Author: Amy Welch

During February Vacation, a group of Manchester School District students spent part of their break earning over 20 IRCs (Industry Recognized Credentials). These credentials include AED/CPR, First Aid, ServSafe, and Fire Extinguisher operation certification. Students also enjoyed a presentation from ARMI/BioFab, where they shared about the breakthroughs happening here in our city!

On the afternoon of the final day, the group enjoyed a luncheon to celebrate their hard work with Fidelity Investments, Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester School District staff, School Board members, Mayor Jay Ruais, and Member of PNWG June Trisciani.

Congratulations to these students for their hard work in earning their IRCs!

On Friday, January 26, 2024, Manchester Proud worked together with the Manchester School District to coordinate and distribute 200 brand-new coats to our students. This effort was part of Operation Warm, a national nonprofit whose mission is to provide winter coats and shoes to children in need. Operation Warm partners with corporations and organizations who fundraise, deliver, and distribute these items to students all over the country. 

“In our cold New England winters, a good, warm coat is a necessity, whether you’re walking to school or playing outside with friends,” said Superintendent Jennifer Chmiel Gillis. “Operation Warm helps meet a critical need, bringing us new, high-quality coats for the students that need them the most. We are incredibly grateful for the program’s continued efforts, as well as for the Bean Foundation, which provided the funding. We would also like to thank Manchester Proud, which helped coordinate the donations. As I often say, we are stronger together – this is just another great example of how our students benefit when the community comes together.”

“The Bean Foundation would like to thank Operation Warm and Manchester Proud for ensuring that students in Manchester are provided with warm coats,” said Bean Foundation Director, Leslee Stewart. “The Bean Foundation is proud to support this important community effort.”

You can learn more about Operation Warm here: https://www.operationwarm.org/

Strong school to community partnerships are essential for meeting the needs of 21st-century learners. Manchester Proud plays a crucial role in aligning student opportunities with the resources and needs of local businesses. From our earliest days, Manchester Proud has been supported by our business partners who, like us, are focused on the success of our community. We know that a thriving school district is essential to a thriving community and we are poised to move to the next step.

Building our next workforce in Manchester.

We have built trust, partnerships, and systems – we are here and we are ready.

Manchester Proud in collaboration with the Manchester School District has created an integrated Career Connected Learning Initiative that engages students, families, and local businesses, providing opportunities for students at every grade band to experience and learn from our local business partners.

Career Connected Learning is an approach that combines classroom learning with real-world experiences and opportunities related to careers. The goal is to prepare students for the workforce by providing them with practical skills, knowledge, and exposure to a variety of careers. Businesses can participate in a variety of levels: building awareness in classrooms or schools by participating in career days; speaking in classes or hosting tours; helping students explore careers by hosting job shadows; helping with mock interviews; or deeper career exploration discussions. This initiative also allows for full immersion into industries by hosting students as interns and apprentices. Building awareness, exploring careers, and immersing students provides opportunities for students as young as kindergarteners to learn about what happens at a business and for older students to gain in-depth, hands-on experiences.

The goal of Manchester Proud’s Career Connected Learning Initiative is to bridge the gap between education and the workforce, making sure that students are best prepared to enter the workforce and that companies are engaged and active participants in the process. This holistic approach supports not only the needs of the child but the needs of the community – creating a rich and thriving partnership.

The Career Connected Learning Initiative is beneficial to our students, families, and businesses. Students are exposed to different career pathways. This is essential for their personal and professional development, enabling them to make informed decisions, acquire diverse skills, and navigate the complexities of the modern job market.

Companies involved in career-connected learning for students contribute to the development of a well-prepared and skilled workforce, while simultaneously benefiting from a range of advantages related to talent acquisition, innovation, and community engagement.

Manchester Proud is eager to prioritize this work over the next several years. We are uniquely positioned to help support the creation and successful implementation of this initiative. Due to strong business connections and strong relationships with the schools, we are able to help bridge the divide between the two silos – breaking them down and creating unique opportunities across the community.

