OneManchester

JUNIE B. JONES has been called the world's funniest kid and her hijinks are at the center of Illing Middle School’s spring musical, which opens tonight at MHS with shows also on Friday and Saturday. We have details below as well as photos from a dress rehearsal on Tuesday. We also have three more stories to share from our ‘Humans of Manchester’ gallery, pictures from an Inventors Showcase at Verplanck Elementary, and a calendar that includes details about Saturday's annual Rebuilding Together.

The three newest additions to our gallery are from MHS -- from left are teacher Sean Rogers and seniors Andre McFarland and Nasir White. You can read about each of them on Facebook or Instagram.

The next BoE meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 13 at Verplanck Elementary School with a Verplanck update on the agenda. The meeting can be viewed live here.

Also:

• The Board of Directors has pushed back its budget adoption (now scheduled for May 14) so major decisions about school spending for next year are still on hold.
• And a reminder: Graduation is Wednesday, June 12 and the last day of classes for everyone else is Monday, June 17.

The Verplanck Elementary School community gathered Tuesday night to share inventions in the gymnasium and then visit STEAM stations around the building. Buckley had a similar event last week with Keeney scheduled for tomorrow followed by Waddell (May 7), Bowers (May 9), Highland (May 14) and Martin (May 16).

• Saturday is Drug Takeback Day at CVS, 1221 Main St. from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
• Celebrate a Manchester High senior with a Pink Flamingo Flocking from MHS Project Graduation. And if you would like to volunteer to lead a committee for Project Graduation '25, you can click here for information.
• Applications for next year's Manchester Youth Commission are due May 10. Click here for details.

Click here to watch.

Rebuilding Together brings volunteers together in efforts to assist those in need of general home repair and improvements and Saturday is the big day.

Thursday, April 25
10:30 - 11:15 a.m. -- Shake, Rattle & Roll for children ages 2-5 at Mary Cheney Library.
6:30 p.m. -- Connecticut’s Sandy Shores at Whiton Library.
6:30 - 7:15 p.m. -- Pajama Storytime for children ages 2-5 at Mary Cheney Library.

Friday, April 26
10 a.m. -- Preschool Playgroup at Mary Cheney Library.
1 - 3:30 p.m. -- All Ages and Abilities Cycling Event at Great Path.

Saturday, April 27
9 - 2 p.m. -- Huge indoor tag sale at South United Methodist Church, 1226 Main St.
9 - noon -- Rebuilding Together Manchester.
2:30 - 4:30 p.m. -- Plant Swap at Mary Cheney Library.

Monday, April 29
9:30 - 10:15 a.m. -- ABC Storytime at Mary Cheney Library.
10:30 - 11:15 a.m. -- Tykes, Trucks & Trains for ages 2-5 at Whiton Library.
6:30 - 7:30 -- Your Blood, My Bones at Mary Cheney Library.

Tuesday, April 30
10 - 10:20 a.m. -- Baby Rhyme Time for pre-crawlers and crawlers at Mary Cheney Library.
6 - 7 p.m. -- Family Place program at Mary Cheney Library.

Wednesday, May 1
4 - 6:30 p.m. -- Apprenticeship Trade Fair at Manchester High School.
3:30 - 4:15 -- Picture Bingo at Whiton Library.
6:30 - 8:30 p.m. -- East Side Neighborhood Block Watch meeting at 153 Spruce St.

Also:

• On Saturday, Habitat for Humanity will host its 2024 Youth Advocacy & Engagement Conference for future leaders between the ages of 11-18. Click here for more info.

• Also on Saturday there will be a low-cost pop-up veterinary clinic at 34 Sanrico Dr. by appointment only. Click here for details.

• Learn about paid apprenticeships opportunities at the Apprenticeship Trade Fair at Manchester High on Wednesday, May 1.

• Boy Scout Troop 27 has ‘31 Days of Prizes’ in May. Click here to find out more, and here for info on its May 4 can and bottle drive.

• Legally Blonde: The Musical runs at Cheney Hall through Sunday.

• ‘Expressions of Healing’ exhibit at WORK_SPACE will be on display until May 30.

• Save May 11 for Downtown Manchester’s annual Butterfly Stroll and the Elks Club’s ‘A Day in the Park.’

• Manchester Adult and Continuing Ed is offering a self-defense and empowerment course for women on Mondays starting May 13. Click here for more details.

• The Manchester Land Conservation Trust’s giant tag sale at 330 Bush Hill Rd. will be held May 17-25 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. each day. Click here for details.

• Public Works Day is May 22. Click here to learn more.

• Manchester High graduation will be held at MHS on June 12 (rain date: June 13)

• The school district, Manchester Early Learning Center and town Parks and Recreation Department will be offering various summer opportunities to students. Click her for all the details.
• Summer Day Camp registration for Manchester residents starts April 8. Click here for info.

Not all high school games are created equal, and when the Red Hawks go up against cross-town East Catholic it's always extra fun. That made Monday special as MHS beat the Eagles in both softball (where Cat Smith's aggressive baserunning helped secure a 9-8 victory) and baseball -- as Wynnton Stefanovicz picked up a three-inning save. Here is the complete MHS spring schedule.

• Manchester Soccer Club is now a Hartford Athletic affiliate team and will have a special event on May 24 at Dillon Stadium. Click here for more info.
• Travel tryouts for fall teams will take place in June. Click here for the schedule and here for the schedule in Spanish.
• Everton Soccer School will run a camp August 19-23 at Veterans Memorial Field on Hillstown Rd. Click here for more info.

Also:

• Manchester Knights Youth Football and Cheerleading registration for the fall is now open. Click here for the form and here if you are interesting in coaching.
• The Hartford Shockers will be running basketball camps in August at East Catholic High School for 3-11 graders. Click here for the details.

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Spring musicals are a tradition at many high schools (including MHS) and for the second year in a row Illing Middle School has also gotten into the act, so to speak. Under the direction of Colleen Penney and with a cast of 31 students who are not only performing but also painted set pieces, made props, serve as stage hands, help do each other's hair and makeup and more, "Junie B. Jones The Musical Jr." debuts tonight with additional shows on Friday and Saturday. "I'm very excited to share this show with the community," said Penney, the IMS registrar and seventh-grade secretary.

Show time each night is 7 p.m., tickets are $5 for students and seniors and $10 otherwise and are available at the door (cash only). Click to see the flier.

DONT FORGET THE ANNEX: This is our new 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.
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