National recognition of Springfield’s Chestnut Middle School ‘dream come true’

A top state education official visited Chestnut Talented and Gifted Middle School in Springfield on Friday to celebrate being recognized as a “National Distinguished School” by the U.S. Department of Education.

The acting commissioner of the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Russell Johnston, said Chestnut underwent “a remarkable transformation.” Once labeled a low-performing school, Chestnut joined only a handful of schools in the state serving students in grades 6-8 who left the low-performing state, a move. made in 2018.

The Distinguished School designation was made by the Schools Program of the National Association for Elementary and Secondary Education, a branch of the US Department of Education. Only one other school in Massachusetts, which is located in Boston, will also receive the honor.

“These two schools were chosen because of your incredible work and the educators who are here working tirelessly to achieve these results,” Johnston said. “When you have community partners, amazing students and their families along with talented teachers and community partners and an amazing administration, great things can happen.”

The school’s principal, Andrea Metzger, said the designation was a “dream come true” for her.

Students at his high school come from across the city and are recognized as exceptional at an early age based on MCAS scores, school attendance, and recommendations from school counselors and elementary teachers. The 264 students in the program come from all neighborhoods of the city and include families living at or below the poverty level.

“But they’re just Springfield kids. They’re here from all over Springfield. We bus them in,” he said.

Metzger said part of Chestnut’s success is primarily the focus on academics.

“We’re focused on high academics, so in all of their classes these kids are working above grade level. My sixth graders are doing seventh grade work, while my seventh graders are doing eighth grade work. So that we are pushing them academically above their grade,” he said.

But more than grades, students’ social and emotional needs are also taken into account. For example, Metzger said he does not suspend students for discipline issues.

“I don’t believe in it. If you fail a student, they don’t learn anything from it,” he said.

Instead, the infraction becomes an opportunity to bring the student’s parents into the equation.

“Let’s talk about what happened,” he said. “They learn by talking about why they chose to do what they did. We sit down with them and unpack, bring the family in and talk to them. Ask them, ‘How can we do better, what can we do to improve, what resources you need to support your child.” I’m not just looking at the academic side, I’m looking at the whole person.”

Springfield School Superintendent Sonia Dinnall said he takes no credit for the program’s success, but said it’s a starting point for Springfield education.

“I’m looking forward to expanding the honors and awards in this district,” Dinnall said. “This is just the beginning. We have some schools that are Blue Ribbon schools, and more schools will receive recognition as we continue to excel. This is an example of hard work, dedication and commitment and the tireless pursuit of academic excellence”.

Eighth grader Ian Colloza-Cruz said before going to school he wasn’t a good student.

“At that time? To be honest, I didn’t really like school, but now I feel like I’m more included in this community,” she said. “I feel like I have someone to talk to and the community has helped me a lot.”

Josiah Cacique, a fellow eighth grader, said the recognition in the program is special to him.

“It holds a special place personally,” he said. “Seeing my school go so far and getting to be a part of it. It makes me happy that my principal can have that feeling of winning.”

Both Colloza-Cruz and Cacique grew up speaking Spanish at home and are now part of ESL programs. They are also the student body president and vice president.

The school is a member of the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership, a partnership of Springfield Public Schools, the Springfield Education Association and the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Co-executive principals Matt Brunell and Colleen Curran said the school embodies what the area stands for.

The school will receive the formal honor at the ESEA National Conference in February 2025.