EAST Quarterly: Fall 2022

INNOVATION ON THE CLOCK

EAST students at Hot Springs World Class High School compete in first-ever Make48 Competition in Arkansas

THE PERIOD PROJECT CREATING THE EASTVERSE

EAST students at Paragould High School work to provide education and hygiene products to their community.

Meet Kadan Newson, designer of the #EASTCon23 logo and EAST student at Osceola High School

Arkansas and beyond, EAST students are given access to numerous types of technology and are tasked with solving problems within their community.

Greetingsandsalutations,everyone!

It’s the start of the new year, and everyone is probably quitting the gym right about now to keep pace with their New Year Resolutions…why does this happen every year?

When you get on the treadmill, what do you feel? Passion or boredom? Excitement or dread? Why do we try to put ourselves in a box of what is the expected path to achieve our goals, only to fail because the method doesn’t work?

Life isn’t one size fits all, and neither is education. My ACT score was average and I barely escaped Biology and Algebra class with a C, but I excelled in my school’s newspaper class and worked harder than I had ever worked before.

EAST is a place where students who are tired of completing endless mathematic equations on a worksheet can explore and find what they are truly passionate about. There is no box to fit in when you’re in EAST. So if a student doesn’t like 3D design, they can try out coding on a Rasperry Pi-Top or learn how to use DSLR cameras!

EAST is what happens when you get off the treadmill in pursuit of losing a few pounds and instead try out a sport or yoga; you’re still becoming a healthier human, and you are enjoying the process.

In life, find a way to enjoy the process in pursuit of your goals. Emulate what EAST does for thousands of students every year and don’t be afraid to try something different.

Who knows? Maybe I’ll see you on the pickleball court.

Cheers!

Bradley Brewer Communications Coordinator

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STUDENT CHAMPION SPOTLIGHT

Meet EAST Student Champion Abi Brown from Little Rock Central High School!

CAPTURING MAGIC

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From her EAST program in Camden to working for the Orlando Magic NBA team, learn how EAST alum Houston McCullough made it to the big leagues!

INNOVATION ON THE CLOCK

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Read about EAST at Hot Springs World Class High School’s experience competing in the Make48 competition.

THE PERIOD PROJECT

EAST students at Paragould High School are working to eliminate the negative stigma surrounding women’s health.

CREATING THE EASTVERSE Meet Kadan Newson, winner of the EASTCon23 Logo Competition!

Disclaimer

The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited materials lost or damaged in the post. All text and layout is the copyright of the EAST Initiative. Nothing in this magazine may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written permission of the copyright holder. All copyrights are recognized and used specifically for the purpose of criticism and review.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT CHAMPION ABI BROWN

EAST at Little Rock Central High School is one of the most storied EAST programs within the most iconic school in Arkansas. And now, for the first time, the program has a Student Champion who is looking to cement her EAST program as one of Central Arkansas’ stars.

Meet Abi Brown, who is currently in her second year as an EAST student, but massively impressed her facilitator Tamara McCormack last year, especially with how she performed at EAST Conference.

“I received a Difference Maker coin from a judge at last year’s Conference and helped our program win an award during the Project Showcase competition,” Abi said. “Mrs. McCormack really wanted me to step up and take the role. At first, I wasn’t sure because it sounded like a lot of responsibility, but she has helped me take it on.”

Before joining EAST in her sophomore year, Abi says she had no idea what EAST was, but she jumped at the opportunity when she learned that the course was founded in community service.

“I’ve always had a passion for community service ever since I started working to help homeless people in fourth grade,” Abi said.

Abi’s primary projects have centered around helping organizations in her school and providing resources for students in need.

“Last year I worked with our school’s mental health club to create a website for them. We wanted to make sure that students had all of the resources they needed readily available to them,” Abi said. “This year, me and a couple of other students are working on implementing a sensory room into our school so that students that are overwhelmed have a safe place to go in order to decompress.”

