THE DERRYFIELD SCHOOL

THE DERRYFIELD SCHOOL HAS HOSTED BREAKTHROUGH MANCHESTER ON CAMPUS FOR THE PAST 34 YEARS. EVERYONE IS A TEACHER AND A LEARNER AT BREAKTHROUGH! WITH THREE AND A HALF DECADES OF A UNIQUE, PROVEN STUDENTS-TEACHING-STUDENTS DUAL MISSION, BREAKTHROUGH MANCHESTER IS A LEADER IN EDUCATIONAL EQUITY AND ACCESS. BREAKTHROUGH NARROWS THE OPPORTUNITY GAP BY PROVIDING EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES THAT EMPOWER SCHOLARS TRADITIONALLY UNDERREPRESENTED ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES TO ACHIEVE POST-SECONDARY SUCCESS. BREAKTHROUGH ALSO TRAINS ASPIRING HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE-AGED LEADERS AS FUTURE EDUCATORS, THEREBY STRENGTHENING AND DIVERSIFYING THE TEACHER PIPELINE. THE SIX-WEEK SUMMER PROGRAM FOR MANCHESTER MIDDLE SCHOOL SCHOLARS IS THE FOUNDATION OF BREAKTHROUGH'S SIX-YEAR COLLEGE ACCESS PROGRAM, FOCUSING ON RIGOROUS ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT COMBINED WITH SUMMER CAMP FUN. MANCHESTER STUDENTS INCLUDE: 68% WILL BE FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE GRADUATES 90% IDENTIFY AS STUDENTS OF COLOR 64% QUALIFY FOR FREE/REDUCED LUNCH 32% LIVE WITH AN ALTERNATIVE HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD (SINGLE PARENT, RELATIVE, FOSTER) 84% SPEAK A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH AT HOMETHE SUMMER FILLS IN GAPS FROM THE PREVIOUS SCHOOL YEAR AND EQUIPS MIDDLE SCHOOL SCHOLARS WITH SKILLS FOR SUCCESS IN THE YEAR AHEAD. COLLEGE-AGED TEACHING FELLOWS MENTOR MIDDLE SCHOOLERS, ADDING CREATIVE TWISTS IN MATH, SCIENCE, LITERATURE, AND WRITING. AFTER CORE CLASSES EACH MORNING, THERE ARE EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS CHINESE, MUSIC, SPORTS, AND MYTHOLOGY, FOLLOWED BY COMMUNITY-BUILDING ACTIVITIES. DURING THE 7TH AND 8TH-GRADE SCHOOL YEARS, SCHOLARS PARTICIPATE IN SUPER SATURDAYS. HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS AND SENIORS SERVE AS TEACHERS AND MENTORS, AND COMPLEMENT THE SUMMER AND SCHOOL LEARNING WITH ADDITIONAL ACADEMIC EXPLORATIONS. IN HIGH SCHOOL, SCHOLARS PARTICIPATE IN BREAKTHROUGH COLLEGE-BOUND, HOSTED AT SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE UNIVERSITY, WITH A FOCUS ON COLLEGE ADMISSION, INCLUDING CAMPUS VISITS, APPLICATION TIPS, FINANCIAL AID WORKSHOPS, WRITING A COLLEGE ESSAY, AND MORE. BREAKTHROUGH SCHOLAR OUTCOMES:BREAKTHROUGH STUDENTS MADE SIGNIFICANT STRIDES IN LEARNING. EIGHTY PERCENT (80%) OF STUDENTS GREW OR MAINTAINED THEIR READING SKILLS, AND 74% OF STUDENTS MAINTAINED OR IMPROVED THEIR MATH SKILLS LAST SUMMER; A REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT GIVEN THAT NATIONALLY, MOST STUDENTS LOSE TWO MONTHS OF MATH SKILLS OVER THE SUMMER, AND THOSE WITH FEWER RESOURCES OFTEN LOSE THREE. A SCHOOL COUNSELOR FROM A LOCAL MANCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL SHARED, "WE HAVE SOMETIMES FOUND THAT INCOMING FRESHMEN WHO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN BREAKTHROUGH MAKE TREMENDOUS GAINS OVER THE SUMMER, AND OUR ORIGINAL ACADEMIC PLACEMENT FOR THEM IS NO LONGER THE RIGHT FIT". AFTER BREAKTHROUGH'S MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM, 100% OF OUR STUDENTS ENROLL IN BREAKTHROUGH COLLEGE-BOUND AT SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE UNIVERSITY, AND 100% OF BREAKTHROUGH ALUMNI PURSUE HIGHER EDUCATION, WITH 98% ATTENDING 4-YEAR