MSD Monthly

• Superintendent's Message: We Made It!
• Graduations: Celebrating the Class of 2022
• Recognitions: Graduates Recognized for Entering Military Service
• Recognitions: In Appreciation of Our Retiring Staff Members

• Spotlight: Bakersville Students Explore Careers

• Learning Focus: Free Tutoring Available this Summer

• In the News: Making Headlines this Month

• Mark Your Calendars: Summer Break is Here!

Happy summer, everyone!

This has been another long and difficult year. I want to thank every one of you for coming together to help get across the finish line. After a glorious few weeks of graduations, shows, promotions and ceremonies, we've now reached the summer break. I hope you're able to take some time to relax – you've earned it.

If you're looking for something to do this summer, there's lots happening. Starting today, all of the city's pools and splash pads are open 7 days a week. The Bookmobile will be making the rounds, and there's lots to do at the Library, too. During the month of July, you can catch free movies every Wednesday night in Veterans Park. You can find information on all of these activities on our Facebook page.

Finally, I'd encourage you to check out the Manchester Proud Compass, a tool that makes it easy to find community services: https://manchesterproudcompass.org/. While our schools are closed, our District office staff is already hard at work preparing for the next school year – you can find our contact info at the bottom of this email.

Again, I hope you all have a truly great summer.

Sincerely,

Saturday was a day of celebration. A day of wall-to-wall smiles and boundless pride. Graduation Day.

This was the first time since 2019 that we held graduation ceremonies for all four of our high schools in one day, all at the SNHU Arena. With no limits on tickets, families filled small sections and filled the whole arena with cheers when their grad’s name was called.

We’ve gathered stories, photos and video from all ceremonies. You can start with a Union Leader recap and photos from all four graduations – click here to read. Below you’ll find a photo gallery (note: these are not official school photos), a video of the ceremony from Manchester Public Television and a recap (with more photos) from Manchester Ink Link.

We wish our graduates the best as they take on what’s next. We are so proud of you, and we can’t wait to see what you do next.

More from the ceremonies:

MST: Photos | Video | Recap

Memorial: Photos | Video | Recap

West: Photos | Video | Recap

Central: Photos | Video | Recap

On May 31, we held a ceremony to recognize our graduating seniors entering military service or attending a military academy. At least 14 of our graduates are planning to serve – as of this writing, some have already shipped out to basic training.

Among the speakers at the ceremony were New Hampshire’s Adjutant General, Major Gen. David Mikolaities (a Memorial graduate), Mayor Joyce Craig and Superintendent Jenn Gillis. Of the graduates, four will serve in the Army, three in the Army National Guard, three in the Marines, one in the Navy, one in the Coast Guard, one in the Air Force Reserves, and one will attend the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. Continue reading on our website.

More from the ceremony:

Video | Photos

At the Board of School Committee meeting on Monday, June 13, we paused to recognize School District staff members who retired during the 2021-22 school year. We're happy for our retirees, but at the same time, we're sad to be losing them. While they are all moving on, their impact will continue to be felt.

If you combine the service time for the 63 retiring staff members, it totals 1,557 years!

Each one of those staff members touched countless lives. We are thankful for their years – often decades – of dedication to our community. To each of you, we truly hope you enjoy your well-earned retirement.

You can find photos from the ceremony and a full list of retirees on our website.

On June 2, Bakersville School held its inaugural Career Day. The event, which was organized by Bakersville staff and Hope NH, gave 3rd and 4th graders a chance to explore a wide variety of career opportunities.

Community members representing different careers – including radio, photography, real estate, business – set up shop in the gym, while students milled about. Each student was tasked with talking with the visitors, using questions they’d worked on in class.

Students learned first-hand about career options, but more importantly, they did so using soft skills they worked on in class, including asking questions and interviewing. The students did a great job, and we appreciate all of the community members who took time to participate.

You can find more photos from the Career Fair here.

As we head into the summer, we want to make sure students and families know that FEV Tutor is still available, even outside of the school year. Whether you need help in a particular subject or want to prepare for the SATs, FEV Tutor is here for you. Get free, live, online tutoring on your schedule, all summer long.

Support is available for students in Grades 2-12 in Math, ELA, Science, and Social Studies. Tutoring is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French, and more languages can be added as requested.

You can find more information and sign up at www.mansd.org/for-families/fev-tutor.

On Monday, the Board of School Committee approved new principals for two schools. Kelly Espinola will be the next principal at Southside Middle School, after serving as principal at Parker-Varney School for the last few years. Jenny Lynch will be the next principal at Webster School, after serving as the assistant principal at Green Acres Elementary School for the last few years.

Espinola and Lynch are both products of city schools and each has deep roots in the community. “We are fortunate to have tremendous depth in leadership at our schools that allowed us to fill these positions from within,” Superintendent Gillis said.

Congratulations to the new principals. The District will begin a search immediately to replace Mrs. Espinola at Parker-Varney. You can read the full story in the Union Leader.

This summer, those on Medicaid need to renew their coverage. That's not always an easy process, so WellSense has been holding community events to encourage sign-ups. When the organization reached out for assistance in getting people to an event at Beech Street School, the District pulled in community partners and began sending messages to families.

Police and Fire were there giving children some hands-on time with their vehicles (and sirens!). Manchester Transit was running shuttles from sites around the city. Visitors could grab a book from the Bookmobile, food from NH Food Bank, plus swag from various state agencies and the SEE Science Center. The result was that more than 60 families completed their Medicaid renewals. We appreciate everyone who took part in this event – it's a great reminder of what we can do when we all pull together. You can read the story on Manchester Ink Link.

. . .

Last year, when the School District was holding vaccination clinics, Manchester Police Department's therapy dog Patch was a regular presence. In the way that only dogs can do sometimes, Patch brought smiles and eased nerves, just by walking around. Seeing how well people reacted to Patch gave Superintendent Gillis an idea – why can't we do this in our schools regularly? The District began working on a policy to make this idea a reality, and earlier this month, the Board of School Committee approved it. We're excited to see how therapy pets help our students and staff. You can read the story in the Union Leader.

. . .

This fall, Memorial High School will hold its hall of fame induction ceremony this fall. Among those inducted this year are Mayor Joyce Craig and former Fire Chief Dan Goonan. You can find more information on the ceremony, including all honorees, on Manchester Ink Link.

The 2021-22 school year has drawn to a close. Looking ahead to next year, you can find the calendar using the links below. Don’t worry, though, the first day of school isn’t until September 6 (after Labor Day).

This summer, the Board of School Committee will meet Monday, June 27, but it will not meet during the month of July. The full board will reconvene in August. Looking a little further ahead, make sure you mark your calendars for the 2nd CelebratED MHT!

June 27: Board of School Committee regular meeting

August 8: Board of School Committee regular meeting

September 6: First day of school

September 17: CelebratED MHT!

2022-23 School Year Calendars:

• English

• Arabic

• French

• Nepali

• Portuguese

• Spanish

• Swahili

• Vietnamese

Email: communications@mansd.org
Website: www.mansd.org
Location: 20 Hecker Street, Manchester, NH, USA
Phone: 603-624-6300
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ManchesterSchoolDistrict/
Twitter: @mansd_nh