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On Saturday, September 18, ��ɫ��Ƶ New Hampshire kicked off our 2021-22 service year with our annual Opening Day ceremony. This year’s event was a part of Manchester Proud and the  Manchester School District’s inaugural “CelebratEd” event, a day long festival celebrating our public schools and community. Relive the event with us through the photos below!

CELEBRATE EDUCATION IN MANCHESTER… It was a joy to come together for this “CelebratED” event alongside students, families, teachers, educators, and fellow youth-focused organizations to celebrate public education in Manchester! As Mayor Joyce Craig said during the kick-off: “I’ve seen firsthand the strength of our district, the hard work of our educators, and the commitment from our community to ensure that every student has the opportunity to receive a high-quality education.”

CITY YEAR’S OPENING DAY… In welcoming this year’s AmeriCorps members, our Executive Director, Pawn Nitichan, shared: “These young people will serve every day as student success coaches, bringing their passion and compassion to our kids. They will be at school to greet our students in the morning, to help students in classrooms during the school day, and help provide additional learning opportunities during afterschool hours. They will be there for our kids. To our ��ɫ��Ƶ members, thank you for choosing CYNH and Manchester as a place for you to give and to grow. Your collective service will be a powerful demonstration that young people’s commitment and the power of national service can help build a stronger community and nation for all of us.”

SHARING WHY WE SERVE… As part of our Opening Day tradition, our AmeriCorps members each share their “I Serve” statements with the community, a reflection on their intentions and commitments for this service year.

WISDOM FROM ALUMNI… Thank you to Anita Lantz ’18, ’19, and Julie Cusano ’19, now teachers at Henry Wilson Elementary School, who shared about their ��ɫ��Ƶ experience and gave their advice to our corps: “When I think back on my ��ɫ��Ƶ experience, I appreciated being a part of a team where I could grow my confidence and myself as a professional as someone who wanted to work in education. Don’t sit back and let your service year happen to you. It’s a year unlike any other so get the most out of it in as many ways as you can. Grow with those around you even if the ways you grow end up being different!”

TAKING THE PLEDGE… Our AmeriCorps members officially launched their year with their public pledge to service.

FUN IN THE SUN… After our Opening Day ceremony, we enjoyed the various performances from student groups and community artists, cheered on our schools in the fire muster, and had a great time leading lawn games with so many students – we saw some impressive Limbo skills!

READ ALOUDS WITH CITY YEAR…In partnership with the Bookmobile that handed out free grade-appropriate books to all attendees, ��ɫ��Ƶ members led read alouds throughout the day and helped students create their own bookmarks and design their own paper bag puppets inspired by book characters.

CHAMPIONING STUDENT SUCCESS BEYOND CITY YEAR… After their service year with ��ɫ��Ƶ, our alumni continue to champion student success in various capacities, with many staying in Manchester & NH!  One of the highlights of our day was seeing many of our alumni during the event who are now teachers, social workers, and paraprofessionals in the Manchester School District or working for various organizations such as GEAR UP, the YMCA, the YWCA, and more.

HERE’S TO THE 2021-22 SCHOOL YEAR… It was a joy to be able to kick off this school year together with our community and we’re looking forward to being part of this community’s collective commitment towards supporting student success!

Want to know more about our 2021-22 corps?

• Read this year’s edition of “Voices of ��ɫ��Ƶ New Hampshire”
• Learn more about our service