As a Student Champion, Abi is leading her program’s preparation for EAST Conference 2023, as well as constantly communicating deadlines with her peers.

“I’ve learned how to take on more responsibility,” Abi said. “This is the first time I’ve led a team like this so to keep everyone on track and to be the person in charge of planning, as well as being an important point of contact, has been a new experience for me.”

While Abi believes her program is doing great things and is proud of their work, she is working to shift the mindsets of not only her fellow students, but also her own.

“I think our program is doing a great job at the moment, and we are doing amazing things, but I will say that there are people here like me that want to accomplish a crazy project and change the world,” Abi said. “The thing I’m trying to work on is to take these big ideas and turn them into something that is logistically realistic but is still a project that can make a positive impact.”

Individually, Abi is already thinking about life after high school even as a junior. Her love for helping people has been ignited by EAST and is inspiring her career aspirations.

“I’ve been thinking about college and my career a lot because I tend to be an overthinker,” Abi said. “I know that I want to pursue a career where I can help people, so I’ve been leaning toward studying to become a therapist or a career in social work.”

capturing magic

Houston McCullough is the Lead Videographer for the Orlando Magic NBA team, but did you know that she never would have even touched a video camera if it wasn’t for her time in EAST? Check out what she remembers from her time producing and directing her program’s television show at Camden High School and learn how much of what she learned in EAST has helped her get to where she is today.

How did you start in EAST?

Being the middle child between two brothers, I typically just followed what my older brother did, and he was in EAST, so I thought it would be a fun elective. My facilitator’s name was Cathy Castille, and the class for us was mainly producing a broadcast news show for our school called “Card Copy,” since our mascot was the Cardinals. I kind of just self-appointed myself to the role of director, editor, and producer — I just took charge of it.”

What was your experience in EAST like?

At the beginning of the week, we would plan out what segments we wanted to do. The nice thing was that Mrs. Castille was hands-off and let us do everything on our own. We wrote our own scripts for segments. We would go film and edit, and then she would watch the product and say something like, ‘Yeah, that’s not awful.’ And then it would air during homeroom so that the whole school would watch it.

EAST was a free range for us to explore and utilize our imaginations.

Was there anything else like EAST when you were in school?

It was the only opportunity I had. In terms of video and what I do in my career today, it all started in EAST. I had never picked up a video camera and I definitely didn’t know any editing software. We used FinalCut and used Panasonic cameras and tripods and used a teleprompter, so all of my video experience originates from EAST. If it wasn’t for EAST, I would have never touched a video camera.

Q:

What life skills did you take away from EAST?

I think EAST gave me a lot of the tools to build my personality into what it is today. It created a lot of the qualities that people say they like so much: that I’m a go-getter, and that they can send me on a shoot with a couple of players without help because I’m the person who can do it all by myself. That’s what EAST was like. We had our facilitator to make sure things didn’t catch on fire and that no one got hurt, but really, we just had to figure it out on our own. We weren’t afraid to ask questions, but we had the confidence to figure it out on our own.

Q: Q:

What was your education following high school?

I ended up studying Film, Television and Digital Media at Texas Christian University. During my sophomore year, one of my sorority sisters sent me a job posting from the football program saying

that they needed a video intern. So that’s how I got started in the sports media world and the more I got into it, the more I saw how much of a career it could turn into. After I graduated, I became a graduate assistant at Southern Miss for a year. When my athletic director left to go work at East Carolina University, he hired me for a fulltime job at ECU.

Q: Q:

What’s it like working for the Orlando Magic?

Any video shoot, travel, or game, I am the priority videographer. I travel with the team for every road game and when I first started, I would also help create digital content for the Magic’s minor league hockey team and esports team. Within my first year, I received a promotion and became the Lead Videographer and shifted my focus to just working for the basketball team.

Do you still think about your time in EAST today?

