OneManchester

On Monday at Buckley, students and staff paid tribute to those who served or are currently serving in the United States Armed Forces. They placed flags at a marker honoring former Buckley student Keith Miller, who was among 14 young men from Manchester who died in Vietnam. The photo directly below is from the town's Veterans Day ceremony, which was held on Tuesday, and you can scroll further down for two more special images from that event.

After weeks of rehearsals and preparation, the Sock and Buskin Club at MHS tonight presents 'Weird Sisters', with additional shows on Friday and two on Saturday. Click here for showtimes and ticket information.

Monday's Board of Education meeting included an update on Human Capital and Talent and to watch a replay, click here. The next meeting is scheduled for Dec. 1 and will be at Buckley Elementary School, with the agenda including a school update.

• MHS Broadcast Journalism students are looking forward to (and raising money for) the annual Student Television News Conference, which this year is in Tampa -- and their Bingo fundraiser always sells out. Click here for details.
  
• Staying on topic, click here to see the latest edition of The Pulse.

Also:

• Concora Youth Choir, under the direction of Karla McClain and Lauren Torres Lambert, will be holding auditions for singers in grades 4-8. Click here for more info.

From left are NBC meteorologist Darren Sweeney, Melanie Merkel of Community Voice Channel, and theatre academicians Lindsay Cummings (UConn) and Christie Maturo (CCS). They were among professionals who shared their expertise with students at MHS yesterday.

Due to the federal government shutdown, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has notified every state that funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation's largest anti-hunger program, has been interrupted. Click here for more information.

Also:

• Click here for a list of Manchester pantry resources
• For the Why Hunger? site click here.
• For CT State food pantries, click here.

MHS students from the EdRising Future Educators Club and EPSA academy visited the UConn Neag School of Education last Thursday and the following day, students with an interest in education spent time at Waddell Elementary School to work with youngsters there.

Thursday, Nov. 13
10:30 - 11 a.m. -- Storytime at Mary Cheney Library.
6:30 - 7:15 pm. -- ABC Storytime at Mary Cheney Library.
6:30 p.m. -- Wanderlust Book Club at Whiton Library.

Friday, Nov. 14
10 a.m. - noon -- Preschool Playgroup at Mary Cheney Library.
10 - 11 a.m. -- Preschool Fall Craft at Mary Cheney Library.

Saturday, Nov. 15
10 a.m. - noon - Manchester’s Community Baby Shower at Manchester Memorial Hospital, 71 Haynes St.
10:30 - 11 a.m. -- Saturday Storytime at Mary Cheney Library.
12:30 p.m. -- Manchester Sculpture Project’s Holiday Spirit -Wreath and decor show and sale at The History Center, 175 Pine St.
2 - 3 :30 p.m. -- Decorate Gingerbread Men (for adults) at Mary Cheney Library.
4 - 6 p.m. -- Nerf Night at Mahoney Center, 110 Cedar St.

Sunday, Nov. 16
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. -- Manchester Comic and Toy Convention at 346 Middle Tpke West.

Monday, Nov. 17
10:30 - 11:15 a.m. -- Play Dough Party at Mary Cheney Library
6:30 - 8 p.m. -- Manchester Women’s Club meeting at Center Congregational Church, 11 Center St.

Tuesday, Nov. 18
10:30 - 11 a.m. -- Preschool Dance Party at Mary Cheney Library.
6 - 7:30 p.m. -- Cultural District & Imagine Manchester Monthly Community Meeting at WORK_SPACE, 903 Main St.
7 p.m. -- BOD meeting at Lincoln Center.

Wednesday, Nov. 19
3:30 - 4:15 p.m. -- R.E.A.D. to a Dog (Pre-K - Gr. 4) at Mary Cheney Library.
5:30 - 7:45 p.m. -- Teen Dungeons & Dragons at Mary Cheney Library.
6:30 - 9 p.m. -- MCC Alumni Homecoming Dinner at CT State Manchester, Great Path.

• Manchester Art Association’s exhibit ‘Wildlife Near & Far’ opens at Town Hall on Friday and can be seen weekdays through Jan. 14.

• MACC Charities 17th annual food drive continues this weekend at Stop & Shop. Click here for details.

• The Manchester Womens Club will be collecting non-perishable food items for the MCC Student Cougar Pantry on Monday at Center Congregational Church. Click here for details.

• YSB will be offering a support group for siblings with disabilities on Dec. 4. See SIBSHOP for more info.

• Sweeney Todd runs on the weekends at Cheney Hall through Nov. 23. Click here for ticket info.

• ‘Reigning Cats & Dogs’ exhibit can be seen at WORK_SPACE, 903 Main St. through Dec. 4.

• Cheney Tech is running a free tech training program through March 12 2026. Click here for details.

• The Manchester Land Trust will hold a fundraising tag sale Dec. 5, 6 and 7 at 330 Bush Hill Rd. Saleable items can be dropped off at the right side of the cider barn.

• The 10th Annual Manchester CT Jazz Fest will take place on Dec 6 and 7 at Cheney Hall. Tickets have sold out in advance the last three years. Click here for ticket and lineup info.

• PJ Day for the Kids raises funds for kids battling cancer and will take place in Manchester Public Schools on Dec.12. Click here for details.

• Santa’s Workshop at Wickham Park opens on Dec. 13 and runs through Dec.23. Click here for the schedule.

• The Connecticut Elks Association is sponsoring poster, essay and video contests for students in grades 3, 4 and 5. Click here for more info.
• Park's Taekwondo is offering four-week family training sessions. Click here to learn more.

CAST Children's Theatre has some special shows coming up, all in Bailey Auditorium at MHS:

• The Music Man Jr. on Monday and Tuesday.
• A special 55-and-old production of Guys and Dolls Nov. 20-22 (with these performers) ,
• And Aladdin on Nov. 24-25

Liz Schoeneberger, who graduated from MHS last year, scored seven goals for the Assumption University women's soccer team and was named the Northeast 10 Conference Women's Soccer Rookie of the Year. Click here for more.

Also

• MHS senior Alejandro Juro placed 40th in field of 253 at the New England Cross Country Championship last Saturday in Thetford Center, VT. Click here for race results.
• The town's youth basketball programs starts in December and there will be a mandatory evaluation clinic on Nov. 13 at Mahoney Rec Center. All the necessary info is here.
• The Knights will hold basketball instructional clinics in December and January.
• The Manchester Road Race will be held on Nov. 27 and registration is continuing. Click here for more info.

Pres. Ronald Reagan once observed that "Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference in the world -- but a veteran doesn't have that problem." Such was the spirit of Tuesday's ceremonies in Manchester, which include a march to Manchester Memorial Hospital for a program that included the MHS Roundtable Singers, some of whom you can see more clearly below.

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.