About

The Compass

Manchester Proud: Building a Future of Excellence in Education

Mission Statement

At Manchester Proud, our core mission is to cultivate a deep and lasting bond between the Manchester School District and its community, with a steadfast focus on elevating student achievement and transforming public education into an exceptional experience. We are unwavering in our commitment to nurturing excellent public schools that cater to the needs of all Manchester students, both now and in the future. Our goal is to open doors to success, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to lead a fulfilling, healthy, and productive life.

We recognize that our success hinges on two fundamental pillars.

1

Community Engagement: We are dedicated to fostering understanding, active participation, and shared responsibility towards our public schools. Our aim is to create an environment where the community feels a sense of ownership and pride.

2

Community Partnerships: We believe in the power of uniting Manchester’s diverse resources for the utmost benefit of our students, schools, and the broader community. By forging strong partnerships, we strive to maximize the impact of our collective efforts, ensuring that our resources are effectively utilized to enhance the lives of everyone who lives and works in Manchester.

At Manchester Proud, we envision a future where every student is empowered with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities to excel. Together, through community engagement and partnerships, we are committed to making this vision a reality, building a legacy of exceptional public education for generations to come.

WHO WE ARE

Building Tomorrow in Today's Schools

The future of our City is being made today in Manchester’s public schools – the most essential source of our community’s economic growth, wellness, cultural vitality, and civic engagement.

Shaping Our Future

Nearly 90% of our kids attend public schools, making our schools the most opportune place to face and address our challenges and create opportunities.

Community Strong

Manchester Proud is a growing, city-wide movement, uniting our community in partnership with the Manchester School District to make our public schools exceptional – for all of our students, for ALL of us!

Promoting Equity and Pride in Education

Manchester Proud’s unique role as a community facilitator and resource enabler IS driving systemic change: Change that is producing equity-based learning opportunities and career pathways for our students; Change that is optimizing the investment of community resources in our public schools; Change that is building a culture of pride and engagement in our schools and community.

Empowering Progress

Manchester Proud’s projects have been undertaken by more than 350 volunteers, empowered to bring their life experiences and expertise to our work. It is this power of many that has enabled our extraordinary progress!

Building Equity in Manchester's Public Schools, One Step at a Time

See how Manchester Proud has ignited transformative changes, from establishing an Equity Imperative to creating a community resource portal, all guided by the shared plan for “Excellence and Equity for ALL Learners.”

Building Together

We facilitated a city-wide planning process to create “Our Community’s Plan for Manchester’s Future of Learning”, adopted by our school board as our District’s “living” strategic plan.

Prioritizing Equity

We championed the Equity Imperative, bringing on the district’s first Chief Equity Officer and solidifying an Equity Blueprint for action.

Bridging Gaps

We launched The Compass, a user-friendly online resource providing one-stop access to information, services, and opportunities for Manchester’s students and families.

Celebrating Success

Annually, our CelebratED! festival unites the city in joyful appreciation of student achievements and school brilliance.

Strengthening Collaborations

We appointed a dedicated Community Partnerships Director to cultivate robust partnerships, optimizing community support for schools.

Aligning Resources

With Compass Live, we convene over 60 community partners monthly, ensuring their offerings connect seamlessly with school needs.

Building Transparency

Partnering with the Chamber, we host “State of the Manchester School District,” an annual public forum sharing progress and aspirations.

Inspiring Action

Our Community Communications Director engages families and students, sharing positive stories and amplifying calls for a brighter future.

Manchester Proud stands strong, independent of any affiliations. We believe in collaboration, equity, and inclusivity. Our purpose is clear: a stronger Manchester built on the foundation of excellent public schools and we believe that NOW is the time to act.

Building Equity in Manchester's Public Schools, One Step at a Time

Building Together

We secured community buy-in and funding for “Our Community’s Plan,” a roadmap for equitable excellence in Manchester schools, now guiding progress citywide.

Prioritizing Equity

We championed the Equity Imperative, bringing on the district’s first Chief Equity Officer and solidifying an Equity Blueprint for action.

Bridging Gaps

We launched The Compass, a Board-backed network and online resource portal, fostering vibrant school-community connections.

Celebrating Success

Annually, our CelebratED! festival unites the city in joyful appreciation of student achievements and school brilliance.

Strengthening Collaborations

We appointed a dedicated Community Partnerships Director to cultivate robust partnerships, optimizing community support for schools.

Aligning Resources

With Compass Live, we convene over 60 community partners monthly, ensuring their offerings connect seamlessly with school needs.

Building Transparency

Partnering with the Chamber, we host “State of the Manchester School District,” an annual public forum sharing progress and aspirations.

Meet the dedicated team behind Manchester Proud, a group of passionate and skilled individuals committed to driving positive change and making a significant impact in our community.

Latest News

Jun | 27 | 2025

MP Update – June 2025

Today marked an important milestone for Manchester Proud—we took the first step in our strategic planning process, charting a course for the future of our work and our community. It […]

Jun | 27 | 2025

Proud Moment – Celebrating Leadership: Manchester Proud Executive Director and Manchester School District leaders Graduate from Leadership Greater Manchester

This week, Manchester is proud to celebrate the graduation of three remarkable leaders who have completed the Leadership Greater Manchester (LGM) program, an initiative of the Greater Manchester Chamber of […]

Jun | 25 | 2025

Press Release – Manchester Proud announces winners of 4th Annual Student Volunteer Award

Manchester Proud, an organization working to champion student success within the Manchester School District through community engagement and community partnerships, presented its 2025 Student Volunteer Awards at the Manchester School […]

GET INVOLVED!

The power of building and tending to community partnerships is a multiplier, expanding our collective knowledge, expertise, experience, capacity, resources, opportunity, and commitment to our common goal of excellence and equity for all learners. The old saying that, “Two heads are better than one”, certainly applies to our work, and we are so very fortunate to have many, many heads contributing to the success of our District.

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