New, Improved and Upgraded

Since school let out in May, Faculty and Staff have been preparing for the first day of the 2022-2023 school year. Committed to designing new and maintaining existing flexible spaces to increase our students’ capacity to spark wonder; to build, imagine, create, and learn, the School made significant improvements to several major Lower Campus areas.

Education & Activities Buildings
The Education & Activities Buildings house Kindergarten through Grade-5 classrooms as well as Arts, Maker, and Design spaces on the Lower Campus. New carpeting, upgraded lighting, fresh paint, and a huge “Better Together” mural were added to revitalize the environment in which our students spend their days discovering.

Lower Campus Gym
The Lower Campus Gym is considered to be one of the largest gathering places on Lower Campus, where K – Grade 5 have PE and assemblies, and also where Middle School, JV/Varsity Cheer and Basketball teams practice and compete. With a birds’ eye view from the lobby in the main entrance of the Activities Building, aesthetic improvements can easily be seen. A larger-than-life MOUNT VERNON mural stretches across the back of the bleachers and a new MV monogram graces center court. In addition to the visible changes, safety features were added, to include leveling, sanding, and refinishing the court floor, replacing the wall pads and bleacher treads, and enhancing the overall setting by installing LED lighting throughout.

The Frontier
Mount Vernon’s natural play area, the Frontier, gained nearly 30 new play structures designed to help develop core strength, and promote gross motor skills by providing safe climbing spaces for Toddlers – Grade 1 to explore. Many of these improvements were suggestions from PK5 students, who presented ideas to MV leadership last spring, and Grade 5 students who participated in an Inquiry Based Learning module about playgrounds for all ages. Improvements include climbing ladders and walls, garden viewing structures, a science center and weather station, musical fences, art easels, and wind chimes. Perhaps the most exciting feature for our Mount Vernon littles is the new water pump with terraces to allow for larger groups to play together. Parents and teachers are also excited about the new fence around the perimeter to increase safety and security.

The Ron Hill Field
While Lower Campus was the main focus this summer, Upper Campus experienced significant improvements as well. We encourage everyone to come check out the recently named Ron Hill Field on Friday, August 26 at 4:30 pm for the first home Varsity Football game and BBQ. This is a free event and all are welcome. Attendees can see that the Upper Campus multi-purpose field has been completely redone with new turf including markings for football, soccer, and lacrosse. The practice track has been resurfaced and the fencing around it has been replaced. A new state-of-the-art video scoreboard now stands alongside the field that many students and faculty are calling a jumbotron due to its breathtaking size and clarity.

These improvements were all made possible due to the generous giving of the Mount Vernon Community to the Annual Fund.