Jan 25, 2023 | News
We’re excited to share an update on the progress of the ongoing middle school transformation taking place at Springfield and Northwestern middle schools. Thanks to the bond voters approved last year, Northwestern is already in the process of transitioning into a K-8 academy of visual and performing arts. In fact, construction work is slated to begin this spring! We are thrilled to share exciting news about what is coming next for Springfield Middle School, the next step in our middle school transformation.
Springfield is now officially in the process of becoming an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB MYP) candidate school! The enhanced Springfield Middle School will add to the wealth of options for BCPS students to explore their curiosity, interests, and talents. Learn more below and stay tuned for more information about the middle school transformation at BCPS!
Springfield International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme Candidate School
Over the past few years, Springfield has begun to adopt a service learning model to get students engaged with our community and gaining hands-on experiences. This year, Springfield will begin to level up its focus on service learning by initiating the process of becoming an IB MYP candidate school. With an IB-based framework in place, Springfield students will be encouraged to think about their place not just within their school and the Battle Creek community, but in the world as a whole as they think about issues and ideas from local, national, and global perspectives.
The idea to bring the IB model to Springfield was a direct result of community feedback over the past several years. Fremont has experienced great success so far as an IB primary years candidate school, and students and families are eager to continue this educational experience going into middle school. Springfield, with its service learning model — one of the core components of the IB model — is the natural fit for this continuation. We are thrilled to be able to move forward in the process of adding our area’s first IB Middle Years Programme candidate school to the slate of incredible options available to the children and families of Battle Creek.
While the process of becoming a fully authorized IB school takes several years, students will begin to experience the benefits of the IB model well before authorization is completed, much like students and families have seen with the IB implementation process at Fremont.
Northwestern K-8 Arts Academy
We’ve been working hard over the past few months to plan for Northwestern’s transformation into a K-8 visual and performing arts academy, which is set to officially open in Fall 2025. We’ve been working in close collaboration with community partners and faculty at Grand Valley State University to build out a strong curriculum that integrates the arts through every subject and helps students discover healthy expression, boost academic achievement, and engage with the community. Our planning team has also participated in site visits to other arts-focused schools to ensure we’re learning from their successes and building the best experience possible for our students. Construction is slated to begin over the summer and will be scheduled in a way that limits interference with students during the 2023-24 school year.