SPS Academy of Exploration set to move to new space in 2023, triple in size

A Springfield magnet program that left its longtime home inside the Discovery Center of Springfield for a one-year stopover at the Geek Foundation is expected to have a permanent address by August.

The Academy of Exploration will relocate to the former Fairview school at 3241 N. Grant Ave., part of the campus of Hillcrest High School.

The move in summer 2023 will allow the program to eventually serve three times as many students.

Ben Hackenwerth, chief strategy and innovation officer, said the new location gives the popular program room to grow to serve 150 students in grades 4-6. Currently, it serves nearly 50 fifth-graders.

"A major goal for us has been figuring out a way to expand, in whatever space we had available, at the time," he said Friday. "This, in kind of one fell swoop, allows us to accomplish that."

The program focuses on science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM. The extra space will allow the district to expand the volume of hands-on experiences for students.

Kelsey Brabo, director of SPS choice programs, said by transforming the one-year program into a three-year option, students will have a "really immersive" experience.

"A year is a really great experience and it goes by really fast for kids," Brabo said, adding that in additional years "they're going to have an opportunity to go even deeper."

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The fifth-graders in this year's program will have the option of staying for sixth grade in the 2023-24 year while a new crop of fifth-graders come in. The following year, the academy will add fourth grade.

Each year, students apply and are chosen through a lottery system.

Brabo said 221 students recently applied for the academy's 48 fifth-grade spots next year.

Former Fairview school has 'really great bones'

The Fairview school, absorbed into the Springfield district in 1954, is referred to as "The Annex" at Hillcrest. It is a standalone building, added onto in 1967, that has long provided extra space for the high school marching band and the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, or JROTC, programs.

Hillcrest plans to vacate Fairview in mid-January after the project to fully renovate and partially rebuild the district's northernmost high school is complete. That project was funded by the $168 million bond issue approved by voters in 2019.

This spring and summer, the district plans to upgrade and customize Fairview for the program. Hackenwerth said it has "really great bones" and the building is an ideal size.

Part of the work is routine maintenance to the roof and brick exterior. There will be new paint and flooring and the classroom spaces will be retrofitted for STEM.

The design calls for a dedicated science laboratory, a collaborative makerspace, and a "critical thinking" classroom.

"Students won't be confined to a classroom they're assigned to," he said. "They will move through every classroom daily, engaging in a variety of STEM-type activities. It will function differently than a traditional elementary school."

Asked how much the work will cost, Hackenwerth said: "We're being cautious about communicating that right now because the project hasn't gone to bid yet and we want to make sure we get the most favorable bids possible."

He said bids will be sought as early as January and there will be updates to the board in early 2023. He said the work will be paid for with capital funds.

New location will be designed to fit program needs

In mid-2014, the academy opened inside the interactive science center downtown, which has a robust education program of its own, and stayed there for eight years.

The district opted to move the academy to a temporary location downtown this past summer. By partnering with the Geek Foundation, 433 W. Walnut St., it hoped to expose students and faculty to computer science career and learning options.

"The Discovery Center was a great space. The Geek Foundation is a great space but neither were designed around our program," Hackenwerth said. "We kind of made programming fit."

More:SPS magnet program leaves Discovery Center of Springfield after eight years

He said teachers and district officials met this week with an architect to figure out ways to maximize the space at the Fairview and offer all the features the program wants to provide students. For example, the renovated school will have stoves and prep space for culinary lessons.

At Fairview, there will be ample parking and green space, plus the option of accessing additional resources on the Hillcrest campus.

"Being that close, you'll see a tight collaboration between Hillcrest and those students at AOE," Hackenwerth said, noting the district will "brainstorm" options with Hillcrest Principal Rob Kroll.

The new location is not without challenges. Fairview is located north of the Ozarks Fairgrounds, meaning it will not be a central drop-off and pick up spot for parents.

"This is probably the thing that I would be most concerned about with this particular move. Everything about it is great but it is a little bit out of the way north," Hackenwerth said.

In recent years, the school board has sought to provide busing for students enrolled in off-site "choice" or magnet programs. However, the district has been unable to fully implement that option because of a shortage of bus drivers in a competitive job market.

Hackenwerth said there are no guarantees busing will be available for students enrolled at the academy. But he said the district will work with families to find solutions so transportation is not a barrier to attend.

"Our hope, as it's been for the last couple years, is that our workforce (situation) improves and that we're able to provide transportation," he said. "But, again, that remains to be seen."

Claudette Riley covers education for the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: SPS Academy of Exploration set to move to new space, triple in size