Respected arts director and magnet school founder appointed to principal at one of the District’s new high schools of choice
MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (August 29, 2018) — Evelyn Collins, founder and director of the Mount Vernon Performing & Visual Arts Magnet School, was appointed to the role of principal at the District’s Board of Education meeting Tuesday night. In this role, Collins will oversee the sequence of arts programs at the Magnet School, as well as the traditional academic curriculum of students at Nellie A. Thornton High School. Collins adds the role of principal to her repertoire, in addition to her role as Director of Arts & Gifted and Talented Education.
“Evelyn has been paramount in developing an enriching place for students across the District to explore their passions and academic pursuits,” said Mount Vernon City School District Superintendent Dr. Kenneth R. Hamilton. “Her background in the arts as well as her experience as a school administrator will ensure the transfer of students’ 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 Performing and Visual Arts Magnet School is one of three high schools of choice in the District. The program provides focused instruction in instrumental music, dance, theater, vocal music and visual arts, similar to that of a college conservatory for students in grades 6-10. Admitted students complete intensive theoretical, historical and practical study in a specified art field, in addition to their general education requirements of New York State.
An award-winning filmmaker, director and producer, Collins has worked as Director of Arts & Gifted and Talented Education for the Mount Vernon City School District for the past five years. She previously worked as a principal and assistant principal in New York City for nine years. Additionally, she was a professor at Parsons School of Design for four years.
“As principal, it is my duty to ensure that our upperclassmen graduate college-ready. This involves helping them understand their postgraduate goals, as well as the required coursework that colleges expect from qualified applicants,” said Collins. “Serving in this position also allows me to ensure the integrity of the Performing & Visual Arts Magnet School continues. It is my ultimate goal to be recognized as a Blue Ribbon School by the end of the academic year.”
The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes public and private elementary, middle and high schools based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing the achievement gap among student subgroups.
Collins’s primary responsibilities as principal of the Magnet School and Nellie A. Thornton High School include overseeing the development and curriculum of students in grades 6-12; working to maintain high graduation rates; supervising the administration and faculty of approximately 70 teachers between the two schools; and ensuring compliance with New York State learning goals; among others.
Collins holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education and Theatre, as well as a Master of Arts in Directing and Theatrical Production from the University of Michigan. She also holds a Master of Science in Educational Leadership and Administration from The College of New Rochelle and an MFA in Theatre Arts Management/Producing from Columbia University. She is a doctoral candidate at Fordham University, completing a historical case study on the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, a premier performing arts school in Washington, D.C. after which the Magnet School was modeled.
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.
