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The Alumni Hall of Fame winners visited journalism teacher JoAnn Gage’s journalism class on Friday, Oct. 8. The Alumni all expressed that Mount Vernon was a special place to grow up.

The Alumni value their high school years at Mount Vernon. Teachers and coaches at Mount Vernon are valued by Alumni because of the connections they form throughout their four years of high school. Friendships formed in high school are still valued to the Alumni today.

The Alumni all agree a great value of Mount Vernon is the abundant amount of extracurricular activities provided by the school. “What I value at Mount Vernon high school was the ability to try different things, [students] are able to participate in some way, shape, or form in activities which is great,” said Sonia Essex Redmond (‘82).

Homecoming week has been an exciting week for current and former students at Mount Vernon. Many Alumni that visited classrooms participated in the band during their high school years. This was always a fun part of homecoming week for them because of the highly anticipated halftime performance by the Marching Mustangs. The Alumni that participated in the band can recall it took a lot of time and practice leading up to the halftime show.

The parade during homecoming week was valued by Alumni. Students and other community members come together to celebrate homecoming week during the parade. There is music, candy, and floats throughout the parade. The Alumni were all honored during the parade for the awards they won.

The Alumni at Mount Vernon value many of their experiences from when they were in high school. Mount Vernon High School holds a special place for Alumni because of how this small school offers so many different opportunities for students and the community to be a part of.

Alumni collaborating on the podcast were Sonia Essex Redmond, Braden Rood, Phoebe Ball, Shelby Kintzel, Crystal Eskelsen, and Gwen Drahos.