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The mission of Breakthrough Manchester at the Derryfield School is to launch promising Manchester middle school students, particularly those with limited opportunities, on the path to college while inspiring high school and college students to pursue careers in education. The following is an excerpt from a speech by Angela Romilla, a Central High School junior, at Breakthrough Manchester's Back to Summer breakfast on April 20. She attended the program from 2010-2012.  One of the fondest memories I have of Breakthrough was during a bus ride home after a long summer day. Since the bus dropped off students all over Manchester, these rides were often very long. Because of our fatigue and the blazing summer heat, my classmates and I would often get into very strange conversations. On one particularly hot afternoon, one of my classmates asked the entire bus: "Is air free? I mean, we don't have to pay to get it, but we have to work to breathe it in. So is it truly free?...

Free breakfast, lunch and dinner will be available to anyone 18 years and younger at the following locations in Manchester.  The Summer Food Service Program is a community partnership between United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Department of Education (D.O.E.) and Southern New Hampshire Services (SNHS).        Breakfast Sites: Elmwood Gardens Apartments             9:00 - 10:00am  Lunch Sites: Elmwood Gardens Apartments            12:00 – 12:30pm Center Park Beech Hill Apartments     12:30 –   1:30pm Hunts Pool                                             12:45 - ...

Ask Central High School’s Jane Raymond the question she says is a common one she hears from some non-educators, “Are you teaching these kids anything they can use?,” and the answer is yes. “Chemistry is everywhere!” said the teacher, pointing to an old road sign hanging on her classroom wall that warns of frost heaves. “What causes frost heaves? The physical reactions of freezing and thawing.” Raymond, who has been at Central High School since 1999, likes to bring those kinds of everyday life examples into her lessons. She says chemistry also helps students learn lifelong problem-solving skills. “If an experiment doesn’t go right the first time, they shouldn’t think ‘Oh, well,’ but instead ‘What can I do next?’” she said. Raymond’s students respect and thank her for what she teaches.  Like the young man several years ago who was inspired to continue studying chemistry in college because she encouraged him to stick with her class and said he could do it. “He i...

Following one of the leadership principles they’ve been practicing this school year, third graders from Gossler Park Elementary School “began with the end in mind” as they toured the campus of Southern New Hampshire University. The field trip gave students the chance to start developing a better understanding about the opportunities going to college can provide.  With support from Granite United Way, Gossler Park has implemented a program called “The Leader in Me,” which emphasizes skills and lifelong habits that are important for growing up to be proactive achievers. Among them, setting goals for higher education.  When Gossler Park’s third grade team of teachers came up with the idea of introducing their students to college, SNHU wanted to make it happen. Representatives from the university’s admission office gave the children an experience close to what any other prospective student would receive, with the goal of inspiring them to strive for greater academic success ...

Parents, teachers and interested members of the public will have a chance to meet and hear from the finalists being considered for the top post at Webster Elementary School. The school district is hosting a forum to introduce the two candidates and offer an opportunity for the community to ask questions. The invited candidates are Benjamin Loi, currently principal of Peterborough Elementary School in New Hampshire since 2010; and Sarah Lynch, currently a building administrator at the School for Exceptional Studies in Lawrence, MA. Their experience includes curriculum development and working collaboratively with faculty and families. Both Loi and Lynch were classroom teachers earlier in their education careers and have extensive backgrounds at the elementary level. They have expressed a passion for the work they do and a strong desire to continue their careers in Manchester, where both have personal ties. “Forums like this have proven to be a wonderful way to further invo...

Elementary school music teachers across the city have been working to inspire fourth grade students to participate in band and orchestra. To do that, they partnered with Symphony NH’s "Picture This" program, designed to teach students how to identify themes, characters, locations and events while listening to music – and thus develop a deeper appreciation for what they hear.  Components of Picture This include a string or wind quartet performance by Symphony NH musicians in Manchester schools. The culmination of these music lessons for fourth graders was a field trip to Central High School to hear a full Symphony NH concert. More than 1,000 students – all of Manchester’s fourth graders – attended the performance on April 11. “It gave all of our fourth graders an experience they won't soon forget, while enriching their learning in a way that is not possible in the classroom,” said Jessica Makris Welch, music teacher at Wilson Elementary School.  “We hope they will...

Hillside Middle School cafeteria staff: Head cook Dianna Gosselin,  Lisa Voisine, manager  Diane Cormier,  Judi Jordan,  Ruthanne MacDonald,  Joanne Allard,  Helen Gamelin and  Catherine Dupuis The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced that Hillside Middle School has earned a bronze HealthierUS School Challenge: Smarter Lunchrooms award. Hillside joins the ranks of an elite group of schools across the country recognized for excellence in their integration of health, nutrition and fitness education. Only about 7% of the nation’s schools have achieved bronze, silver, gold, or gold of distinction HealthierUS status. About 30 schools in New Hampshire have been recognized; three of them in Manchester. The HealthierUS challenge is a key component of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative to end childhood obesity within a generation. Schools participating in the challenge voluntarily adopt USDA standards for food they serve at the...

Manchester Parks and Recreation, New England Patriots & the New England Patriots Alumni Club present Football For You a free, one-day non-contact football clinic  o n Saturday, April 23 at Gill Stadium! This clinic is open to boys and girls ages 9-14 of all skill levels and they will be coached by former Patriots players with a focus on  leadership, teamwork, and commitment. To register online visit   www.patriotsalumni.com .  Registration on the day of the event starts at  11:30am with camp starting at  12:30pm . Lunch is at  3pm  and camp  ends at  3:30pm .  GREAT FREE SESSIONS FOR PARENTS FOR FREE DURING THE EVENT! SESSIONS ON FITNESS &NUTRITION, SAFETY, AND BUILDING CHARACTER FOR PARENTS AND YOUNG ATHLETES!