OneManchester

HOMECOMING has always been a big deal at MHS and this year has an added dimension, as the Red Hawk girls soccer team has a state tournament home game Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. That’s followed at 3:15 p.m. by the big Hoco show in Bailey Auditorium (the public is invited but don't be late as it will be packed) and a Fanfest at 4:45 p.m. and then the football game at 6. We have more info below and also a special (and entirely unrelated) documentary video on the 25-year campaign to renovate the town’s elementary schools.

• The big Homecoming Show (which is now held instead of a parade) is Friday at 3:15 p.m. in Bailey Auditorium. The theme this year is 'Fashion Fantasy' and the public is invited. It’s free and a big crowd is expected, as about 400 students will be performing.

• Parents and community members may watch the show by entering the school at the MHS auditorium doors. No other entrances will be open to the public for entry. Seating in the auditorium will be available on a first-come first served basis and doors will open at 3 p.m.

• Fanfest is a student-only event featuring lawn games, music and more from 4:45-6 p.m. on the MHS Auxiliary Fields near the concession stand.

• The Hoco football game against Maloney is scheduled for 6 p.m.

• A reminder: Middle school students must be accompanied by their parent or guardian for admission to the football game.

Also, this is Spirit Week at MHS with themed 'dress-up days" for students and staff. Yesterday was PJ Day and today is a biggie -- Halloween Costume Day, with prizes for best and most creative costumes and more.

Go Baby Go is an annual outreach program at MHS that has students working together to assemble and modify toy cars for children with limited mobility. The video above was shot last Friday and students were behind the wheel the next day.

The Board of Education's meeting last Monday (Oct. 28) wasn't streamed on the district Facebook page because of technical issues. but you can watch a replay here. The meeting featured an update on PK-4 STEM and Humanities. The next BoE meeting is Thursday, Nov. 14 at Lincoln Center with an update on Human Capital and Talent on the agenda.

Of Note:

• It's getting chilly and the district is conducting a student coat drive, with new coats preferred but gently used and laundered coats accepted. Click here for details.

• The CHET Dream Big! Competition gives K-12 students the chance to submit an original essay, video, or artwork and win up to $20,000. Click for details.

• Boys and girls throughout the district are invited to a free day of activities, mentorship, medical exposure, and networking on Saturday, Nov. 9 (8 a.m. - 3 p.m.) in Waterbury. Click here for more information. (Students in grades 3 and up are eligible but this is an especially great opportunity for middle and high schoolers.)

The Global Studies Academy partnered with MACC Charities and CT State-Manchester for a Give Back Event -- assembling approximately 2000 snack bags to be distributed to the community by MACC. Below, yesterday was also a Career Panel Day, with MCA and EPSA students hearing from professionals with expertise in law, medicine, social services and so much more.

At Illing Middle School, students produce an IMS News show that on Oct. 15 put grade 7 teams in the spotlight and then last week featured eighth-grade teams.

Meanwhile, at MHS:

• To see the latest from 'The Nest -- the high school's student-run online newspaper -- click here.
• And for 'The Pulse' archives, click here.
• And a few tickets remain for the MHS "Broadcast Bingo" event; click for details.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5 and there is no school for students that day, although staff will be involved in professional development activities.

Early voting continues at Mahoney Recreation Center, located at 110 Cedar Street (use the rear entrance) through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily -- but there's extended hours today (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.).

Full details for registering to vote, absentee ballots/applications, and polling places are available by clicking here.

Daylight Savings Time ends this weekend, so you can either to set your clocks back an hour Saturday night, or wait until Sunday morning and go back to sleep.

Thursday, Oct. 31
9 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. -- Red Cross Blood Drive at North United Methodist Church, 300 Parker St.
9:30 - 10:15 a.m. -- Toddling Tots at Mary Cheney Library.
6:30 - 7:15 p.m. -- ABC Storytime at Mary Cheney Library.

Friday, Nov. 1
10 a.m. -- Preschool Playgroup at Mary Cheney Library.
1 -2:30 p.m. -- Free Monthly Tech Talk at Community Tech Center, 153 Spruce St.
6 p.m. -- Family Movie Night (Princess & The Frog) at 153 Spruce St.
6 p.m. -- LTM’s Broadway Gala at Manchester Country Club.

Saturday, Nov. 2
8 a.m. - noon -- Free shred event at 321 Olcott St.
9 a.m. - 2 p.m. -- Hi-Ho Holiday Craft Fair at South United Methodist Church.
9 a.m. - 3 p.m. -- New England Country Fair on Saturday at Second Congregational Church.
10 a.m. - 2 p.m. -- Old Manchester Museum open house, 126 Cedar St.
10 a.m - 3 p.m. -- 10th annual Vendor and Craft Fair at Cornerstone Christian School, 236 Main St.
9 - 3 p.m. -- New England Country Fair at Second Congregational Church.
7 p.m. -- Manchester Sports Hall of Fame dinner at Georgina’s in Bolton.

