By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
CLAREMONT, N.H. — While most school children don’t even want to think about this yet, the end of the summer is upon us, and the school year is right around the corner. The public is invited to the annual SAU 6 Back to School Festival, where families will be able to receive a free backpack and grab some free clothing for new digs in preparation for the first day of class.
“We are super excited to be at Barnes Park again for this great event,” organizer Courtney Porter said. “We will have all of the Claremont Schools there with booths to give the opportunities for families to check in with school staff.”
Porter said it is important for the families to check in with their school’s booth so they can confirm address or phone number changes, as well as be able to get a ticket for a free backpack. National Field Representatives are donating more than 500 backpacks with supplies, and she said they have been a huge sponsor for the event for years.
“I don’t know if we could pull off giving out that many backpacks without them,” Porter said.
The event has been running for about 20 years, according to Porter, who has been running the festival for the past decade. She said it has evolved gradually over the years, as it has shifted locations through various city parks until landing in Barnes Park. It regularly attracts more than 1,000 people, which includes representatives of various local organizations and those who come to get the housekeeping aspects straight with the schools, and take advantage of some free items.
“It is a really great day for everyone involved,” Porter said. “It’s really about building that sense of community with students, families and our schools. We want everyone to feel part of something that is amazing happening with their child’s education. We can start the year off on this positive note that is all about, how are we making sure you have everything you need?”
The Claremont Police and Fire Departments, as well as Golden Cross Ambulance, will be there with their vehicles for kids to check out. Community organizations will also be on-hand with booths to check out. For those students who will be riding the bus for the first time in their lives, they’ll have a chance to get on one and acquaint themselves before day one of the school year.
Something new this year is a chance for students to do a little “back to school shopping,” except that all of these clothing items are free of charge. This is through the Courtney’s Closet program, where Porter will be bringing dozens of racks of clothing for families to go through and add to their children’s’ wardrobe.
Courtney’s Closet is something Porter started 12 years ago when her office was at Claremont Middle School, and she would fill lockers with various clothing items. This was a way to provide resources to students. Now she has more than 30 racks of clothing including boots, hats, shorts, pants, T-shirts, formal wear, prom wear, school supplies, hygiene products and more.
Porter wanted this to be a “one stop shop” to help remove some of the barriers students and families are facing when they are going back to school.
“Nothing at this event costs anything,” Porter said. “I pride myself in holding this event this way. I want families to feel comfortable knowing they can come to this event. They can get everything they need for their students to have a successful first day of school without paying a dime.”
Porter said students are “agents of change” who will go off to do great things and help their community as a whole. This festival is set up to make their lives as easy as possible as they get back into the classroom to continue their educational journey.
“We want everyone to feel like they’re part of a family here at SAU 6,” she said.
The Back to School Festival will take place on Aug. 24 from 10 a.m. to noon at Barnes Park.