Our businesses want to do the work, our schools are eager to do the work and Manchester Proud is able to provide the map. ONWARD!

CCL Opportunity: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cW-gkShZzLObISlNnhkv6zfQ7y-Kx9Nj/view 

Manchester Proud continues to grow as an increasingly effective and valued partner of our schools, community organizations, and businesses. Of course, we have taken some missteps along the way, but thankfully they have been few, manageable, and instructive – we have learned a lot!

We have also gotten some things right from the start. Our founders had the good sense to realize that our strength would not come from one or a few individuals but from broad community engagement and mutually rewarding partnerships. They established several fundamental ground rules to ensure Manchester Proud’s sustained relevance and continuity:

• Set politics aside and welcome all who commit to the success of our students and public schools
• Respect the authority of our school leaders and elected officials and build authentic partnerships to expedite their good work
• Know that our collective vision of great public schools is bigger than any one person or group, including our founders, Council, school leaders, and elected officials.

Indeed, the success of our students and public schools is so profoundly important that its achievement must transcend dependence upon any one individual or group. During Manchester Proud’s six-year history, we have been deeply grateful for the productive relationships we have enjoyed with our Mayor, three Superintendents of School, and three Boards of School Committee. In each case, through inevitable transitions, our work has continued forward, driven by our higher purpose of making exceptional public schools for ALL of Manchester.

Soon we will again transition to governance by a new Mayor and Boards of Aldermen and School Committee. We congratulate all who have been elected and thank those who have served. Undoubtedly, new voices will now be heard in our community’s dialog, bringing added ideas and perspectives. Manchester Proud welcomes all in the spirit of friendship and collaboration, as we attain common ground in the pursuit of what really matters – the wellbeing and futures of our children and community.

Last month was an exciting time for Manchester Proud! We spent most of the month (and considerable time before) preparing for  the State of the Manchester School District Community Forum and CelebratED 2023 Festival! Both of these events highlight the amazing things that are happening in Manchester’s public schools!

The second annual State of the Manchester School District 2023-2024 was on held September 21, 2023 at the REX Theatre. Produced in partnership by Manchester Proud, the District and Greater Manchester Chamber, the event was an evening where local business and community leaders  gathered with Manchester School District officials for an update on the District’s progress to-date and goals for the new school year. Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Jennifer Chmiel Gillis and her team impressed us all with their professionalism and passion for the success of Manchester’s students.

Here’s a sampling of some of the updates provided during State of the Manchester School District: 

• The District’s communications with students, parents, staff and community will be enhanced by its new website and logo. Participating in school is the first step toward learning. A new “Show Up Manchester” program has been launched to boost attendance.
• Our Bakersville Elementary School will become the first dual language immersion school in New Hampshire!
• Student outcomes have improved, in part due to more standardization in curricula between schools. 

After hearing from the District’s Leadership Team, Dr. Gillis took questions from the audience as well as individuals online. There were over 30 questions submitted, which shows  passion and care for the success of our students and schools! Mayor Joyce Craig closed the program with remarks on how critical the success of our public schools is the future of all of Manchester. 

Riding the success and joy felt from the second annual State of the Manchester School District , CelebratED took place that very weekend. On September 23, 2023, Veteran’s Park was transformed into a festival to celebrate our public schools! This year our celebration of Manchester’s schools and community drew the biggest crowd to-date and filled Veteran’s Park with joyful students and families. (Since the event was open to the public, which came and went throughout the day, it is difficult to determine total attendance. However, a rough count indicated 5,000 attendees in the park at mid-day!)

The day began with welcoming remarks by our Mayor, Superintendent of Schools, and Manchester Proud’s Council Chair. Next came the induction of this year’s new City Year Corps Members, followed by non-stop entertainment and school celebrations from 11:00am to 4:00pm. Our Planning Team’s decision to include more student performances and fewer professional entertainers was another big step forward and attracted many enthusiastic students and parents.

