CLAREMONT, NH–The Back to School Festival is a staple of the Claremont community. Years ago, The Family School Connections program would shut down Pleasant St. to hold the event. Students and families could connect with principals, teachers, and class- mates before the school year began. When the program ended, so did the festival. This was a great loss to the community and that’s when the Claremont School District stepped in. Originally held at Broad Street Park, the attendance grew and it became evident that the district needed a bigger space, so came the move to Monadnock Park.
After several years at Monadnock, the decision was made this year to move to Barnes Park; it will be held on Saturday, Aug. 26, from noon to 4:00 p.m.
“While we have enjoyed being at Monadnock Park, parking becomes an issue if there are sporting events; additionally, the fire truck, police car and ambulance struggle with parking at Monadnock due the limited number of parking spaces next to the vendors,” said Courtney Porter, School Social Worker/McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison at the Claremont Middle School. “At Barnes, they will be able to park inside the gate, alleviating the space concerns. With an average attendance around 1,000 people, safety is our first concern.
“The vision statement of the Claremont School District is rooted in home-school-community partnerships. In addition to academic goals, we hope to inspire students to become contributing members of society. Building relationships with our community organizations is instrumental in fulfilling this goal. In addition to the free backpacks and the opportunity for students to connect with school personnel, the addition of community organizations creates the opportunity for the Claremont School District to strengthen those partnerships while opening the door for students and families to create relationships with resources in our community.”
Porter said that they will have more community organizations at the event than ever before. Families and community organizations can reach out to Porter with any questions they may have: cporter@sau6.org, 603-558-5760.
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