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. 

The program also has an articulation agreement, allowing students to receive nine credits from the College of Westchester upon program completion. The vision for Hospitality was to create a “front-of-house, back-of house powerhouse,” with the existing Culinary Arts program, Director of CTE Brian Simmons explained. Students take Introduction to Culinary Arts and Hospitality in the first year, and then they can decide to pursue the Hospitality or the Culinary pathway. 

“These are two programs, but they operate as one large system,” said Mr. Simmons. “Now in year two of hospitality, we have already gained a NYSED approval, which is tremendous.” 

Both programs coordinate regularly, with students in Culinary Arts preparing food for District events and Hospitality students serving it. The coordination gives students real-life opportunities to practice the skills they learn in class. Click here to read more about the Hospitality program!

One eleventh-grader, Christian Robinson, is looking to pursue a career in culinary and hospitality education. 

“(The class) showed me how this can translate to teaching and working with kids who are interested in something similar, or I can help them find what they want to do,” said Christian, who is currently taking Hospitality 2: Hospitality Management. “Working hours, working for the school district, and seeing people have fun is generally my favorite part.” 

Christian and his classmates have worked at several District events, including the Hispanic Heritage Celebration in October and an honor roll celebration at MVHS. The opportunities allow students to get valuable experience working in a hospitality related role, preparing them for future careers. The program is also sponsored by Goya, which has provided supplies and food for the class.

During her class on Wednesday, where students were learning about leadership in hospitality, Hospitality instructor Chef “Kat” Katherine Rodriguez explained that the program is “allowing students to be exposed to different careers in food and different careers in hospitality. Just opening doors for them and having the certification will obviously mean an amazing segue into the industry.”

Chef Kat also highlighted the pre-credentials that students will gain from the course and technical assessments. These credentials will help students find work in the industry or go to hospitality school. They also open doors to entry level experiences in hotels, front desks, hosting, and other front of house opportunities.

Students take technical assessments at the end of the program, and these include a performance assessment, a written assessment, and a local assessment that is designed by the instructor. Once they have passed all three and completed the program, students receive their technical endorsement.

One student, Rhayanna Taylor, is already working in the hospitality sector as a host at a restaurant. She now uses the concepts she has learned in class to excel at her job. She says that the class has taught her important skills such as listening.

“When you have to do recipes and stuff, you really have to listen to know what you're doing,” said Rhayanna. “Stuff like that has helped me, and I could use that anywhere.”

Currently, students are looking at what leadership looks like in the industry, allowing them to forecast what the future can be for them as they enter an industry with a large economic impact, especially in New York. 
They have also covered lodging, transportation, recreation, and different entertainment opportunities within the industry. In Intro to Culinary and Hospitality Management, students are currently working on knife skills. 

NYSED’s approval of the Hospitality Management graduation pathway includes an English Language Arts integration due to the literacy embedded in the program. This means that students can use their completion of the course to meet an ELA graduation requirement if needed. 

“There's a lot of literacy involved in this curriculum: from digital literacy to obviously written literacy,” said Chef Kat. “There's a lot of public speaking that goes on, a multitude of presentations to help students get ready for that speaking. The writing piece is at the top for us in the curriculum. Everything starts with writing before we go into the hands-on piece of it.

“It's a very fast moving, evolving industry,” she continued. “So, we want to make sure that we are constantly having students write and read on the different things that are happening in this industry.”

Keith Manning, an 11th-grade student at MVHS, is also looking to pursue a career in the culinary and hospitality industry. The course has opened his eyes to how important high-quality hospitality services are for a dining experience. 

“It's shown us how not only manners can be important in culinary, but also the way we treat people in general,” Keith said. “You could elevate your culinary experience ten times better than just having no hospitality services. Some culinary courses will never have the type of experience and opportunities that we do.”

Next year, students will begin taking Hospitality 3: Event Planning & Leadership Capstone. Upon completion, they will take the assessments to receive their technical endorsement, empowering them to enter the workforce with confidence or pursue advanced studies in Hospitality.