COLLEGES. BREAKTHROUGH ALUMNI ARE PERSISTING AT HIGHER RATES THAN COMPARISON GROUPS AND GRADUATING FROM COLLEGE, BUT THEY ALSO EXCEED THE NATIONAL COLLEGE GRADUATION AVERAGE FOR ALL STUDENTS. THERE ARE MANY STORIES OF BREAKTHROUGH STUDENTS, NOW COLLEGE GRADUATES, PURSUING THEIR PASSIONS IN THE WORKFORCE AS ENGINEERS, LAWYERS, DOCTORS, EDUCATORS, AND MORE. TEACHING FELLOW OUTCOMES:OVER THE PAST THREE SUMMERS, 78% OF OUR TEACHING FELLOWS (14 OF THE 18 WHO HAVE GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE) LAUNCHED CAREERS IN EDUCATION. MANY COMMIT TO TEACHING STUDENTS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES, WHERE COMPASSIONATE TEACHERS ARE NEEDED THE MOST. IN FACT, AT THE END OF THIS SUMMER, A TEACHING FELLOW SHARED, "BREAKTHROUGH HAS TRULY CHANGED MY PERSPECTIVE ON MY LIFE SO MUCH THAT I AM NOW CONSIDERING A CAREER IN THE POLITICAL SCIENCE OR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS FIELD BECAUSE I AM INTERESTED IN SOCIAL JUSTICE. I TRULY FELT LIKE I WAS A PART OF A GREAT MOVEMENT LAST SUMMER, AND THAT MY DAILY EFFORTS AS A TEACHER WERE FURTHERING MY STUDENTS' ACCESS TO EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES." SCHOOL YEAR:TO KEEP OUR SCHOLARS ENGAGED AND CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THEIR EDUCATIONAL PATHWAYS, BREAKTHROUGH PROVIDES A SCHOOL-YEAR PROGRAM WITH FIVE SUPER SATURDAYS. PARTNERING WITH DERRYFIELD AND OTHER LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLS, WE RECRUITED 15 HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS AND SENIORS TO SERVE AS TEACHERS AND MENTORS FOR OUR 56 MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS. THE THEMES FOR THE SATURDAYS INCLUDED: PERSONAL PASSIONS, MATH AROUND THE WORLD, "TIME TRAVEL, HISTORY, AND GEOGRAPHY", AND FAVORITE BOOKS AND AUTHORS. OUR FINAL SATURDAY WAS A COLLABORATION WITH DERRYFIELD'S MODEL UN. BREAKTHROUGH SCHOLARS EMBRACED THEIR ROLES AS UNITED NATIONS DELEGATES REPRESENTING THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, JAPAN, THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION, AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THE TOPIC, CHOSEN DUE TO STUDENTS' CONCERN, WAS MINIMIZING THE IMPACT OF SINGLE-USE PLASTICS. IT WAS INSPIRING TO SEE OUR STUDENTS TACKLE FINDING SOLUTIONS FROM THEIR COUNTRY'S PERSPECTIVE TO NEGOTIATE AND COME TO A CONSENSUS ON PROPOSED RESOLUTIONS. SOME OF THE DEBATES AND NEGOTIATIONS GOT QUITE ANIMATED ALONG THE WAY! SCHOLARS AND TEACHING INTERNS WERE TRULY ENGAGED IN THE PROCESS- IT WAS A WONDERFUL WAY TO WRAP UP BREAKTHROUGH'S SUPER SATURDAY SCHOOL YEAR PROGRAM! FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY:BREAKTHROUGH EXCEEDED ITS FUNDRAISING GOAL BY APPROXIMATELY $16,000, IN FY25. THIS IS DUE IN PART TO A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL EVENT, "ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A BREAKTHROUGH STUDENT?" WHICH RAISED OVER $70,000, COMPARED TO $50,000 THE PREVIOUS YEAR.AT A TIME OF WIDENING OPPORTUNITY GAPS AND A TEACHER SHORTAGE CRISIS, BREAKTHROUGH'S WORK TO INSPIRE STUDENTS AND CULTIVATE FUTURE EDUCATORS IS MORE CRITICAL THAN EVER. WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE GENEROSITY OF MANY FOUNDATIONS, CORPORATIONS, AND INDIVIDUALS IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO MAKE BREAKTHROUGH HAPPEN - ESPECIALLY THE DERRYFIELD SCHOOL FOR ITS GENEROUS IN-KIND SUPPORT.