OneManchester

STUDENT MUSICIANS spend sooooo many hours practicing and rehearsing and preparing for public performances that are relatively infrequent -- and therefore extra special. On Tuesday night, Bennet sixth-graders took to the Bailey Auditorium stage and tonight fifth-graders take their turn, with Illing and MHS ensembles ready for their holiday concerts in the next two weeks. We have the schedule below as well as well as coverage from another big event on the Bailey stage -- Monday's National Honor Society induction ceremony.

Bennet teacher Erienne Mellen, with her dad Joe Grieco accompanying on piano, lead the sixth grade choir through 'Jingle Bell Rock.' More pics below.

Those are the four pillars that are at the heart of the National Honor Society, and 80 MHS students were inducted into the FA Verplanck Chapter on Monday night at MHS. To see a list of inductees click here.

The group shot above is nice when enlarged, but we also have some closeups:

From left above: That's NHS President Ohanna Boahen welcoming guests and Kaylee Ryan and Jaya Rios together with certificates. Below from left are Mohammad Kavla, then Ella Gyamfuam (who as NHS event planner introduced teacher of the year Shawn McClory) and finally Ethan Ortiz (followed by Marvin Osei-Baffour) being called to receive certificates.

The final Board of Education meeting for 2024 will take place Monday, Dec. 16 at Lincoln Center with a fall data update on the agenda.

Also:

• MHS student journalists were busy right up to the Thanksgiving break, releasing this edition of 'The Pulse' and also updating 'The Nest.'

Thursday, Dec. 5
9:30 - 10:15 a.m. -- Toddling Tots for walkers up to 24 months old at Mary Cheney Library.
11:30 am. - 1:30 p.m. -- Veterans Holiday Gathering at Elks Club, 30 Bissell St.
6:30 - 7:15 p.m. -- ABC Storytime at Mary Cheney Library.

Friday, Dec. 6
8 a.m.- 1 p.m. -- Red Cross Blood Drive at Great Path Academy, Great Path.
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.
5 - 7 p.m. -- Path to Homeownership free seminar at The Pearl, 642 Hilliard St.
5 - 7 p.m. -- Manchester School PTA’s 2nd annual Holiday Toy Drive at Mahoney Rec, 110 Cedar St.
6 p.m. -- Family Movie Night: Frozen, at 153 Spruce St.
6:30 - 7:30 p.m.-- Yoga for Toys at Community Y Rec Center.

Saturday, Dec. 7
10 a.m. - 2 p.m. -- Old Manchester Museum open house, 126 Cedar St.
10:30 - 11:15 a.m. -- Saturday Storytime at Mary Cheney Library.

11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. -- Free playgroup hosted by CTFSN at Northwest Park Early Learning Center.
3 p.m. -- Christmas Dinner & Bingo at St. John's Church
6:30 p.m. -- 9th annual Manchester-CT Jazz Festival at Cheney Hall.

Sunday, Dec 8
1 - 4 p.m. -- Cheney Homestead Open House, 106 Hartford Rd.
1 - 3 p.m. -- Pizza with Santa at St. James Church Hall, 896 Main St.

Monday, Dec. 9
Noon - 6 p.m. -- Red Cross Blood Drive at Church or Christ, 595 Tolland Tpke
9:30 - 10:15 a.m. -- Shake Rattle & Roll at Mary 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.
7 p.m. -- Manchester Garden Club meeting at Assumption Church Hall, 27 Adams St.

Tuesday, Dec. 10
9:30 a.m. -- Storytime at Mary Cheney Library.
10:30 a.m. - noon -- Manchester Parkinsons’ Disease Support Group at 153 Spruce St.
6:30 - 7:15 p.m. -- Shake, Rattle & Roll at Whiton Library
7 p.m. -- BoD meeting at Lincoln Center.

Wednesday, Dec. 11
8 - 9 a.m. -- Downtown District’s board meeting at WORK_SPACE, 903 Main St.
10:30 - 11:15 -- Preschool Fun with Math Storytime at Whiton Library.
3:30 - 4:45 p.m. -- R.E.A.D. to a Dog (pre-K - Grade 4) at Mary Cheney Library.
4 - 8 p.m. -- Bennet Academy PTSA fundraiser at Panera, 179 Deming Rd.
6:30 - 8 p.m. -- Town Wide Block Watch at the Senior Center.

• Manchester Public School PTA’s 2nd annual Holiday Toy Drive will take place at Mahoney Rec on Dec 6. Click here for more info.

• There will be a Holiday Art Market at the Cheney Carriage House, 30 Forest St. on Saturday and Sunday. Click here for details.

• The Manchester Land Trust will hold a special tag sale at 330 Bush Hill Rd on Dec. 6, 7, 8.

• The 9th annual Manchester-CT Jazz Festival will be held at Cheney Hall on Dec. 7.

• The Knights of Columbus will be hosting ‘Pizza with Santa’ at St. James Church on Dec. 8. Click here for details.

• CAST children’s theatre’s 14th annual Holiday Showcase Toy Drive will take place on Dec. 11. Click here for details.

• If you are thinking about going back to school but need childcare, CT State Community College has convenient care on campus while you are in class. Click here for more info.

• The Leaf Collection Program is under way and you can click here to see the schedule and here for the area map.

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

• The Leaf Collection Program is now working its way through Area 2 and you can click here to see the schedule and here for the area map.
• The Manchester Greater Together Community Fund announced a competitive grant opportunity for nonprofits proposing projects to benefit the residents of Manchester. Click for details.

• The Youth Service Bureau 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 Bennet Academy PTSA is holding a fundraiser at Panera on Dec. 11. Click here for more info.

• Santa’s Workshop opens on Dec. 12 at Wickham Park and runs through Dec. 23. Click here for details.

• PJ Day for the Kids will be held on Dec. 13. Click here for details.

• This year’s Hip Hop for the Homeless tour wraps up at the Main Pub on Dec. 21.

• Tickets are on sale for Little Theatre of Manchester’s 2025 season that opens on Feb.7 with ‘Murder Inn.’

The Manchester Pop-Warner Red Hawks 12U football team won the New England championship on Nov. 24 and will compete in the Pop Warner Super Bowl this weekend in Orlando, FL.

The Red Hawks went 10-1 this fall and for many of the players and coaches, this will be their third consecutive year representing Manchester and the New England region at the national tournament.

Read more about the team on our OneManchester CT Sports page on fb.

2019 Manchester High grad Yankarlos Diaz broke Steve Gates’ 44-year-old record for Manchester residents while finishing 18th at the 88th Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving.

Gates finished seventh at the 1980 MRR in 22:29 while Diaz crossed the line in 22:27 last week. Diaz, pictured at right as a senior at MHS, ran cross country at CCSU and is finishing up his collegiate career there as distance runner on the winter and outdoor track & field teams.

Also:

• The town rec department is running a free three-on-three basketball tournament (ages 14-17) at Waddell Elementary School on Dec. 19 and the info is here.

Bailey Auditorium at MHS was packed on Tuesday night for the Bennet sixth-grade holiday concert. That's Ken Garrison directing the band above.

The rest of the schedule:

• Tonight -- Bennet Holiday Concert (5th Grade)
• Tuesday, Dec. 10 -- Illing Choir Concert
• Thursday, Dec. 12 -- Illing Band and Orchestra Concert
• Wednesday, Dec. 18 -- MHS Holiday Concert

(The public is invited to all concerts, which are free and start at 7 p.m. in Bailey Auditorium at MHS)

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.