Monday, Nov. 4
9:30 - 10:15 a.m. -- Shake Rattle & Roll at May Cheney Library.
10:30 - 11:15 a.m. -- Dino Time for ages 2-5 at Whiton Library.
7 - 8 p.m. -- WWLM is accepting cans, bottles and all donations at the Donation Center, 11 Bissell St. (Donations can also be made M-Th, 10 a.m. - noon and 1 - 3:30 p.m.)

Tuesday, Nov. 5
9:30 - 10:15 a.m. -- Storytime at Mary Cheney Library.
6:30 - 7:15 p.m. -- Shake, Rattle & Roll at Whiton Library.

Wednesday, Nov. 6
9:30 - 10 a.m. -- Baby Rhyme Time at Mary Cheney Library.
10:15 - 11:15 a.m. -- Preschool Fun with Math Storytime at Whiton Library.
6 p.m. -- How to read a Sewing Pattern with Alexa at Whiton Library.
6:30 - 8:30 p.m. -- East Side Neighborhood Block Watch meeting at 153 Spruce St.

Also:

• Mary Cheney Library is now open Sundays 1 -5 p.m.

• UR Communty Cares Tech Center will host Parkinsons’ Disease Support Group sessions on the second Tuesday of the month at 153 Spruce St. starting Nov. 12.

• Daylight Savings ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday.

Bike Friendly Campaign: Manchester has submitted an application to the League of American Bicyclists to potentially be recognized as a Bike Friendly Community and as part of the process is conducting a survey with results to be shared with town leadership. For more info click here.

From the YSB: The Youth Service Bureaus is offering lots of opportunities of note. He are some in-school programs (FACTS, Girl Circles and Voices) and a list of Fall and Winter programs (employment readiness, cooking, birdwatching and much more).

The non-profit UR Community Cares Tech Center located at the Eastside Neighborhood Resource Center (153 Spruce Street) can assist parents that want to improve their technology skills or would like to donate their time to volunteer. Click for more information (and here for a Spanish version).

Down the Road

• ‘Something Rotten!’ runs at Cheney Hall from Nov. 8 -24.

• MACC Charities’ 16th annual Emergency of Hunger food drive will take place on Nov. 9 and 10 at Highland Park Market and at Stop and Shop on Nov. 16 and 17. Click here for more details.

• Manchester’s Veterans Day Parade will step off from American Legion Hall at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 11 and arrive at Manchester Memorial Hospital for an 11 a.m. ceremony. Manchester schools and town offices will be closed on Nov. 11 in honor of holiday.

• The Leaf Collection Program starts on Nov. 12 and you can click here to see the schedule and here for the area map.

• The Rocky Horror Picture Show will be at Cheney Hall on Nov. 14 for one night only.

The #8 ranked MHS girls soccer team (11-2-3) will host #25 Brien McMahon (7-9) in the first round of the LL tournament on Friday on Memorial Field. Game time is 2 p.m. and the winner will play on Monday at site TBD.

Senior Liz Schoeneberger (left) scored 48 goals this fall and has 80-plus goals over her high school career.

And at 6 p.m. Friday the MHS football team (4-2) hosts Maloney (2-4) in the traditional Homecoming game.

Also

• The Mom & Pop Cross Country Run will take place Saturday afternoon at Wickham Park. Click here for details.

• The Manchester Sports Hall of Fame induction dinner will be held on Saturday at Georgina's in Bolton. You can read about this year's inductees and get ticket info by clicking here.

Online registration for the 88th Manchester Road Race is under way. The entry fee is now $37 and goes up to $42 on Nov. 23. Click here for registration information. Also:

• Road Race Saturday serves is a celebration of the race and the community, all activities as a prelude to the annual 4.737-mile Thanksgiving Day race and will take place at Manchester High School on Nov. 23.

On Election Day 25 years ago, Manchester voters said no to a proposed $110 million plan that would have patched up the town's then 10 elementary schools. That put in motion a series of events that included, in 2012, the creation of a SMARTR committee that assembled a plan that took more than a decade to complete but recently came to a satisfying and proud end.

Check out our mini-documentary called "SMARTER Success' -- the story of how Manchester rallied together to put all of its K6 students in state-of-the-art buildings designed for 21st Century learning. (Btw, the image above is from the Verplanck ribbon-cutting in 2019.)

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.