HERE TODAY – HERE TOMORROW! By: Barry Brensinger, Manchester Proud Coordinator What began in 2017 as a wondering about how to better engage community in our public schools has led to a community-driven strategic plan and a host of enabling community partnerships. Manchester Proud’s core purpose of facilitating systemic change

Manchester Proud is adding new members to our Champion’s Council to expand capacity and increase community representation.  Our Champion’s Council governs the mission and work of Manchester Proud and members also serve on various Work Groups. Several current Council members are nearing the end of their terms, making this the

Reimagining The Places We Call “School” By Barry Brensinger, Manchester Proud Coordinator Many of us have vivid memories of February 20, 2020, the evening our Board of School Committee adopted “Our Community’s Plan For Manchester’s Future of Learning” as the Manchester School District’s strategic plan.  That night, the seats were

By Joe Bowe and Jillian Corey Our schema was that teaching in a building with students coming to campus makes it possible to control the learning environment and the tools students use for skill and knowledge acquisition.  Much of this can be done in an organic and sometimes casual fashion

Barry Brensinger,Design Principal at Lavallee Brensinger Architects; MHT Proud Coordinator By Barry Brensinger OUR EQUITY IMPERATIVE Equity is on our mind and centered in our work.  Our increasing awareness of the need for Equity in our schools, community, and country is long overdue.  Manchester Proud is determined to

Manchester voters will be presented with an important opportunity on November 3rd to ensure the future and success of our public schools is firmly in hands of the citizens of Manchester. That opportunity is to vote YES on Question 1. Voting YES on Question 1 empowers the citizens of Manchester

Teaming-up for Enhanced Communications The Greater Manchester Chamber has been an ardent supporter of Manchester Proud since the movement’s founding three years ago.  And, Manchester Proud’s partnership with the Manchester School District continues to grow in depth and effectiveness as shared initiatives to realize the goals of the new strategic

Be bold and brave Manchester Proud added its voice to a call for more equitable school funding in its recent testimony to the state’s Commission to Study School Funding. The Commission, a group of six lawmakers and ten members of the public, is tasked with recommending changes to the state’s

Manchester Proud recently added its voice to a call for more equitable school funding in its testimony to the state’s Commission to Study School Funding. The Commission, a group of six lawmakers and ten members of the public, is tasked with recommending changes to the state’s funding of public schools

July 22, 2020: Generous donor endorses plan $120,000 grant for School-Community Partnerships We are thrilled to announce that even in the face of current challenges, progress continues on Manchester School District’s new strategic plan, “Our Community’s Plan for Manchester’s Future of Learning; Excellence and Equity for all Learners."  Working with the District’s leadership,

Plan’s School-Community Partnerships move forward with $120,000 grant Even in the face of current challenges, progress on Manchester School District’s new strategic plan, “Our Community’s Plan for Manchester’s Future of Learning; Excellence and Equity for all Learners,” continues. Working with the District’s leadership, Manchester Proud has secured a $120,000 grant

Last fall, Manchester Proud’s Coordinator, Barry Brensinger, was invited to deliver a TEDx Talk on the mission and work of Manchester Proud. The talk explores why our public schools are essential to our collective future and offers a vision of what they can be – if we work together to

June 19, 2020 Newsletter Breaking down structures of systemic racism Superintendent Dr. Goldhardt reiterated his commitment to ensuring equity for all students - in every classroom in a recent statement on the killing of George Floyd. He applauded students for organizing peaceful calls for racial justice but said that’s just

Media Youth Power wants your help making a music video. Sign up by June 12. This story is a collaboration between Manchester Proud and the Manchester Community Partnership group. In a time when media is consumed by upsetting and difficult events, Media Power Youth doesn’t want the Manchester community to

May 15, 2020 Newsletter We are excited to announce a new partnership with the Manchester School District, introduce our new Champions Council officers, tell you about a recent award, and ask for your help honoring our school employees.  Celebrating our schools We are working with the school district to share

"What do you want to be when you grow up? This story is a new collaboration between Manchester Proud and the Manchester School District to share good news from our schools.       In the Manchester School District, remote learning extends beyond the classroom. Elementary and middle school students

April 2020 Newsletter Dear Manchester Proud Champions, In this challenging time, we want to share some encouraging news about our schools and introduce our new Champions Council. BOSC approves teacher contract In a unanimous vote, the Board of School Committee passed a three-year contract for teachers on Wednesday night that

Manchester Proud Newsletter: March 19, 2020 Dear Manchester Proud Supporters, As our city, state, and nation work to keep all of us safe, we celebrate and thank our dedicated educators and school leaders for their commitment to our students in this most challenging time. We also want to update you

Manchester Proud looks ahead The Board of School Committee's 12-1 vote on Feb. 20, 2020 to "accept with gratitude" our community's plan for the future of our schools was a beginning - not an end. In early March, our Community Planning Group and Manchester Proud Champions Council had the first

Nearly 470 community members speak in support of our schools Following more than an hour of overwhelming public support for our students, schools, educators, and city, the Board of School Committee voted 12 to 1 Thursday, Feb. 20, to “accept with gratitude” the comprehensive plan our community created to ensure

In late January, we shared a draft of our community's plan for our future schools and asked for your questions. Thank you to everyone who responded. Below you will find the questions we received and the answers. If you haven't read the plan it's on our homepage. On Thursday, Feb.

