Mount Vernon High School (Fortville, Indiana)

Mount Vernon High School
MVHS, 2011
Address
8112 N. 200 W. Fortville, Indiana, (Hancock County), 46040  United States
Information
Type	Public High School
Established	1963
School district	Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation
School code	3135
Principal	Bernard Campbell
Faculty	81
Grades	8–12
Enrollment	1,378
Student to teacher ratio	13.5
Color(s)	old gold, black, and white
Fight song	"Hail, Hail, to Mt. Vernon High"
Athletics conference	Hoosier Heritage Conference
Mascot	The Marauder 30px
Team name	Marauders
Website	MVHS

Mt. Vernon High School is a public high school located in Fortville, Indiana and is part of the Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation. It serves students from Vernon and Buck Creek townships in northwestern Hancock County. Mt. Vernon High School has grown in past years due to a continuous areal population increase, having had expansions/renovations in 1972, 1994, and 2011.

Student Body

The 2009-2010 enrollment was 1084 students, with an 88.8% graduation rate for the class of 2009. The 2010-2011 enrollment was 1121 students.

Mission statement

Mt. Vernon High School provides an educational environment which promotes maximum academic achievement through independent and critical thinking, good citizenship and healthy living, the ability to participate effectively in a culturally diverse society, the development of aesthetic appreciation, and the development of skills necessary for independent lifelong learning.

History

During the mid 1950’s the “buzz” word in educational circles in Indiana was consolidation. Most rural schools were considered to be too small to provide quality programs for students; therefore, the state mandated schools consolidate together. Because Fortville and McCordsville Schools were in the same township in Hancock County, they were a natural choices for consolidation. The Fall of 1959 saw these two somewhat rival towns join hands and become Vernon Township Schools, locating the high school at Fortville, the junior high school at McCordsville, and elementary schools at both locations. This arrangement existed for the next four school years. Land was purchased at the corner of Indiana 234 and 200 West, but no construction took place because a small group of citizens attained national publicity by protesting and demonstrating against the spending of tax dollars for the building.

In 1963 Mt. Comfort School, located in Buck Creek Township immediately south of Vernon Township, was faced with the decision of consolidating with the district to their north (Vernon Township) or south (New Palestine). The eventual decision was to the north, thus Vernon Township and Mt. Comfort became what is now known as the Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation. The name was derived from the Mt. in Mt. Comfort and the Vernon in Vernon Township. In the fall of 1963, Mt. Vernon High School opened its doors for the first time and graduated the class of 1964 with 70 students. The class of 2007, with 211 students, was the 44th to graduate from the school.

As a result of the second consolidation, the high school remained in the old Fortville building until February 1969 when the present building was dedicated as it took over ten years of legal "hassles” to build the facility and then without a gym. The gym and outdoor fields were constructed in 1972 when monies became available. Physical education classes were bussed three miles (5 km) one way each period, and all sporting events were held at the old Pendleton High School gym, which served as the home court, or on opponents’ courts during these three years. The school was built on the property purchased in 1959, even though it was not centrally located within the newly created district.

Two major renovations have been made to Mt. Vernon High School over the years. In the mid 1980’s a new roof and heating/air conditioning system were installed, followed by a thirteen million dollar addition and renovation in 1994. This addition included 106,530 square feet (9,897 m²) of new space and 27,820 of renovated space, bringing the total square footage of the high school to 221,130. The 1994 project added numerous classrooms, an auxiliary gymnasium (with indoor running track and weight room), auditorium, and new science and computer labs. The school currently was then designed to accommodate 1,000 students.

The gymnasium exterior, 2011

In 2007, ground was broken for the school's latest expansion project, which when finished in 2011 brought the capacity up to 1,500 students. This addition included a two-story addition composed of 10 science labs, 4 visual art rooms, 4 FACS classrooms, and 18 general education classrooms. The addition to the main gym included concession stands, a new lobby, a weight room, and a wrestling room. On the west side of the building, a new 610-student cafeteria with four serving lines was erected as well as a new music education area and a new, larger media center. The auditorium, both gymnasiums, and front office areas were renovated, bringing the size of the building from 270,000 square feet (25,000 m²) to 440,000 square feet (41,000 m²).

Geography

Within the boundaries of the Mt. Vernon School Corporation are several small towns which make up the school community. To the north are the towns of Fortville, McCordsville, Woodbury and Mohawk. The southern part of the district is made up of Mt. Comfort, Cumberland and Philadelphia. The small town atmosphere is one of the attractions, which brings families from the city to settle in the country. The Mt. Vernon School district is located near 3 major interstates, I- 70, I-69 and I-465 which give easy access for Hancock County residents to work in the surrounding cities such as Indianapolis, Muncie, and Anderson.

References

External links

• Official Homepage
• Indiana DOE Compass
• List of high schools in Indiana
• Hoosier Heritage Conference

Coordinates: 39°54′6.5″N 85°50′39.5″W / 39.901806°N 85.844306°W / 39.901806; -85.844306