Strong Vincent Middle

 

Strong Vincent as a community school

Strong Vincent, part of Erie’s Public Schools, became a United Way Community School in 2017. Strong Vincent Middle School serves students in the northwestern corner of the City of Erie. After the consolidation of 2017, Strong Vincent became one of three middle schools in Erie’s Public Schools. Strong Vincent students primarily graduate from Grover Cleveland, Harding, and Perry elementary schools. The school serves about 711 students, with 82.1% economically disadvantaged, 6.3% English Language Learners, 26.9% receiving special education services, and 2.4% experiencing homelessness. 

For more information and district resources, visit eriesd.org/vincent, or check out their Facebook!

United Way community school director

Community School Directors are United Way of Erie County employees embedded full-time within each Community School. They serve as the on-site connector between the school and community, building relationships with students, families, staff, and partners to remove non-academic barriers to learning. By coordinating resources and aligning support, Community School Directors, with the assistance of United Way backbone staff, help ensure every student and family has what they need to succeed in school and life. 

Meet Strong Vincent's Community School Director, Katrina Byrd

Katrina brings more than twenty years of experience in community health and human services to her role as Community School Director at Strong Vincent Middle School. She holds a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration, a Healthcare Business Analytics Certificate from Gannon University, a Bachelor of Science degree from St. Joseph’s College, and an Associate’s degree in Occupational Services from the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Services.

She also serves on the board of the ExpERIEnce Children’s Museum and as a Commissioner for the Erie County Human Relations Commission.

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Corporate Partners

Corporate Partners are integrated partners, not just donors. Their collaboration creates consistency, resources, and opportunities that directly impact student success and family well-being — key pillars of the Community School Model.

These businesses and organizations provide both financial and volunteer support, working side-by-side with Community School Directors to create meaningful opportunities, improve learning environments, and strengthen connections between schools and the community.

Interested in becoming a Corporate Partner? Contact Julie Chacona, Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer at julie@unitedwayerie.org .

Meet Strong Vincent's Corporate Partners: 

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cOMMUNITY sCHOOL hiGHLIGHT

Every year, United Way Community Schools make measurable strides across the four pillars of the Community School Model. Here's one highlight from the last school year.

Strong Vincent is expanding access to enriching after-school opportunities for students! In the 2024-2025 school year:

16 after-school enrichment programs offered
190 students participated in programs

Community School Dashboard

This dashboard provides a detailed view of academic performance, attendance, and survey data for Strong Vincent Middle as a United Way Community School. It contains seven interactive pages, each focusing on a distinct area of data.

  • Page 1: presents key school facts from the most recent year of available data.
  • Page 2: displays PSSA scores, allowing users to select metrics and filter by subject and demographics.
  • Page 3: shows PVAAS scores for the most recent year, with similar filtering options.
  • Page 4: highlights attendance data, which can be filtered by year.
  • Pages 5-7: include student, family, and staff survey results, also filterable by year. All visuals and filters are interactive, enabling users to click within charts to explore the data in greater depth.

 

IMPACT STORIES

These stories highlight real examples of how the United Way Community Schools model is creating lasting change. From improved student engagement to stronger family connections, each story showcases the people, partnerships, and progress driving success across our community.

Strong vincent's Photo Gallery