CENTRAL HIGH seniors this spring will have the chance to enroll in an African American Cultural Studies pilot course, the first of its kind in the Manchester School District.
Over the past several years, students of color and community members have advocated for a culturally relevant course that better reflects the identities of students and cultures in the district.
“I’m here tonight to show support for the African Studies class,” said Mia Rose Taylor, a junior at Central. “This class’s content is so important and my culture will finally be taught with the nuance it deserves. I’m really excited for myself and the students that will come after me.”
Last week, the district’s Chief Equity Officer Tina Kim Philibotte and Curriculum Director Jillian Corey presented a course overview and objectives to the Teaching and Learning Committee.
Philibotte and Corey have worked with curriculum experts and community representatives to create a class that will focus on Black history in the state and students’ life experiences to connect to other cultures. The hope is for students to understand how their own experiences are connected to and shaped by historical and cultural contexts.
The course will be offered first to seniors at Central High School as part of the pilot program. If successful, it will be offered to the rest of the district’s students. There are no specific requirements to take the course or limitations that would prevent students from enrolling.
Because the program is part of Manchester Community College’s On-Site Early College collaboration, students will get higher-level education and college credit for completing the class.
The curriculum will include historical context, race constructs, power structures, justice, community, New Hampshire-based history and the human experience, with space in the syllabus for topics that are important for students in the classroom, Philibotte said.
“This has been a long time coming,” said committee member Peter Argeropolous. “It’s really cool for our students in Manchester where our student population is so diverse. When they’re in there talking about these concepts and topics, it’s going to bring so much more to their own lived experiences.”
The pilot program received unanimous approval from the committee and will go before the Board of School Committee next month for final approval.
In the future, Philibotte hopes to bring more culturally relevant classes like Latinx and Asian American cultural studies to the school curriculum.
Promise fulfilled
A former Memorial High School student was the first to earn her bachelor’s degree this month as part of the school district’s partnership with Southern New Hampshire University to provide students financially impacted by the pandemic with funding to attend college.
The Manchester Promise, which was created in 2020 to help financially marginalized students, has supported more than 47 students from Manchester — 25 at SNHU and 22 at Duet, a coaching nonprofit that partners with SNHU. Next year, another 27 high school students will be eligible to enroll in the program.
Mayor Joyce Craig initiated the program so graduates with financial barriers can attend college tuition-free.
“The Manchester Promise enables students to reach their post-secondary educational goals, supports them along the way, and allows them to access a bright future locally,” Craig said in a statement, citing a graduate named Hannah as an example of students staying in the city even after they complete their degree. “It’s exactly what we want.”
“At SNHU, we have a long history of removing barriers to make higher education more accessible and are proud to partner with the city to help learners like Hannah transform their lives,” said Steve Thiel, SNHU’s assistant vice president of community impact.
Manchester School District graduate Liam Wolf, an online student at SNHU, received a $3,700 grant last month supporting gender-expansive and transgender students.
The scholarship, which is offered through the Colorado-based Bold Foundation, supports gender minorities with financial awards, resume and interview skills, mentorship opportunities and job placement. The mission, CEO Dror Liebenthal said in a statement, is to help them overcome barriers to higher education that they might face.
