The District recently hosted Key Club Charter Ceremony to celebrate the reestablishment of student-led service organization
MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (May 13, 2019) — On April 25, 2019, members of the administration of Mount Vernon City School District and The Mount Vernon High School joined officers and members of the Mount Vernon Kiwanis to celebrate the re-chartering of the Key Club at The Mount Vernon High School. The event, which took place in the Community Room at MVHS, included the installation of six student officers and a special presentation of charter certificates to student members.
Key Club is a high school based, student-led leadership organization focused on promoting service by its members within their school communities, in their local hometowns, and throughout the world. The Mount Vernon High School Key Club was first chartered in 1958 and was a thriving organization into the late 1990s.
At the MVHS Key Club Charter Night event, student members were recognized for their leadership and involvement in reestablishing the international service and volunteer organization within their school. The re-chartering of the Mount Vernon Key Club was, in no small part, due to its sponsoring organization: Mount Vernon Kiwanis.
Mount Vernon Kiwanis is part of a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time. Established in 1926, it is made up of professionals from across the City, many of whom are Mount Vernon alumni, and served as Key Club, Circle K, or national and international leaders. Past Kiwanis International President, Tom DeJulio, Faculty Advisors Candice Offutt and Jeanne Casino, and Donna Jackson, President-designate of the Mount Vernon Kiwanis and Executive Assistant to the Superintendent for the District, played an integral role in the reestablishment of the District’s charter.
“I pledged over the last several years to work as a Kiwanis Club Counselor to revitalize the 92-year old Kiwanis Club in Mount Vernon. It came with the hope that someday we could re-charter the Key Club which Kiwanis sponsored since 1956,” said DeJulio. “As a 1969 Mount Vernon High School alumnus, I couldn’t be happier to pay it forward and encourage a new generation of young service leaders to join a club that desires to help others in their community, a habit that has guided my personal and professional life since I was a student in Mount Vernon High over 50 years ago.”
The 2019-2020 MVHS Key Club Officers include: President-elect Melody Molina, Vice President-elect Miguel Wolfe, Secretary Breana Broderick, Treasurer Ovar Johnson, Editor Brandon Monroe, and Webmaster Katherine Thomas.
“Serving as an officer teaches our students how to be a good board member, how to work in collaboration to achieve big goals, and how to manage and organize events – all skills that will benefit them in their college and professional level endeavors,” said Jackson.
Additional Key Club members include: Outgoing President Alexia Bernard and Outgoing Vice President Joseph Miller as well as Nahseem Bonner, Angelica Lavandier, Altonio Richardson, Ashley Reid, Sameillia McFarlane, Mackenzie Randolph, Nyus Samuel, and Tahj Wright.
To learn more about the Mount Vernon City School District, visit www.mtvernoncsd.org.
To learn more about Kiwanis International, visit www.kiwanis.org.
About Mount Vernon City School District
With more than 8,000 students in 16 schools, the Mount Vernon City School District is committed to providing a quality education to its children as well as developing programs that meet the diverse academic and social needs of its students.
