MANCHESTER – Manchester School District has been awarded the District Partner of the Year Award from the Education Alliance for New Hampshire, the organization formerly known as Campus Compact.
The District received the award, presented for the first time this year, at the organization’s Presidents’ Awards ceremony on April 11. The award was created to recognize school district’s engaged with the Education Alliance through a grant program – in this case, GEAR UP.
“We are honored to be recognized for the ongoing partnership that has brought GEAR UP into our schools,” said Superintendent Jennifer Chmiel. “As a district, we strive to ensure that every student is prepared for post-graduate success, whether it be in post-secondary education, the workforce or service to our country. This highly successful program has been deeply supportive of this work with our students and families, and we are grateful to see a second cohort of students start this year.”
GEAR UP coordinators began working with the first cohort of students at the middle school level; those students graduated last June. Last year, the District and GEAR UP secured grant funding to begin work with a second cohort starting with this school year. The success with the first cohort of students helped to open the door to the continued grant funding, and the continuation of the partnership between the District and GEAR UP.
“Our partnership with the Manchester School District has evolved over many years and allowed us to engage with the important work of promoting student outcomes,” said Stephanie Lesperance, Chief Strategy Officer of Education Alliance for NH. “We are grateful for the ongoing support from the administration and school board as we implement innovative programming for families and students. We look forward to continuing this work in the coming years.”