I actually recently found some DVDs of our high school TV show and realized my friends on the show have become television anchors and weathermen on The Weather Channel. It’s crazy how far we came from EAST and how much we’ve spread out across the country. When I found the DVDs I became nostalgic, but didn’t want to watch them because I knew they were awful compared to where I am now. [laughs]

Innovation On The Clock

EAST students at Hot Springs World Class High School compete in first-ever Make48 Competition in Arkansas

While facilitators were digging in and preparing for this school year at EAST Seminar, one exhibitor was planting the seed for EAST students to experience something special.

Make48 is a national competition where dozens of teams compete across a series of regional events. The goal: to design a product that will address a specific community need. The teams have 48 hours to build a prototype, create a sales sheet, produce a short marketing video, and pitch their idea to a panel of judges.

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

For the first time in Make48’s history, a regional competition was held at The Innovation Hub in North Little Rock, Ark., and Hot Springs World Class High School’s EAST program stepped up to the plate.

Facilitator Katrina Watkins led her team of EAST students consisting of senior Chance Fisher and juniors Genevieve Abel and Tessa Rivera into what turned out to be one of the most demanding and challenging 48 hours of their lives.

The team - aptly named “WWMD” after EAST Chief Executive Officer Matt Dozier - prepared for the competition by watching past episodes of Make48 on PBS.

The group anticipated creating a consumer product based on the competition’s history, but had to quickly pivot after being dealt a curveball from the start.

“We were tasked with making an interactive outdoor exhibit covering the Trail of Tears in order to honor those who came before us,” Chance said. “So we immediately had to alter our mindsets.”

This created an extra layer of pressure for Katrina and her EAST students, as not only did they have to face the expected challenges of the competition, but they also had to deal with the pressure of handling such a sensitive subject.

“When you mix the usual fatigue and the stress from the event with creating something that could be so important to honor a tremendous group of people, we had to focus even harder on not being in our own way and dishonoring Native Americans,” Katrina said.

What felt like hundreds of ideas were bounced around within the group, as Tessa and company had to accomplish in 48 hours what typical EAST students have an entire year to do.

“The first thing one of our mentors told us to do was to fail quickly,” Tessa said. “We didn’t have much time to focus on

The first thing one of our mentors told us to do was to fail quickly,” Tessa said. “We didn’t have much time to focus on our failures and analyze them. We had to move on.

our failures and analyze them. We had to move on.”

WWMD used every minute they possibly could to work on their project, staying past midnight each night of the competition and consistently being one of the last teams in the building.

And as you’d expect, working with the same people for 48 hours straight can get heated.

“We constantly had our heads down and would start fighting with each other,” Genevieve said. “We are all so different in our personalities and skills, that working together on something in such a short amount of time was super stressful.”

The event was an eye-opening experience for Katrina as well.

“This event showed me that in our EAST program, we don’t challenge each other’s ideas enough,” Katrina said. “Because when they were challenged, they had a difficult time with that. When you’re dealing with important projects like these, you should be challenged and tasked to explain your

doesn’t understand or agree with your ideas.”

Coming out on the other side of the competition, everyone on WWMD agreed that they felt stronger as students, educators, and people.

“I think we all learned the lesson that we can’t let our emotions completely take over,” Genevieve said. “We needed empathy and passion to capture the essence of the project, but didn’t need as much as we had.”

real-world problems by working with community partners is something these students have been doing for years.

“If I wasn’t in EAST, I don’t think I would have ever been in a situation beforehand of needing to create a real solution to a problem,” Tessa said. “You don’t get to experience that ‘big picture’ when doing normal schoolwork, but my time working with community partners in the real world within EAST was a huge asset when it came to Make48.”

If EAST at Hot Springs World Class High School is crowned as the winner of their regional competition, they will qualify to compete in the national competition in Washington D.C., win $2,000 for their efforts, and will be featured on next season’s PBS show.

Regardless of the final result (and emotional fatigue), Team WWMD has no regrets about becoming the first EAST program to participate in Make48.

“It was totally worth it,” Katrina said. “It’s something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life and I know they will take so much from it in the future.”

