MANCHESTER, N.H. – Students, Eversource employees and community members gathered to celebrate the conclusion of the inaugural Eversource Academy program.
The program took several students at Manchester Central High School from pre-assigned study hall time and instead paired them with Eversource employees in specialized classes focusing on how electrical grids work, community philanthropy, accounting and other topics each Friday over several months.
Like initiatives by Velcro at Manchester West High School and other programs at the Manchester School of Technology near Manchester Memorial High School, Eversource Academy’s program sought to introduce students to what life is like inside the world of Eversource.
But while Eversource says it would be thrilled to have any of the students as potential employees one day, the main impetus of this program aimed at providing students with soft skills along with hard skills that could be used in any future profession.
Mayor Joyce Craig reference Eversource Academy as a key public/private vocational program during her re-election campaign earlier this year.
“I am very grateful with the partnership of Eversource with the Manchester School District in providing Eversource Academy,” she said. “This program provided a unique educational opportunity they wouldn’t have had otherwise.”
For Central sophomore Baylee Bates, the program helped him learn more about how he can pursue his dream of one day becoming a teacher, as well as how he can help Waypoint NH.
“It taught me a lot about opportunities and what I can do after high school,” said Bates. “I learned a lot about all of the opportunities out there to help me reach my goals.”
Central Principal John Vaccarezza says plans are already in the works for future editions of Eversource Academy.
“This is just the beginning, we don’t know where it can go, we know and we know it’s good for kids, and that’s what we’re looking to do,” he said. “We’re looking to expand it and it was great working with Eversource.”