MANCHESTER – English Language Learner students taking the ACCESS test this year got a nice boost with some snacks – OK, a lot of snacks – donated by our partners at SNHU.
The ACCESS test is administered each year, and measures proficiency in English language development. Hoping to reduce some of the stress of the assessment, Nicole Ponti, who oversees English Learner instruction, set off in search of snacks for the students. The search led Ponti to Manchester Proud and our community partnerships coordinator, Aimee Kereage. Kereage connected with SNHU, and the rest is some tasty history.
Steve Thiel, SNHU's Assistant Vice President of Social Impact and Community Relations, helped coordinate the donation and delivered the snacks, too.
“SNHU was thrilled to provide snacks and waters to Manchester’s students who were beginning their ACCESS testing," Thiel said. "We hope students felt better able to perform at their best and that the staff felt that a community partner was looking out for them during an important time of the school year.”
In all, SNHU provided 683 cases of goods, including snacks and water for the nearly 2,000 students taking the assessment this year. On Jan. 31, volunteers from SNHU teamed with District staff to deliver the goods to schools all across the city. The deliveries were greatly appreciated by staff and students.
“The Northwest EL team was very appreciative of the generous donation of snacks provided to our English language learners during the ACCESS testing period,” said Dorra Robitaille, an EL teacher at Northwest. “The snacks helped our students stay motivated and focused throughout the duration of the test.”
This is another great example of the value of our community partnerships. We thank Manchester Proud for making this connection and SNHU for once again stepping up for our students.