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:

​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:

​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:

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: 

Welcome to a Special Edition 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: 

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. 

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