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Contact Officers

Our History

The Manchester Alumni Association was officially founded in 2001 with a mission of promoting the pride and spirit of Manchester High School and the community, to assist in raising funds for college scholarship awards, and to keep our graduates well-informed about their alma mater and the Alumni Association.

 

Former superintendent Marco Burnette approached longtime guidance counselor Keith McCauley about spearheading the initial alumni effort, and a core group of volunteers was soon assembled to launch the association. These hardworking officers have remained together since that time, with additional alumni also making key contributions.

 

Over the past 20 years, here are some of our accomplishments: 

 

* Sponsored a Manchester alumni dinner/dance.

* Coordinated Manchester community nights at Akron Aeros baseball games.

* Established an Annual Alumni Pre-Game Tailgate Party at one home football game each season. 

 

* Awarded 37 Manchester Alumni Association Scholarships totaling $67,000. The first annual $2,000 scholarship was given in 2002 through alumni fundraising efforts at previous Aeros and Cleveland Browns games, as well as with generous donations from Panther graduates, friends, and especially the Old School Alumni members. 

* Published MHS Alumni Directories in 2003 and 2008. These major projects were our first efforts in compiling information to keep the alumni informed. Our database provides a means of contacting alumni via email, if needed, and also offers class reunion planners a resource to help find friends they can’t locate. Please take a moment and update your contact info under the “Home” tab above.  

* Produced and mass-mailed our first 4-page Alumni Newsletter in 2005.

* Provided the funding for a Fall ’05 high school assembly dealing with the adverse effects of drug and alcohol abuse, as well as teen suicide.

* Supported the Manchester athletic, academic, and performing arts programs with financial assistance.

* Launched an independent website dedicated to Manchester grads: PantherAlumni.org. In this electronic age, the website will be our primary means of communicating information to alums. We will continually update the site, so please “bookmark” it and check back often!

* Proudly served at annual Manchester Minuteman banquets, as well as other school functions.

* Produced a quarterly e-newsletter, Panther AlumNotes, from 2007 to 2015. The 45 detailed newsletters featured news and updates about Manchester alumni, the school district and community. It was emailed to all MHS alumni in our database at the time. This website and social media have become more efficient ways to communicate with alumni.

* Held our 13th annual MHS Reverse Raffle / Silent Auction in February of 2020. This annual event has helped to raise money each year for our scholarship program.

* Initiated the Distinguished Alumni Awards in 2012 to honor former students and current or retired educators for their exceptional achievements. An awards dinner is held each summer, and a beautiful school-themed vinyl background (furnished by the Alumni) displays permanent individual plaques with a photo and bio capsule of each winner’s accomplishments at the High School. You can read more on the “Alumni Achievements” tab above.

  

* Encouraged and publicized class reunions for two decades. If you are planning an event, please let us know and we’ll post the details here on the Alumni website. Many classes have organized their reunions around the weekend of the Alumni Tailgate Party. It gives you a place to meet informally prior to your Saturday event. And football games are a Manchester tradition we never forget. 

 

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