Among the dozens of local offices and organizations who have partnered with the City of Springfield’s Zone Blitz Initiative are arts organizations—the Springfield Art Museum; Springfield Ballet; and the Springfield Regional Arts Council. On a cold, drizzly afternoon earlier this month, several kindergarteners and first graders are gathering, along with parents and guardians, in the gymnasium at McGregor Elementary School at the corner of Madison and Fort in west-central Springfield for the final “Dance Chance” program of the fall semester. It’s a program of Springfield Ballet and has been going on for nine years now, according to Springfield Ballet Executive Director Evan Bennett. “I think we identified, early on, that these Title One schools were a necessary component to help with. So it didn’t actually start with Zone Blitz, but it’s been a good fit—it’s something that we are able to add to that,” says Bennett. Bennett mentioned Title One schools. These are schools and school
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