Envisioning a Future for Our Youth, and Building One:
The NSSA Center at Mt. Vernon
Our Free, Barrier-Breaking STEM Programs Are Made Possible with the Generous Support of Our Partners and Sponsors.
Our Vision
The Center: A Change Agent for the Mt. Vernon's Youth and Community
NSSA’s vision is to create an experiential, high-value STEM based educational platform that will directly influence life outcomes of many or all of the 9,000 at-risk, underserved students attending public schools in Mt. Vernon, as well as children from the surrounding communities.
We intend to provide supplemental, educational fundamentals utilizing a extensive collection of STEM based resources, including mentorship programs, that will challenge and eliminate any excuses associated with why “our” children cannot enjoy successful careers within the STEM sector or any other career discipline.
Learn more by browsing the details below, or contact us today to receive a detailed packet of information about the center. If you would like to support these efforts to improve the lives of the 9,000 public school children in Mount Vernon, sponsor or donate today.
The End Goal:
Under-Represented Students Prepared for Meaningful Science and Technology Careers.
The center will be a multilevel, multipurpose facility that houses interactive exhibits, displays, classrooms, laboratories, a planetarium and other advanced science and technology resources to support early exposure and learning. All Mount Vernon public school students will visit at least twice a year, always free of charge. The science learning center’s resources will prepare students for four-year colleges and meaningful science and technology-related careers.
The New Center Will Be a Robust Collection of Science & Technology.
When NSSA’s efforts come to full fruition, Mt. Vernon and the surrounding communities will have:
Planetarium
Aviation Laboratory
Computer Laboratory
Engineer’s Maker Faire Laboratory
Hydroponics/Aquaponics Laboratory (in collaboration with CORNELL UNIVERSITY)
Student Classrooms and Workshops
We Have The Vision. Help Us Make it a Reality.
“The NSSA has been an incredible resource for our students. The hands-on science activities have sparked their curiosity and helped them develop a love for STEM. After ten years, a long list of students have consistently credited their learning experiences associated with the NSSA with strongly influencing and encouraging their seeking and securing STEM-based careers.”
-Gerald D. Dennis, Founder and Executive Director
Looking Forward
The Center: Together We Can Change the Trajectory for an Entire Community.
We Have the Vision.
Help Us Make It a Reality.
Research indicates that technology and science centers have a positive educational impact on the children of the community and the community in general. Additionally, they can improve the economics and culture of the community and the surrounding communities. The NSSA at Mt. Vernon will offer a host of interactive exhibits, a planetarium, various laboratories, and a broad range of student-based programs directly aligned with the Board of Education curriculum, internships, and other opportunities to prepare youth for four-year colleges and meaningful careers.
This hands-on educational resource will reflect the NSSA’s commitment to and support of the community. The center will feature a broad collection of interactive technology and science exhibits, many of which are aligned with and made possible through the support and guidance of local and national corporate partnerships.
The center will partner with public school leadership to ensure that at-risk students have access to state-of-the-art science and technology resources that prepare them for careers as teachers, scientists, computer technologists, doctors, and engineers.
Funding: All capital to fund the construction is audited by an independent major accounting firm, and audits are made publicly available. The initial fundraising goal is $5 million.
Mt. Vernon, NY
Why Mt. Vernon? A Community At-Risk
With approximately 70,000 people, Mt. Vernon is the third largest city in Westchester County, and accounts for 8% of the affluent county’s total population.
A city that compromises less than 10% of the affluent Westchester County’s total population but accounts for the majority of the county’s murder rate is unacceptable to our organization. Mount Vernon has a higher crime rate, poverty rate, unemployment rate and consistently graduates 25% to 45% less students each year from it public schools than those in the surrounding communities.
Mt. Vernon is the only major city in the state of New York where minorities represent the majority of the population with African-Americans at almost 70%. Mt. Vernon has:
Mt. Vernon's Youth Needs Your Help
More than 90% of the students attending Mt. Vernon’s public schools are children of color. Over the past five years, the school district has graduated 30% to 45% fewer students annually compared to the districts of the surrounding communities. Equally distressing, our students’ math and science national test scores are among the county’s lowest.
Children of Color
Fewer Graduates than Surrounding Communities
Pass Rate (8th Grade Math, 2012)
Executive Summary
For many reasons, public school children of Mount Vernon are falling behind at an alarming rate. Evidence suggests they are not prepared for participation in our global economy, especially regarding STEM-based subject matter.
The Northeast STEM Starter Academy at Mt Vernon will ensure Mount Vernon public school students have access to state-of-the art science and technology resources that prepare them for careers as teachers, scientists, computer technologists, doctors and engineers. It will produce transformative change for Mount Vernon children as well as cultural and economic change for the city and region.
Read our Executive Summary to learn more about:
- the critical situation in Mount Vernon
- how a technology and science center can be a solution
- how you can help, including naming opportunities for donors
