Springfield Public Schools - District 186

🎓 Congratulations to the gradutes of the NAACP Back to School – Stay in School program!

Surrounded by family, friends, District 186 leaders, and community supporters, students were celebrated for their hard work, perseverance, and commitment to reaching this important milestone. The evening was made even more special by inspiring speeches and the presentation of certificates by Superintendent Jennifer Gill, Incoming Superintendent Dr. Terrance Jordan, Mr. Timothy Allen, and Dr. Erica Austin.

This program has helped students stay on the path to graduation. We look forward to seeing these graduates walk across the stage with their boundary schools on June 6.

🌟 Congratulations, graduates! Your future is bright. 🎓

One week from today!!!🧡🖤💙💛❤🖤

Our graduates from Lanphier High School, Springfield Southeast High School and Springfield High School - Illinois will be walking across the stage on Saturday, June 6th! We are so excited to celebrate all of our students and their accomplishments!

Important info:
- Doors will open 1 hour ahead of start time below for general public
- Graduates need to arrive at least 45 minutes ahead of start time below:
🧡🖤 Lanphier - 11:00 A.M.
💙💛 Southeast - 2:00 P.M.
❤🖤 Springfield - 5:00 P.M.

- Please read through guidelines prior to arrival : https://www.sps186.org/article/2909821

All Graduations will stream live on District 186’s Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/

Traffic Advisory | We urge families to plan to arrive early to the BOS Center to find parking.

Parking is also limited as there are events downtown as well as construction that is occupying some street parking and parking lots.

See you Saturday, June 6th!! 👨🏾‍🎓🧑🏿‍🎓👩🏻‍🎓👩🏾‍🎓

We proudly celebrate an incredible milestone for six amazing students who completed the Project SEARCH program, and for the first time ever, every graduate has secured a job after completing the program! 🎉👏

Congratulations to:
✨ Bryan Austin
✨ Halley Gunther
✨ Michael Clayton Long
✨ Caleb Sims
✨ Leah Stark

Throughout the year, these students stepped into real-world workplaces, learned valuable job skills, built confidence, and proved what is possible through determination, hard work, and heart. From communication and teamwork to professionalism and independence, they are leaving this program career-ready and prepared for bright futures ahead.

A huge part of this success belongs to the incredible instructor,Mrs. Burton, whose dedication, encouragement, and belief in her students helped guide them every step of the way. Her passion for helping students grow and succeed has made a lasting impact, and this year’s accomplishments are a true reflection of her commitment.

We are also so thankful for our amazing community partners at Memorial Health and Sparc for continuing to create opportunities that change lives.

This program is about more than job training, it is about confidence, independence, opportunity, and opening doors for students to thrive in adulthood. Watching every graduate walk away with employment this year makes this celebration even more special.

Congratulations to the Project SEARCH Class of 2026!

That’s a wrap, District 186! 🎉📚

Today marks the last day of school for our regular calendar students, and what an unforgettable year it has been.(Balanced Calendar ends June 10th) From classrooms filled with learning to moments that built friendships, memories, and connections, this year truly showed the heart of our 186 family. ❤️

To our incredible staff thank you for your dedication, patience, support, and love you pour into students each and every day. And to our students, thank you for making this year so special with your hard work, growth, and school spirit.

A very special congratulations to the Class of 2026 as they prepare to walk the stage at Bank of Springfield Center on June 6. Your future is bright, and we cannot wait to see all the amazing things ahead for you. 🎓

We hope everyone enjoys a summer filled with laughter, rest, adventures, and time with family and friends. Keep learning, keep growing, and keep making memories. We already can’t wait to welcome you back in August!

Happy Last Day, 186!

Way to go WMS!!!

Moving up ceremonies are a BIG deal because they celebrate the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. Today, Washington Middle School proudly celebrated its 8th grade Wolf Pack as they completed their middle school journey and took the next step toward their high school dreams. 🐺🎓

Congratulations to the Washington Middle School Class of 2026 for your hard work, dedication, growth, and commitment to attendance throughout the school year. Your future is bright, and we cannot wait to see all you accomplish in high school!

It was a great night at Eisenhower Park as the Springfield Southeast High School Spartans hosted the Lanphier High School Lions for Senior Night! Spartan and Lion fans packed the stands and brought the energy all evening long while cheering on their teams.

The Spartans came away with the win, but both teams showed good effort, teamwork, and sportsmanship on the field. High school baseball teaches so much more than the game itself ,dedication, resilience, leadership, and the importance of working together toward a common goal.

Best of luck to both teams as they head into postseason play!

Kindergarten Families filled the classroom at Lee School for a fun and meaningful Kindergarten Family Friday Breakfast on Friday! ☀️🍎

The event was the perfect opportunity to send students home with their Kindergarten Summer Learning Bags, packed with materials and activities to help our little learners stay on track this summer and be ready to jump into 1st grade this fall! 📚✏️

These learning kits give families easy access to tools that keep learning going all summer long so students can return to school confident and ready to pick up right where they left off.

We are so thankful for the support and partnership of our families. It truly takes a village to help our students succeed! ❤️

And remember, attendance matters! Every school day is an opportunity to learn, grow, and shine.

The Kierra Doss Peace Award is a treasured honor at Vachel Lindsay Elementary, celebrating 5th grade students who lead with kindness, help others, and shine as a bright light in their school community. 💙⚡

This year, Kevin, Harry, and Leah were selected by the Lindsay staff as recipients of this meaningful award in honor of beloved Lindsay staff member Kierra Doss, whose impact continues to be felt throughout the school.

Kierra’s son, and family were in attendance to help present the awards, making the moment even more special for students, staff, and families gathered together for the assembly.

Congratulations to these outstanding Lightning leaders for representing what it means to care for others and make Lindsay shine brighter every day! ⚡

✂️🐸 A BIG leap forward for the future of learning! 💚

Today we officially celebrated the ribbon cutting of the brand new Owen Marsh Elementary , opening for the 2026-2027 school year, and the Frogs are already ready to hop in!

Before the doors even opened, the crowd shared in a truly special moment that had everyone in awe. Principal Wendy Conaway welcomed the Black Tiger Honor Guard as they proudly raised the new American flag on the school’s flagpole while Superintendent Jennifer Gill led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance. 🇺🇸💚 It was a powerful reminder that this building represents not only a new school, but a new chapter for generations of students to come.

Community members, families, friends, School Board members, staff, and students gathered alongside members of the Owen Marsh family to cut the beautiful green ribbon and celebrate a moment years in the making. 💚✂️

From the second the doors opened, you could hear the excitement echo through the halls “WOW!” “Look at this!” and smiles everywhere you turned. The new building is bright, welcoming, innovative, and truly built with students at the center.

A huge THANK YOU to Farnsworth Group and O'Shea Builders for helping bring this incredible vision to life for generations of students and staff to come.

This project is also a reflection of what can happen when a community believes in its schools. Because of the support of our community and the passage of the 1% sales tax referendum, students and families will have access to a state-of-the-art learning environment designed to inspire creativity, collaboration, safety, and opportunity.

Facilities matter. Students deserve spaces that make them feel excited to learn, supported to grow, and proud of their school community. When we invest in our buildings, we invest in our kids, our staff, and the future of Springfield.

The future is bright at Owen Marsh Elementary! 🐸✨