We've been busy the last few months asking the community how it defines successful schools, working with the Board of School Committee, and sharing our work on local radio and tv stations. Catch up on our community outreach via the links below. Community Visioning Forums We held three forums in

Show your support. Celebrate our schools. Happy New Year Champions.  We’ve got lots of updates for you. Save the date. Show your support. We will present our plan to the Board of School Committee (BOSC) on Feb. 20, 2020 - and then ask the board to adopt it. Invite family

Miss our community forums? Weigh in on online. Manchester Proud believes the great work Manchester’s nonprofits are doing with kids and families, and the resources of our business and cultural communities, would be even more beneficial to our kids and schools if their services were better aligned and coordinated.  That’s

NOW HIRING: Committee Coordinator, Manchester Inclusivity and Equity Committee  Position Overview: The Manchester Inclusivity and Equity Committee seeks a Coordinator in order to build meaningful relationships with community members from groups historically underserved and underrepresented in citywide public and civic engagement initiatives. The Committee Coordinator will lead from behind by

Can Manchester better finance schools, improve school board efficiency? How are Manchester schools identifying students for special education? Should the school board focus on policy decisions and leave district management to school administrators?  These were some of the questions community members considered and voted on at a Manchester Proud forum

Help us choose the best ideas Should Manchester schools expand project-based learning or offer universal Pre-K? Is there value in limiting elementary classes to 20 students? These are a few of the questions community members and educators discussed and voted on at our first workshop to finalize our plan for

It's here and you're invited! After more than a year and a half of community outreach and research, we're ready to share our plan for remodeling education in the Manchester School District. We need one more thing before we present our ideas to the Board of School Committee in mid-February:

Current and newly elected school committee members pick their top ideas   MANCHESTER - Manchester Proud and its partner 2Revolutions held a two and a half hour session with current and new Board of School Committee members on Nov. 18, 2019 to share our early ideas for remodeling education in Manchester

An invite to Manchester's New American families Manchester Proud is inviting all New American families in Manchester to a conversation about education and student success. Please join us to share what you think students should know and be able to do to be successful. This free event will be held

Manchester Proud shares findings with Board of School Committee October 16, 2019 Media contact: Barry Brensinger, Manchester Proud coordinator, 603-493-5201 MANCHESTER - Manchester Proud and its partners Reaching Higher NH and 2Revolutions held a three-hour workshop with the Board of School Committee last night to share findings from our partners’

Concerns and hopes from our international community When we talked with former refugees and immigrants at the International Institute of New England in July, nearly 50 people attended and they participated in a variety of languages, including Swahili, Spanish, Arabic, and French. We asked attendees three questions: What do they

There's something for everyone during National Summer Learning Week in Manchester In case you missed it, the Manchester School District is celebrating National Summer Learning Week this week with a trivia contest, read-alouds, art activities at the Currier, a show at the Palace Theater and lots of visits by the

From creating lifelong learners to redefining “student success,” nearly 100 parents, educators and community leaders brought their ideas for the city’s future schools to Manchester Proud’s two community Visioning Sessions. The first session was held May 23 at Northwest Elementary. The second session was held May 29 at Beech Street

Just passing along this information from the Manchester School District! The Manchester School District (MSD) through the Superintendent Search Committee (SSC) is seeking requests for proposals for a professional services firm to assist the district in a search for a Superintendent. Inquiries should be directed to Angela Carey by emailing

Now that Manchester Proud has selected 2Revolutions – our educational planning partner – to help design Manchester School District’s new strategic plan, we are focused on making certain that the planning process continues to be very connected to the community as a whole. To ensure that this is the case,

Its been an amazing few months here at Manchester Proud! We are truly inspired by the community’s enthusiasm around working together and hearing each other’s experiences, needs, and hopes for the city and it’s schools. Just last week, over 65 Manchester organizations, including the Boys and Girls Club, the Manchester

Bill Krantz, Principal of McLaughlin Middle School, and Scott Szuksta, Assistant Principal, recently joined Manchester Proud to canvass neighborhoods in their school district. Bill shared with us why he joined Manchester Proud and why he’s encouraging others to do the same.

We recently met Alicia Parker, a longtime resident of Manchester, and her daughter Kimiya, a student at West High School. They joined Manchester Proud last month to canvass their neighborhood. Below, they share about the experience, and why they are part of the Manchester Proud effort. 

Manchester Proud hosted its first town hall on Thursday, August 28 at the Manchester Public Library on Pine Street. Attendees learned more about Manchester Proud, the community-based movement led by the people of Manchester, and what comes next.

We are in awe of the energy and enthusiasm the Manchester community has shown in support of developing a community-driven strategic school district plan. Check out the latest coverage from the NH Business Review:

Manchester Proud is a community-based movement that brings together parents, students, educators, and community members to drive a collaborative strategic planning process for the city’s district and schools.