Portrait of a Graduate Podcast: Recent Episodes
Springfield Public Schools
Education makes up a huge part of a child's life and development, and changing the methods and standards by which teaching and learning are done can be difficult and complex. The Portrait of a Graduate Podcast hopes to bring a better understanding of those ideas to you in the form of interviews with the teachers and students who are helping to develop them
We're thrilled to wrap up our second season by taking our listeners on a journey to the 2024 Family Expo. This special live episode captures the essence of community connections, a vital element of our Portrait of a Graduate initiative. If you couldn’t attend the event on May 4th, now's your chance to catch up and discover the wealth of resources available to our community. Join in as we embrace the spirit of creativity, connection, and celebration at the Family Expo 2024 Live!
2:57 - Jose Escribano
3:30 - Tech Foundry
5:29 - Trickstar Gymnastics Gym
6:41 - It's Your Turn, Take the Mic
7:57 - Hope for Youth and Families
9:12 - Beat the Odds, More Than My Mood
10:45 - Western Mass Moms Partnership1
1:30 - MLK Services
12:35 - Hospital for Special Care, Autism Outpatient Services
13:49 - A Caring Heart
16:01 - Union Capital
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. Stay abreast of all the Spring 2024 POG Convening highlights and activities by liking SPS on Facebook, following us on IG, or visiting the SPS website.
Murals inspired by our student's Portrait of a Graduate Art will be in full display this Spring. We spoke with the community leaders, teachers, and SPS administrators involved in bringing the project to the walls of our city, and were able to speak with one of the student artists being featured.
In this episode, SPS students share their remarkable stories of connection and growth. From meaningful friendships to impactful mentorships, these narratives celebrate the transformative power of school connections.
Special Guests:
- Absalon Cardona
- Ariel Cummings
- Ashley Velasquez
- Cayden-Chanel Roberts
- Christian Colon
- Dioyendrick Soriano
- Kenson Mitchell
- Kevin Le
- Leissa Frias
- Ronal Dominguez
- Zoë Cartagena
The final episode of POG-The Podcast for 2022-2023 brings a breath of fresh air as Springfield Public Day High School senior Je'Vonte West hosts the show. Je'Vonte was a guest on our Joyful Learning episode, where he told us how an assignment at school sparked an interest in journalism. Preparing for and executing this episode as a guest host and interviewer provided him another opportunity to work as a journalist does. He does a superb job!
Special Host:
- Je'Vonte West
Special Guest:
- Azell Cavaan
This episode discusses a recent Portrait of a Graduate Trip to the Mission Vista district in California. Mission Vista has been using and developing a Portrait of a Graduate system for 8 years and has received national recognition for its work. Our POG team members got a firsthand look at how they operate and had the chance to ask questions about how they do it.
Special Guests:
- Rhonda Stowell Lewis
- Isaiah Lewis
- Allison Stoddard
- Megan Angell
- Kelsea Angell
The latest edition of "POG the Podcast" features a conversation about the importance of student/educator relationships, with a focus on what the primary person model looks and feels like in schools. Listen in as Principals Coburn and Harris talk about their approaches to this important element of a school's culture and climate alongside a couple of students from each school.
Special Guests:
- Dr. Arria Coburn
- Kara Harris
- Kelsi, 10th Grade
- Milanyse, 5th Grade
A direct result of Portrait of a Graduate conversations with families, staff, community, and students, Financial Literacy classes are now in full swing for many high school students. In the January episode of POG - The Podcast, we catch up with a couple of students to find out what they are learning and how it is impacting them and their families. We also hear from their teacher Mr. Archambault and Humanities Director Tom Rachele.
Special Guests:
- Tom Rachele
- Alec Archambault
- Siddiqi, 9th Grade
- Keith, 10th Grade
In this episode, we explore the definition of "Joyful Learning" from the different perspectives of those involved in the classroom. We hear from students and staff about what that term means to them and learn real-life examples of it at work.
Special Guests:
Rhonda Jacobs
Robert Porter
Je'Vonte, 12th Grade
Absalon, 11th Grade
Episode 4 of the POG Podcast features a student and staff members from the Springfield Conservatory of the Arts School. In this episode, we discuss the inception and support of a student-led initiative in the school and how it foundationally relates back to the Portrait of Graduate teachings. Enjoy!
Special Guest:
- Tara, 11th Grader at the Springfield Conservatory of the Arts
- Cynthia Farmer
- Mindy Rosengarten
Welcome to a Special Editon of the Portrait of a Graduate Podcast. This episode features our writing winners for the POG Art and Writing Contest held last Spring. Our winners honored us by reading their winning pieces of work for us. Please enjoy this special episode. If you want to see the winning art pieces visit springfieldpublicschools.com
Note: Michael Wilson's writing is read by our host Azell Cavaan
Special Guests:
- Zoe Holland
- Lauren Carrasquillo
- Xyomara Hernandez
- Samira Padilla
- Dario Wilson
- Julio Vargas
Talking about money can be a scary, confusing, and emotional conversation. In this episode of Portrait of a Graduate - The Podcast, we learn what Springfield Public Schools is doing to educate students on this important subject. And we talk about how the community helped drive an initiative to make financial literacy an elective course in all high schools.
Special Guest:
Ipsita Lizardi, SPS Parent & POG steering committee member
Paul Foster, SPS Chief Strategy, Innovation, and Accountability Officer
Carl Dagenais, SPS High School Economics Teacher
Thomas Rachele – SPS Director of Humanities
Today we'll talk about Project Based Learning. We'll discuss what it is and what it means for students and teachers. Joining us in the episode will be two teachers and two students who used Project Based Learning to address real-life issues like Social Media Law and Endangered Species.
Special Guests:
- Andrew Forbes, Instructional Leadership Specialist, Central High School
- Allyson Leach, Project Based Learning and Computer Science Specialist, Mary Walsh Elementary School
- Naleah, 5th Grader, Mary Walsh Elementary School
- Maggie, 11th Grader, Central High School