Lisa Mazan, director of health and physical education for the Mount Vernon City School District, told the board at its Jan. 7 meeting that the district is broadening physical-education offerings, pursuing literacy integration in classes and expanding emergency readiness across buildings.

Mazan said physical education will be “more than gymnastics,” a phrase she cited from education literature to explain the department’s push to pair movement with reading and writing activities and to use physical lessons to reinforce academic vocabulary and literacy skills.

The presentation listed three recent grant awards and several program developments. Mazan said the district received a USA Lacrosse equipment grant valued at about $22,100 that will supply sticks, balls, goals and curriculum; the department plans to send that equipment to Lincoln Elementary. She also described two recognitions from the state professional association for health and physical education — an equipment grant to Graham School and a Frank Bartok legacy recognition for a Graham teacher, Craig Zurn. Mazan reported a Mount Vernon physical educator at STEAM Academy received a regional “Hero in Education” award.

Mazan described two pilot curriculum resources the district is using this year: Quaver Physical Education (an interactive K–5 digital curriculum) and HealthSmart (a health curriculum previously used in the district). She told trustees those resources align with New York State standards and Shape America guidance and are intended to support teachers while keeping activity and fitness the primary focus of the class.

On safety and emergency readiness, Mazan updated the board on the district’s Project ADAM cardiac-preparedness work at Mount Vernon High School and Honor Academy. She said buildings that completed drills and training were better prepared during recent on‑campus cardiac incidents and that teams were able to locate defibrillators and provide positive outcomes in those cases. The department plans to expand the initiative to additional buildings.

Mazan also described community and inclusion activities: a December family wellness night with partner agencies and Narcan demonstration, student trips (including a first-time high-school skiing trip), a “turkey trot,” a fundraising partnership selling Westchester Knicks tickets, and the Pioneer League Special Olympics program that serves about 13 athletes now and is expanding activities such as soccer and handball.

Trustees asked how the literacy components would affect time spent on fitness and how the program will monitor physical benchmarks. Mazan told the board fitness and activity remain the primary focus and that literacy will be embedded in short, activity‑related tasks — for example brief reflective writing, “exit ticket” prompts tied to fitness, or vocabulary relays that combine movement with spelling. She said literacy activities are intended to be integrated without reducing the quantity of aerobic or skill-building time.

Mazan said the department is documenting teacher feedback and professional development and will provide trustees with the year‑long presentation schedule and materials so board members can follow future presentations.

Mazan concluded by asking the board for continued support for staffing, equipment, and community events as the department moves to scale pilot curricula and emergency-readiness work across schools.