OneManchester

PARTICIPANTS in the Black Joy Poetry Contest were encouraged to write about “the beauty and the brilliance and the excellence, and the genius and the magic that Black people originate from and currently consist of.”

The winners:

• Manchester Preschool Center (Head Start) -- Jakairie Hankerson
• Bennet Academy -- Riley Osei-Assibey
• Manchester Regional Academy -- Riley Mathis
• Highland Park Elementary School -- Aria Donat
• Martin Pre-school -- Julia Jennings
• Bowers Elementary School -- McKenna Liverpool
• Bowers Elementary School -- Hunter Walters
• Highland Park Elementary School -- Hunter Perez

To read the winning poems, click here; to see all of the poems that were submitted, click here.

Ryan Parker (far left) of the district's Department of Race and Equity was at Buckley Elementary on Friday for the school's fourth annual Black History Month assembly.

Has it really been six years? After COVID shut things down in March 2020, among the many changes that followed was a move by the Board of Education to hold meetings remotely. Because of this week's storm the BoE again met online -- and approved a proposed $135 million school budget that will now be sent to the Town Manager's office. You can see a reply of the meeting by clicking here.

The kindergarten registration window for next school year is open. Parents/guardians of children whose fifth birthday falls on or before Sept. 1, 2026 may begin the registration process by visiting the registration page on the MPS website.

Note:

• If parents/guardians of children who turn five between Sept. 2 and Dec. 31 feel their child may be ready for kindergarten, they may request a kindergarten readiness screener for a possible placement in kindergarten by contacting the Deputy Superintendent at 860-647-3447. The kindergarten readiness screener will only be given in May and June.
• If you have any questions please contact the Manchester Public Schools Welcome Center at 860-645-6041 or email mfrison@mpspride.org.

Gov. Ned Lamont came to Manchester High on Wednesday to discuss his proposal to increase state aid for school literacy, mental health, and absenteeism programs.

If you are a healthcare professional with a bachelor's degree, at least one year of full time medical work experience, and a willingness to take three education courses within two years of your date of hire, you may qualify for employment to teach medical career preparation courses at MHS. Click for more.

Manchester Adult and Continuing Education is offering a Guard Card certification course -- a state-approved 8-hour training course that fast tracks becoming a licensed Security Officer in Connecticut. For information click here.

• The Bennet Academy PTSA is holding a fundraiser tonight (Thursday, Feb. 26) at Red Robin. Click here for instructions.
• This spring, MHS student musicians in concert band, orchestra and choral ensembles have the opportunity to travel to Philadelphia to perform at the Philadelphia Heritage Festival. Parents have set up an online fundraiser to offset costs. For more information and to donate, please click here.
• The MHS classes of '26 and '27 will be hold a Talent Show fundraiser on March 18. The deadline for performers to apply is March 4 and they can use this form.

Project Graduation

• Yard Flocking is back: Three days for $25. Click here for instructions.
• Order your Class of '26 yard sign by clicking here.

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Visitors to Saturday's Early Childhood Fair at MHS had the chance to learn about preschools, programs, services, recreation, and local resources for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and young children up to age 8.

Thursday, Feb. 26
10:30 - 11:15 a.m. -- Storytime for 2-5 year-olds at Mary Cheney Library.
6:30 - 7:15 p.m. -- ABC Storytime at Mary Cheney Library.

Friday, Feb. 27
10 a.m. - noon -- Preschool Playgroup at Mary Cheney Library.
2:30 - 4:30 p.m. -- Sit by the SAD Lamps at Mary Cheney Library.
5 - 7:30 p.m. -- Sketch Social at WORK_SPACE, 903 Main St.
7 p.m. -- Yale Whiffenpoofs at Cheney Hall

Saturday, Feb. 28
10 a.m. -- LTM’s Rising Stars workshops at Cheney Hall.
10:30 - 11 a.m. -- Saturday Storytime at Mary Cheney Library.
2:30 - 3:30 p.m. -- Portraits of Patriots at Mary Cheney Library.

Sunday, March 1
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. -- Manchester Comic & Toy Convention at 346 Middle Tpke West.
4 p.m. -- Moondance - The Ultimate Van Morrison Tribute at Cheney Hall.