The Period Project Paragould

High School

In Arkansas, 2 in 9 females between the ages 12 and 44 live below the federal poverty line. This equals somewhere around 141,000 women in poverty in the state of Arkansas; in the United States, almost 12 million women and girls are living below the poverty line.

For women who participate in government-funded programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Medicaid, no funds are allocated toward the purchase of feminine hygiene products, as they do not allow the use of those funds for products such as pads or tampons despite the products’ classification as medical devices.

Katelyn Reed and Kaydence McGhee — two sophomore EAST students at Paragould High School — have set out to help give young women in their community not only access to necessary hygiene products at school and home, but to help educate them about use, disposal, and the term “period poverty” as well.

The Period Project was born when Katelyn and Kaydence saw a need for period products in their school bathroom.

“One of our big things was, in our bathrooms, how they had it before, you walk in the bathroom and it’s this little box with maybe one product in it on a broken stool that never gets refilled. It was

just not practical in any way,” Kaydence said. “And then we saw that those were never getting refilled, those were never getting taken care of, we were like ‘Okay, this is a really big thing that actually needs to be taken care of.’”

Because of The Period Project, small, white, plastic boxes with lids and a pink logo will be installed in bathroom stalls around campus. Inside, students will find pads, tampons, and panty liners in different sizes, all available to them whenever they need them, no questions asked.

Funding for this component of the Project comes from several groups – at Paragould High School and in the community — in small, quarterly installments, making this project a truly collaborative effort for these EAST students and the place they live.

Katelyn designed the logo, and the duo print each logo sticker in-house, using technology found in their EAST classroom.

Katelyn noted that a lack of education and real-talk about periods also served as a project catalyst. The EAST students have not only created the boxes with products for the school bathrooms, but they have also created a PowerPoint presentation for the middle school audience that discusses proper disposal of products after use, potential side effects like Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), the biology behind a menstrual cycle and how it can affect the body – specifically Pre-Menstrual Syndrome (PMS).

And while increasing access to products is important, Katelyn pointed out that helping to remove the stigma around the way young girls talk about their periods is just as important. The best way to do that is through honest education.

“I have a 10-year-old sister who’s not really educated on all of it,” Katelyn said. “A lot of girls biologically don’t know what it is – and to be honest, we didn’t even know what it is. Correct disposal is really important. Toxic Shock Syndrome is important for when they get older and they start to use tampons.”

With The Period Project, education encompasses more than just the biology and proper disposal of the products themselves. One of the slides on the PowerPoint Katelyn and Kaydence used for their presentation brings to light some rather bleak numbers for these females who are living with period poverty:

• 1 in 4 teenagers in the US has missed school due to a lack of access to feminine hygiene products, putting their education at risk because they simply aren’t able to afford basic hygiene products; and

• Missing school because of a period has essentially put female students 145 days behind their male peers.

Their work hasn’t gone unnoticed. Katelyn said The Period Project has been contacted by other local and state-level advocacy groups trying to bring attention to the period poverty issue. And while they haven’t been able to attend meetings yet because of their busy school schedules, it is something they both agreed they look forward to being able to work on at some point.

“We’re trying to change our school and help our peers,” Kaydence said.

Both Katelyn and Kaydence have been involved with EAST programs since the sixth grade. The now-sophomores agreed that they have grown and become more confident thanks to their EAST journeys.

“I’m more direct in my talking. I haven’t been as shy,” Katelyn said. “I’m coming out of my shell talking about our project because I’m so passionate about it. I’m a lot more happy and giddy talking to other people. And then just realizing that I CAN talk in front of a bunch of people even when I’m nervous and that it’s not the end of the world. It builds up your confidence.”

Kaydence agreed that the EAST learning process has had a significant impact on her confidence. “Just being able to talk to groups about a period and not be all ‘Ew, that’s weird’ and then being able to explain what happens to your body, when before I literally would have died before I talked about that in front of anyone.”

The duo had a very clear message for this year’s sixth graders involved in EAST: “Don’t give up on it. It can be so hard when you get stuck on a project, but you just push through it and you WILL find a way to get through it.”

