GEAR UP Manchester
GEAR UP Manchester is one of two GEAR UP initiatives within the New Hampshire GEAR UP Alliance collaboration. (The other is GEAR UP New Hampshire.) GEAR UP Manchester offers training, resources, and support to help students advance successfully through school and into college and careers.
Current GEAR UP Manchester students are in the classes of 2024 and 2025. They started with GEAR UP in grade 6 and will remain with the program through high school and into their next stage of life.
Guiding Students through School and Beyond
- Tutoring, mentoring, and a host of tools and resources to help students achieve academically.
- College and career readiness programs, including information on planning and paying for college, exploring career and military options, and more.
- GEAR UP for Success, GEAR UP Summer Reading, and other summer programs to help students retain skills.
- Inclusiveness programs such as Black History Month programming and our Diversity Library with books related to students’ identity.
- Leadership and wellness programs, including our Student Leadership Board, Social Media Internship, and Mental Health Series for students and families.
- Family services such as translation, information sessions, one-on-one advising, and our Family Advisory Board.

Family Advisory Board
GEAR UP Manchester’s Family Advisory Board lets parents and caregivers get involved with GEAR UP. Monthly meetings review GEAR UP events and initiatives, community opportunities, and family-chosen discussion topics. Contact our Family and Community Outreach Specialist Nicole Nover to learn more.
Recent Program Highlights

- We served more than 1,000 students during the 2021–2022 fall/winter term, providing more than 11,000 service hours.
- 98% of students in our GEAR UP for Success summer program earned half or full credit in English or algebra.
- Teachers and schools received $75,000 in sub-grants through our EngageMe Grant process.
- We developed and launched a Career Awareness and Exploration website for students in grades 6–8.
- A new financial literacy program developed through a partnership with St. Mary’s Bank offered both financial instruction and academic incentives.
- We partnered with Southern New Hampshire University to create three outdoor classrooms at GEAR UP middle schools.
Plymouth State’s “On the Move” Scholarship
This new scholarship is designed to make a great college education more affordable for our students. On the Move scholarships will provide $2,000 a year, or $8,000 total, toward tuition at Plymouth State. Any GEAR UP student who applies to and enrolls at Plymouth State in 2022 through 2025 is eligible.

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