SPS adding another choice program this fall, Reed Academy for Fine and Performing Arts

Claudette Riley, Springfield News-Leader
·4 min read

Springfield school officials are working behind the scenes this year to set the stage for the August debut of a new "choice" program, The Reed Academy of Fine and Performing Arts.

The new program will be available for sixth-graders from across the district entering Reed during the 2023-24 year. The goal is to add options and grades 7-8 in the coming years.

Principal Sara Strohm said the new options will build on existing high interest in the choir, band, orchestra, visual arts and new step team at Reed. The choir, in particular, has gained state and national attention.

"We have a rich history of the fine arts at Reed," said Strohm, in her fourth year leading the 600-student school for grades 6-8 at 2000 N. Lyon Ave.

"We know our kids have an interest in connecting with the fine arts and so now we're giving them the opportunity to make the connection and have those experiences."

In the first year, Reed plans to add world dance, media and theater.

Sara Strohm
Sara Strohm

Superintendent Grenita Lathan said the enhanced programming will start in the existing facility. A new Reed building is part of the $220 million bond issue set to appear on the April 4 ballot.

"Aside from Proposition S, we have already started discussing at the central office level and building level about the possible changes to Reed because we wanted input from the staff and principal," Lathan said, noting the changes will be phased in.

"We've talked about what would the school look like over the next three years."

Reed already offers an accelerated academic program for middle school students who want to take more difficult courses before high school. Lathan said the teachers and school leadership felt strongly that option should remain a priority.

"That's why we wanted their input," she said. "We wanted input of how do we keep that concept — students being able to take those high school-level courses — but adding the performing arts magnet and so they gave us some great suggestions."

In 2019, the choir at Reed Middle School performed during the dedication of a historical marker on Park Central Square to honor three African-American men, Horace Duncan, Fred Coker, and William Allen, who were lynched in downtown Springfield in 1906.
In 2019, the choir at Reed Middle School performed during the dedication of a historical marker on Park Central Square to honor three African-American men, Horace Duncan, Fred Coker, and William Allen, who were lynched in downtown Springfield in 1906.

How SPS plans to extend magnet school programs over multiple grades

The plan is to offer the enhanced programming to any student, grades 6-8, living in the Reed attendance area and others living in the district who want to transfer to Reed.

Kelsey Brabo, director of choice programs for the district, said interest has been high for additional programming in the arts.

In August 2020, the district launched the Academy of Fine and Performing Arts magnet school — a partnership with Springfield Little Theatre and the Foundation for Springfield Public Schools — for 50 fifth-graders.

More:Six changes, celebrations coming up for Springfield Public Schools in 2023

Students must apply to attend the off-site program and are picked through a lottery process. This year, there were 178 applicants for the 50 open spots.

Brabo said many families who participate in the one-year magnet programs often want to continue. As a result, the district has been looking for ways to grow certain programs into multi-year options.

"That is something we hear pretty consistently from all of our magnet schools — this want for more," Brabo said. "So that vertical alignment is something our district is prioritizing and being able to provide those pathways."

Kelsey Brabo
Kelsey Brabo

Plans are in the works to expand the Academy of Exploration, currently for fifth-graders, into a program for grades 4-6 in a larger facility. The AgAcademy that opened in the fall was designed as a multi-year program.

"You're able to go into a more immersive environment and you're able to go a little more deeper into those subject areas that kids maybe come into our programs having a passion for found during their time in our choice program," Brabo said. "We are really proud of the programming that we have to offer."

Brabo said students who discover and nurture a talent in the arts during the one-year magnet or the middle school option will be able to continue to explore their interests with robust options at each high school.

Asked about the financial costs of developing a fine and performing arts middle school, the district said the new electives offered in the coming year will be done with existing staff so the costs are expected to be minimal. The costs for full implementation are still being calculated.

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

The district sent a team of Reed teachers to explore performing arts schools in other cities and explore options for a local program.

"That was really instrumental in moving and seeing what this could look like and what we could do for kids and what we could offer," Strohm said, noting that adequate and appropriate space is a piece of the equation. In April, voters will decide if a new Reed will be built.

"We have the facilities to allow kids to explore the arts but ... there are some limitations of the depth to which they can explore them," she said. "Our facility is over 100 years old."

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 adding a middle school fine and performing arts 'choice' program