—By Denise M. Hurst—
It has been my mission to be an Ambassador for our school district and ensure the good news is told as often as the not-so-good news. There are a lot of positive things happening within the Springfield Public Schools. Students are flourishing and working hard to achieve, parents are engaged and community providers are invested and contributing to the success of our City’s future, our children!

●    Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy and Smith& Wesson continue to work together to enhance manufacturing technology programs in Springfield. As a result of that partnership, Smith & Wesson presented a $21,000 Grant to the Roger L. Putnam Technical Fund. The generous donation will allow the school to purchase new computers to support the Computer Aided Drafting and Design program. The program teaches Solid Works and Master Cam, both on campus as well as online through the Manufacturing Advanced Certification Workforce Innovation Collaboration (MACWIC) and the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The program is key to helping students achieve eligibility for the Applied Manufacturing Technology Pathway (MTT) Certificate.
●    First Lady Obama’s Initiative Recognizes Beal School as one of the country’s most active schools. First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Initiative recently awarded Beal School with the 2014 Let’s Move! Active Schools National Award, recognizing the school’s outstanding efforts in creating an active school environment.

●    Eight Schools Awarded for Improvement in Attendance Rates were recently recognized as recipients of the Stay in School Attendance Cups. The Stay in School campaign, a partnership between the United Way of Pioneer Valley and SPS, was launched to help increase student attendance throughout the school district. The “Attendance Cup” celebrates schools which have earned the distinction of having either the highest attendance rate or the most improved attendance rate of a marking period. The winners of this quarter’s Stay in School Attendance Cups are:
Highest Attendance: Glenwood, Duggan, Renaissance, Public Day Elementary.    Most Improved Attendance: DeBerry, South End, Commerce, Balliet Middle.