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Culinary arts students kick off CTE Week with baking presentation

Culinary arts students kick off CTE Week with baking presentation
Culinary arts students kick off CTE Week with baking presentation

On Monday afternoon, the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Department kicked off CTE Week at Mount Vernon High School. This began a week-long series of events surrounding and promoting the CTE curriculum. Scholars in Samantha Cohen’s culinary arts class enjoyed a presentation and Q&A done by Miranda Bucciero, a pastry chef and business owner of Flour Power, a local business located in Pelham Manor. 

Miranda gave the culinary scholars valuable lessons and advice on education, starting and running a small business and her own experiences as a pastry chef. Students were engaged in Miranda's presentation, and many of them wanted to start businesses themselves. They asked questions like, “How do you manage a team of employees at your bakery?” and “How many hours do you work a week as a business owner?”

This presentation was the first of several held during the week. On Wednesday, May 7, CTE students will attend a presentation on labor rights and working papers, shown by the New York State Department of Labor. The week will close out with the annual CTE Fair on Friday morning, allowing students at MVHS to learn about all the educational pathways they can take.  
 

Presenter in culinary class

 

Hospitality Management program approved by NYSED as graduation pathway for five years
Hospitality Management program approved by NYSED as graduation pathway for five years

In just its second year as a Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathway, the Hospitality Management program at Mount Vernon High School was approved as a graduation pathway by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). The approval, effective for the 2026-2027 school year and lasting five years, allows students to receive technical endorsements for the hospitality industry after completing the program and taking the state-approved exams. 

Culinary students at MVHS bake pies for competition fundraiser and donations
Culinary students at MVHS bake pies for competition fundraiser and donations

Students in the Culinary Arts 3 class at Mount Vernon High School have been putting their skills to use to bake pies for their competition fundraiser, with any pies that they don't sell being donated to local organizations ahead of Thanksgiving! Students are raising money for the New York State Restaurant Association ProStart Invitational at the Culinary Institute of America in February. 

Shining Knights: MVHS senior Matthew Taylor
Shining Knights: MVHS senior Matthew Taylor

When Matthew Taylor arrived in Mount Vernon in 2023, he was a 15-year-old newcomer from Saint Catherine Parish in Jamaica and was unsure of what life in an American school would be like. In his native country, his average grade was a tad above 66. But within months at MVHS, the International Baccalaureate course candidate raised it to an impressive 85 and has stayed on the honor roll ever since.