OneManchester

EVERY ENDING is a new beginning, and such is the case with graduation. Commencement for the MHS Class of ‘23 is Wednesday night on the school football field, after which our youngest alumni will start new journeys. This week, seniors are donning their caps and gowns for the annual grad walks that are so inspiring for our K-6 students and we have photos below plus lots of other news and notes from around the district and town.

The Teacher of the Year from each of the district's 12 schools gathered for a celebration at WORK-SPACE last Friday, which culminated with the announcement of the district Teacher of Year -- Josh Curzan of Manchester High.

From left to right are Joy Kelsey (Martin), Kelsey Palazzo (HP), Hannah Mamaclay (Waddell), James Witten (Bennet), Janice Jones (Keeney), Josh Curzan (MHS), Michelle Congleton (Buckley), Beth Lauer (MMA), Christina Provost (Bowers), Jen Bergin (Verplanck), Keri Robotham (MRA) and Meg Clough (Illing.) We are introducing each of them on the district Facebook page and they will also be honored at Monday's night's Board of Education meeting.

Here are some key dates on the school calendar.

Tonight

• An Evening of the Arts is scheduled for tonight from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the MHS cafeteria.

Come Monday

• The groundbreaking ceremony for the renovation of Keeney Elementary is Monday, June 12 at 5:30 p.m.
• Monday is also the night of the annual MHS Class of '23 car parade, which starts at 6 p.m. (cars line up at Bennet and Charter Oak and a prime viewing spot is Brookfield Street right at MHS)
• This is all followed at 7 p.m. by a BoE meeting in Lincoln Center at 7 p.m. that will include an end-of-year update and Teacher of the Year recognition.

... And the End of the Line

• Manchester High’s graduation will be held on Memorial Field on Wednesday, June 14 (rain date: June 15). Here are other 'Senior Sendoff' dates.
• Incidentally, next Wednesday is a full day at all schools other than MHS. (Yesterday was the last 'early release' Wednesday of this school year.)
• The last day of classes is Friday, June 16 (except for MHS and Bentley, which have a makeup day on Tuesday, June 20).

Also:

• MHS Project Graduation is in need of volunteers during various time frames on Wednesday after the graduation ceremony. Click here for sign up info.
• The district Welcome Center will be closed the week of July 3-7.

Twenty MHS students including 15 Seniors have earned the Connecticut Seal of

Biliteracy -- signifying they have studied and attained proficiency in English and one or more other languages. Two students who earned the Seal in more than one language -- Zeba Lulat in Gujarati, Hindi and Urdu and Karim Sheikh in Gujarati and Hindi. Click here for more information and to see the rest of the names.

• Manchester Adult & Continuing Education's STEAM Camp offers a variety of fun experiences that support both academic learning and enrichment. There will be three one-week sessions starting on July 31. Schedules vary by grade, so please review the brochure for specific dates -- and anticipate having fun!
  
• Head Start: The program serves Manchester's low income families, children with special needs, homeless and foster children and we have more information (in both English and Spanish) here.
• Fundraiser: Pink Flamingos in the yard are a fun, positive way to celebrate high school accomplishments. Click here to "flock" a friend" from the Class of ‘23.
• Lab Works: Click for information about a free summer program at MHS for current high school students.

Families with children who used bus transportation this school year, we are asking that you please share feedback through this four-question survey.

Also:

• Manchester Public Library offers a robust summer reading program and this flier has the details.

'Celebrate Manchester' continues through this weekend and events that fall under that umbrella are marked below with a double-asterisk

These three fun opportunities are on Saturday's schedule.

Thursday, June 8
**Noon - 2 p.m. -- Veteran’s BBQ at Elks Club, 30 Bissell St.
12:30 - 5:30 p.m. -- Red Cross blood drive at North United Methodist Church, 300 Parker St.
** 5 - 7 -- ‘Themeless’ art exhibit opening at WORK_SPACE, 903 Main St.
6:30 p.m. -- Summer bird feeding at Mary Cheney Library

Saturday June 10
** 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. -- Manchester Garden Tour.
10 a.m. - noon -- Polish food sale at St. John’s National Church, 23 Golway St.
** 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. -- 2nd Saturday at WORK_SPACE, 903 Main St.
** 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. -- Woodbridge Farmstead Museum open house,495 East Middle Tpke.
** Noon - 3 p.m. -- Touch a Truck Day at Lutz Children’s Museum.
** 2 p.m. -- Lions Club Duck Race at Charter Oak Park.

