The Spring Convening is expected to draw approximately 100 educators, administrators, and students from districts throughout the region. The event will feature a keynote address by Dena Simmons, founder, and executive director of LiberatED, and visiting professor at the Institute for Racial Justice at Loyola University of Chicago.

"This event provides a fantastic platform to highlight the great work of our community, educators, students, and families. It's a chance to showcase the strides we've made in incorporating student input into our educational framework and the success of our Portrait of a Graduate initiative," said Superintendent of Schools Daniel Warwick. "We welcome guests to witness firsthand the innovative approaches we have adopted to re-imagine and enhance the overall educational experience for our students."

Now in its fourth year, the Portrait of a Graduate is the community’s vision of essential skills and attributes students will learn before they graduate. It includes input and feedback from more than 2,000 community members and organizations, parents, educators, and students and serves as the blueprint for the district’s five-year Strategic Plan.

Springfield Public Schools was chosen as the host site for the 2024 event based on its commitment to making students a central component of the Portrait of a Graduate. Over the past two school years, the district has hosted two student summits to gather ideas, feedback, and input from students,

resulting in initiatives such as connecting students to adults in more meaningful ways and expanding internship opportunities.

The 2024 Spring Convening will feature a student summit, modeled after the district's approach to capturing student voice. Additionally, five schools – Dryden, Renaissance, The Springfield Conservatory of the Arts, The High School of Science and Technology, and STEM Middle Academy – will serve as representatives of the district's Portrait of a Graduate work.

These showcase schools will host a contingency of Spring Convening guests who will visit classrooms, meet with students and educators, and witness firsthand the positive impact of the district's initiatives.

The 2024 POG Spring Convening will be open to media coverage for key events, including:

· POG Mural Painting Event (Monday, March 18th, 7 to 8 p.m. at Springfield Marriott)

· Student Summit (Tuesday, March 19th beginning at 10:30 a.m.)

· School Visit on March 20th (The Springfield Renaissance School, 1170 Carew Street at 9 a.m.)

S2, EPISODE 2 - POG Murals

Included in the 2024 POG Spring Convening agenda is a MURAL PAINT PARTY. This festive and colorful event will allow students and educators from SPS and beyond to help bring to life the POG murals that will dot the City of Springfield in coming months. Learn more about the murals inspired by our student's Portrait of a Graduate Art, which will be in full display this Spring. In this episode of POG the Podcast, we speak with the community leaders, teachers, and SPS administrators involved in bringing the project to the walls of our city. We also hear from one of the student artists being featured.

S2, EPISODE 3 - 2024 Spring Convening

Springfield Public Schools has been distinguished as a model POG district and selected as the host site for the Spring 2024 POG Convening. With All Eyes on Us for Good, five schools will represent the innovative work taking place districtwide during the convening, which will take place March 18 – 20. Dryden Elementary, STEM Middle Academy, the Springfield Renaissance School, the Springfield Conservatory of the Arts, and the High School of Science and Technology will serve as host schools to the more than 100 students and administrators coming to Springfield Public Schools from districts throughout the region. We sat down with students, teachers, and principals from three of those schools to find out what is happening in their schools that they are most excited to share with guests.