Everyone in the park enjoyed options for multi-cultural food, free age-appropriate books for all students, and countless activities for kids of all ages.

Here’s a sampling of the festival’s success stories:

• For the first time, all 21 Manchester public schools participated in the event, many with thoughtfully planned and rehearsed performances.
• This year we added the “Music Café”, an off main stage venue for our high school and middle school students to provide solo performances.
• Also new this year was the “Art Gallery in The Park”, an enclosed area with portal entrance to provide a more statured setting for displaying student art.  There were 200 linear feet of fence space covered on both sides with wonderful artwork!
• Last year we were thrilled to report that 31 community organizations joined our event with booths and activities.  Remarkably, this year we had nearly 50!  This strong showing, in spite of questionable weather, is a clear indication that CelebratED is becoming a must-attend annual event.
• Our “Game Changer” awards were added to the presentations, honoring 110 students, teachers, and staff from all 21 schools, who were chosen by their principals for going above and beyond to make their schools great.  This is the ultimate spirit of CelebratED!
• We celebrated science education with a robotics competition and Manchester School of Technology’s student-built an airplane.
• Manchester Police, Fire, and Health Departments all joined-in with horses, ponies, fire trucks and a dental care van.
• 895 elementary school students participated in our “We Show Up” contest, won by the Smyth Road School. Smyth Road School will enjoy a party sponsored by SEE Science Center and the Puritan Backroom! 
• 847 students left with books, book markers, and a boost to their interest in reading.

Once again, we fed thousands – all free!  We expanded our multi-cultured menu this year to include:  Greek pizza, Caribbean, Thai, and Mediterranean food, plus Kona Ice for all kids.

All of this was made possible by 23 business partners and our CEAG (City of Manchester Community Event & Activation Grant) funding (please see those partners in our Sponsor Highlight section of the newsletter) which enabled us to make the event free to all kids and families. Eliminating cost, communicating in multiple languages, providing an ASL interpreter for all on-stage performances, and offering free transportation are all part of our commitment to making CelebratED accessible to everyone in Manchester.

 Onward to planning State of Manchester School District 2024-2025 and CelebratED 2024!

On July 12, 2023, Manchester Proud held its fifth annual meeting. Each year we find ourselves with more to celebrate, and this year was no exception. Dr. Gillis provided an inspiring summary of her recent report to the Board of School Committee, demonstrating progress across all three goals of the strategic plan: Grow our Learners, Educators, and System. Also, among the meeting’s highlights was the welcoming of ten new members to our Champion’s Council. All are extraordinary new talents that boost our capacity to seize the opportunities ahead.

The second half of the meeting brought the Council together to explore possibilities for the continuation and growth of Manchester Proud’s work. Prior to the meeting, we consulted with Superintendent Gillis to identify opportunities for ongoing and new partnerships between Manchester Proud and the District. The four most promising became topics of group and breakout discussions at the annual meeting:

Topic 1: Community Awareness and Family Engagement to Support Student Success

How might we better enable students and families to share their needs/concerns/suggestions and problem-solve with the District?

Topic 2: Integrated School-Based Supports for the Health and Wellbeing of Students and Families:

How might we facilitate partnerships to promote improved communications, access, and more equitable distribution of community services and resources?

Topic 3: Partnerships for Pathways to Postsecondary Education and Careers:

What are the next steps in our development of business partnerships to create career pathways for our students and promote a thriving workforce for our community?

Topic 4: Resource Development and Fundraising to Support Initiatives:

What resources will be needed to implement our initiatives and realize our goals for our students and schools?

The Council will reconvene for a dedicated strategic planning session on August 9th, when these and other potential initiatives will be probed more deeply. While our core mission remains sharply focused on the making of exceptional public schools, the ways and means of our work continue to evolve – as they should! For Manchester Proud to be most impactful in its partnerships with the Manchester School District, we must acknowledge the long-term nature of our work, continue to learn as we go and adapt to emerging needs and opportunities.

ONWARD!