Monday, March 2
11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. -- Scrapbook Your Baby at Mary Cheney Library.
6:30 - 7:30 p.m. -- Tories, Spies, and Traitors: Divided Loyalty in Revolutionary Connecticut at Mary Cheney Library.

Tuesday, March 3
10:30 - 11 a.m. -- Preschool Dance Party at Mary Cheney Library.
6 - 7:30 p.m. -- Youth Commission meeting at Town Hall.
7 p.m. -- BoD meeting at Lincoln Center.

Wednesday, March 4
10:30 - 11:15 a.m. -- Art Lab @ Main at Mary Cheney Library.
6 - 7 p.m. -- Teen Lego Build Challenge at Mary Cheney Library.

ALSO:

• Trash collection will be delayed one day for the rest of the week.

• The Manchester Comic & Toy Convention returns to a new location in Manchester on Sunday . Click here to learn more.

• Manchester Art Association’s Watercolor exhibit can be seen at Town Hall through March 13.

• The Winter Parking Ban is in effect through April 1. Click here for details.

• The ‘Farm to Tableau: The Art of Agriculture’ exhibit can be seen at WORK_SPACE through April 2.

To see more of what's happening the week after next and beyond, check out our One Man Planner.

REC NEWS

• 'Step into Oz' is theme at Pop Culture Night tomorrow at Leisure Labs.
• Signups are under way for the 'Girls Got Game' sports clinics at The Oak on March 28.
• Manchester's Great Egg Hunt will take on April 4 in Charter Oak Park.

Follow their Facebook or Instagram pages for more.

• Beginner Lego Robotics classes will be held at Mahoney Rec March 7, 14, and 21. Click here for more details.

• ‘Paws, Claws, & Smalls Resource Fair for Pets’ will take place on March 21. Click here for details.

• The 63rd Annual Antique & Collectibles Show will be held at Second Congregational Church, 385 North Main Street on March 13 and 14. Click here for details.

• Save the Dates: The MHS spring musical isThe Prom and will run at Bailey Auditorium March 12-14 while the Illing spring musical is XANADU Jr. and will run April 23 - 25, also at Bailey.

• YSB will be offering a ‘Strengthening Families Program’ from March 25 - May 6. Click here for more information

• Wickham Park opens for the season on April 4.

The Manchester Youth Services Bureau will be offering a free Red Cross Babysitting Certification class for 13-18 year-olds on March 7 and 8. Click here for registration info or contact Kellie Gauvin: ksheridan@manchesterct.gov.

MHS senior Samiya Eady (above) won the 300m event at the State Open Track & Field Championship last Saturday in New Haven and will compete in the New England Championship meet in Boston on Saturday. Eady was also part of the 4x200 relay team with Dolche Monroe-Fryer, Mariah Johnson and Myah-Nicole Johnson that finished third at the open. The relay team will compete in Boston on Saturday, as will Harper Shirley, who finished fourth in the 1600m at the open.

• Help support MHS wrestler Noah Colon's trip to the Junior Nationals in Fargo, ND in July. Noah is undefeated this season and was named the outstanding wrestler at the CCC meet last weekend. Click here for more on Noah and to donate.
• Manchester Little League Softball and Baseball signups are under way and you can learn more by clicking here. Registration for the Challenger program is open through March 31.
• Tylon Smith Jr's instructional basketball training for boys and girls runs on Wednesdays from April 1 through May 20 at Bowers School. Click here for details.
• Coerver CT East is offering a Spring Break soccer clinic at East Catholic from April 13-16. Click here for more info.

Spring arrives three weeks from tomorrow -- on Friday, March 20 at 10:46 a.m., when the vernal equinox marks the moment when day and night are roughly equal in length, signaling the start of the season locally. As soon as the snow melts there will be plenty of shoots and blooms but for now the best we have is the solar flower at Buckley Elementary.

DON'T FORGET THE ANNEX: This is our spillover space to other newsletters, social media accounts and more, including the 'OneManchester Planner', which has even has more calendar listings for the months ahead. Plus we share a special flashback photo from Paul Ofria each week. To get to The Annex, click here.

• NOTE: OneManchester is compiled by the school district's communications office but is dependent on contributions from people and institutions throughout the town and school district. So if you have something that you think people would want to know about, please let us know. Photos, fliers, links, tips, whatever -- please share with Paul Ofria at pofria@mpspride.org.