Sunday, June 11
11 a.m. -- Tea Party Fundraiser at the Charles Cheney Mansion.

** 1-4 p.m. -- Cheney Homestead Open House

Monday, June 12
9 a.m. -- Teen Bookmarked Boxes at Mary Cheney Library
7 p.m. -- BOE meeting at Lincoln Center.

Tuesday, June 13
10 a.m. -- Tea Talk Tuesday at Wickham Park.
7 p.m. -- BoD meeting at Lincoln Center.

Wednesday, June 14
6 p.m. -- Manchester High School Class of 2023 graduation at Memorial Field.

6 p.m. -- Cub Scout Pack 47 Rocket Rally on grounds of Keeney Elementary School
6 - 7:30 p.m. -- Anime Manga Club at Mary Cheney Library.
6 - 8 p.m. -- Flag Day at the Elks Club, 30 Bissell St.

Also:

• Visit six beautifully designed private backyard gardens in Manchester on this year’s Garden Tour June 10. Click here for details.

• Jane Austen’s ‘Pride & Prejudice’ will be at Cheney Hall on the weekends through June 18.

• Continue to Celebrate Manchester this weekend with free family-friendly events and activities.

Note: The Downtown Manchester Special Services District calendar is another great resource for those interested in being aware of all that’s going on.

JUNETEENTH: It's a holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans and Manchester will celebrate Juneteenth with food, music and activities on Saturday, June 17th at Mahoney Rec, 110 Cedar St.

• The Off-Main Experience returns to Purnell Place on June 15 and will continue on the third Thursday of July, August and September.

• Little Theatre of Manchester will host Manchester’s first-ever 'Playwright Festival' on June 23 -24. Click here for details.

• The Lutz has a seven-week summer camp program starting on July 3 that will take campers on a journey through time. Click here for registration information.

• The Dutch Fogarty Independence Day celebration is scheduled for July 8 (rain date July 9)

• Click the links for info on the MARC Concert Series and the Beller’s Summer Concert Series that will be happening in July and August.

After 50-plus years as an independent family-owned newspaper, the JI is now one of eight daily papers owned by HCMG, and they have the story on their CTInsider website.

More than 100 vendors gathered in Center Memorial Park last Sunday, a night after a concert kicked off 'Celebrate Manchester' festivities. There's still more to come, as you'll see in this flier.

OTHER NEWSLETTERS:

Better Manchester Magazine: The Juneteenth Freedom Day Commemoration will be on June 17; check on Rec on the Run’s summer schedule; Flag Day ceremony at the Elks Club on June 14; Spruce Street Farmers Market opens this week.

Manchester Historical Society: Many Museums throughout the state will be open for free on Saturday, including our own in Manchester; the next history walk with the town historian will explore downtown churches in July.

Manchester Matters: Celebrate Manchester info; water main cleaning; renew your dog license online; Garden Tour is Saturday and….an exclusive offer for Manchester residents to preorder tickets for a night of fashion, music and interactive art in September. Click here to subscribe.

Jacob Budarz crushed a three-run homer and Eli Bucko threw a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts to lead Illing to an 11-0 victory over JFK-Enfield in the CRAL championship game Monday afternoon at Mt. Nebo. Check the OneManchester CT Sports page on FB for more pictures.

• Tylon Smith (right) and the Hartford Shockers will host the DC Heat in an ECBL playoff game on Saturday at 5 p.m. at East Catholic. Click here for more info on the Shockers.
  
• Manchester PAL is sponsoring a 3 on 3 basketball tournament at Charter Oak Park in July and August. Click here for sign-up info.
• Manchester Soccer Club is holding travel tryouts for the 2023-24 season in June. Click here for details.
• And if you are looking into summer soccer camps, you can register for one-week sessions in July and August by clicking here.

'Grad Walks' have become a tradition in town and we have more photos on the district Facebook page.

• 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, anything, 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.