MANCHESTER, NH – For the second consecutive year the city has come together to celebrate education. Organized by Manchester Proud, a home-grown education advocacy group, the focus was on fun as hundreds turned out Sept. 17 at Veterans Park for CelebratED.
“It’s a powerful opportunity to build awareness of and support for our schools. Celebrating the great things happening in MSD makes us all a little more proud to live and work in Manchester,” said Barry Brensinger, founding member and philosophical leader of Manchester Proud.
Brensinger says the idea behind CelebratED is to create a fun atmosphere full of entertainment, food and friendship. But it’s also a matter of serious business for Manchester Proud.
The group, which formed five years ago, has a singular purpose: improving outcomes for students who attend city schools. Building a sense of community pride is an important foundation for success.
“As a corollary to the old adage ‘You are what you eat,’ communities become what they value – what they ‘celebrate.’ Celebration of our students and schools promotes awareness and understanding of the countless success stories being lived in the Manchester School District every day,” writes Brensinger in a recent Manchester Proud blog post.
“By accentuating the positive, we inspire ever greater pride and progress. Our ultimate success will be realized when the making and maintaining of great public schools and commitment to the success of ALL of our students are part of our collective civic conscience – When we and the world know Manchester to be a great place to learn and live.”
CelebratED slide shows by Stacy Harrison
