Thank You to Manchester Community for Supporting Schools
Editor’s Note: We run this community thank you at the request of Klager Elementary teacher Melissa Yekulis.
For such a small, quiet town, the community of Manchester has a powerful voice, and it is one that supports and cheers on its local schools. Even when the state continues to change and alter school budgets, the people of Manchester are proud of its local school district and community organizations and businesses are always stepping up to lend a helping hand. Here are just some examples of amazing acts of kindness in the last school year.
Ollie’s pizza continues to be a huge supporter of the schools. They are on-call to lend a hand at sporting events and PTO events. For the last two years they have supported March Is Reading Month at Klager with prizes in the generous form of gift certificates. And each year, Ollie’s continues to open its doors to the Klager first grade classes as they learn about their local businesses and make their own mini pizzas.
Worth Repeating is always providing funding in the form of grants to all three of our schools. They have supported bringing field trips to Klager for the second grade students. They welcome preschool and kindergarten classes into its doors to learn about how they can give back to the community. The Manchester Early Childhood Center has made many upgrades on its playground and other indoor equipment thanks to their support. The First Steps program is able to continue moving forward thanks to their help. For the last three years they have made generous donations of books to the March Is Reading Month program. Students at the high school have made visits to local universities to gain first-hand knowledge of college life thanks to their grant funding. And the financial support they have provided to local graduates in the form of scholarships has helped ease the ever increasing burdens that come with higher education.
Stockwell’s and Kellies have always had a big heart for the children in the community. They donate gift certificates to March Is Reading Month, they open their doors to Klager for field trips, and they welcome the teachers and hold their hands through Celebrity Server Night.
The Manchester Fire Department, Police Department, and Library have all been on hand this last year to provide education to students, teachers, and the community at large about how to be safe and inspire a love of learning, no matter what the children may grow up to do in life. To these driven workers, working in Manchester is more than a 9-5 job. They are a part of this community. They regularly open their doors and welcome the children learn more about the world around them. They have dedicated their careers to ensure that our children have safe places to live, learn, and grow when school is and is not in session.
The Parent-Teacher organizations of Manchester Schools are made up of parent volunteers who are dedicated to making dreams possible in our schools for teachers and students alike. Teachers are able to power through three straight hours of Parent-Teacher conferences thanks to the many home cooks who send food their way in pot-luck style on those special nights. Playground equipment, painting on black tops, drinking fountains, grade level field trips, March Is Reading Month guest authors and popcorn days, and teacher-wish money have all been funded thanks to the time these organizations have spent fundraising and making phone calls. Our jobs would be a lot harder at the school without their ongoing support.
The Education Foundation has continued to fund classroom grants thanks to the support of everyone in the community. High levels of community participation at their yearly foundation drive, Crab Races, Celebrity Server Night, and Trivia Night have all made it possible for teachers to continue to bring in the most current and supportive resources to our classrooms to give our students an edge in learning.
Where would we be without the support of our school board? The members of the school board spend hours in meetings, working to ensure the school district has things that it needs to stay current in the fields of education, technology, and safety. They attend regular meetings around the state, and participate in local school meetings such as PTO. The members are generous with their time and we are grateful for their ongoing support.
There are countless other organizations that have provided their help along the way as well. The Manchester Pharmacy, Boy Scouts Coney Night, and Hungry Wolf have all provided support to March Is Reading Month. Dairy Queen and Franks were each big contributors to Celebrity Server night. Every year, The Civic Club helps make Christmas shopping possible for children in need. Churches have lent their support in the form of tutoring. Amcor has generously supported the schools in the way of surplus supplies. The Men’s Club, Kiwanis Club, classroom parents and other organizations I may not even know about have all charitably granted money to classrooms that had a need. Where would we be without your support?
In the coming year, Klager has big plans for restructuring the reading program. It has been a huge undertaking to make happen, and none of that would have been possible without the generous financial contributions the have been made by our community. The teachers and children are all in your debt and we look forward to helping each and every child in our building become the best reader he or she can be.
The sign for Manchester Schools states we strive for: Educational Excellence in a Caring Community. Every year, our schools has striven for excellence. Thank you, to our caring community, for making that possible.
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