Haden Long signed her daughter, Elliot Long, up for several of Springfield Public Schools’ SPS Choice programs. Their hopes were riding high that Elliot would get picked for the Academy of Exploration.
“This is the one that she really wanted out of all of them, and she was fortunate enough to get drawn,” Long said. “We feel like we really did win the lottery.”
The Long family was part of a group of more than 100 students, family members, teachers and other district officials to celebrate a ribbon cutting for the program’s new home. Formerly located in the Discovery Center, the program is now housed in the former Fairview Elementary, located outside Hillcrest High School.
Students excited about new space

What used to be run out of two classrooms now has a…