MOUNT VERNON — According to the 2009-10 school year report cards, Mount Vernon City Schools are effective, or better.
Columbia Elementary School is celebrating its first ever “excellent” designation, and both Wiggin Street and Twin Oak elementary schools earned “excellent with distinction” ratings.
Opened in March 22, 2005, Twin Oak is an amalgam of students from the former Elmwood and West Side elementary schools. It has a large (43.2 percent) free and reduced lunch population, and a substantial (17 percent) special education population.
“Although it is a blend of two student bodies with different characteristics, if you go through the building now, you don’t know where the students come from,” said Steve Short, school superintendent. “Students have more opportunities, more positive role models and higher expectations than before. Twin Oak provided students who were struggling with meeting any state indicators with an environment that four or five years later is excellent with distinction. It has been really encouraging for our staff to see some of those things take place.
