if a situation occurs.