DESIGNING THE EASTVERSE

Meet the EASTCon23 Logo Competition Winner

Kadan Newson 11th Grade Osceola High School

Kadan Newson has, by his own admission, been always fascinated by technology. As an eighth grader at Osceola Middle School, Newson approached Osceola High School’s EAST facilitator Allen Landry during a basketball game about helping build graphics for the school’s jumbotron.

“He walked by and asked if he could help, and it has blown up since that point,” Landry said. “When he decides that we need something, he jumps in and does it.”

Kadan is now a junior at Osceola High School, and created the winning logo design for EASTCon23, “Into the EASTverse.”

One of the biggest Conference traditions revolves around the Logo Competition. Every EAST student has the opportunity to design the logo for next year’s Conference, and have their work seen by thousands of people across Arkansas and beyond.

Kadan joined EAST after volunteering to help with creating graphics for the school’s sporting events, and realized that he already fit in with the EAST mold from day one.

“I joined EAST not knowing anything about it but realized that everything I was already doing fit into the EAST C.A.R.T,” Kadan said, referring to the model that guides EAST students in their projects. “So from there, I started building myself and building my own business while also helping build up my EAST program.”

In EAST, Kadan focused on learning how to become a leader while also honing his creative abilities. Landry said that Kadan learned things incredibly quickly on his own, and is one that will always dive into a challenge headfirst.

“When he started the Logo Competition, he approached it like he approached everything else - he was all in,” Landry said. “He created and submitted five different designs and would ask me every day for updates if they had announced the winner.”

Kadan said he began working on the Logo Competition the day after the conclusion of EASTCon22 and spent two days working on the winning logo.

“I created the VR headset but then placed it around the planet to signify that ‘It’s Our World,’ and that we are stepping into the virtual reality,” Kadan said.

His work wasn’t done when he was announced as the winner, as every Logo Competition winner works with EAST Initiative’s professional graphic designer to edit the logo and create the finished product. Kadan says his perspective on how to use colors and complexity in his designs changed thanks to working with Kristen Farmin, a former graphic designer at EAST.

“I liked how real she was with me,” Kadan said. “It was very helpful, and she told me different ways to utilize colors while also keeping the design simple. She also taught me how to unite different objects together in Adobe software.”

Landry saw the finished product at EAST’s professional development seminar last summer and was congratulated by many of his peers on Kadan’s success.

“I felt a sense of pride for Kadan,” Landry said. “It has nothing to do with me whatsoever. He took the ball and hit the ground running with it, and I just turned it over to him. It was a groundbreaking moment because our program has never accomplished anything like this before. So to see someone embrace the competitiveness and excel at the level

he’s excelled at, I am incredibly proud and inspired by him.”

Winning can create a snowball effect, and both Kadan and Landry have noticed that EAST students at Osceola High School seem more inspired than ever to give their best effort after Kadan’s win. They both hope that this will help a relatively quiet program that is in its 21st year begin to make waves.

“We had gone so long without accomplishing much,” Landry said. “So to see that he had actually been in a competition and won, it made succeeding in EAST more realistic to them. It has inspired several of our students and has started a fire that I’m hoping will turn into an inferno.”

Kadan’s time in EAST has helped him build his brand and business, as he now creates logos and videos for local businesses and volunteers to lead training sessions at Arkansas Northeastern College. He credits EAST for helping him find the best way to work, whether it is inside or outside of his program.

“EAST has helped me a lot. It’s built my brand and everything,” Kadan said. “Everything I do now is powered by the way I do things in EAST. In college, I’m planning on majoring in Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Computer Science, but for my side job I’m going to continue creating graphics to help people.”

EAST Students Featured in Hooten’s Arkansas Football Magazine

Photographers in EAST programs like Clinton High School, Valley View High School, and Brookland High School had the chance to submit their high school football pictures over the year, with the best being featured on Hooten’s Arkansas Football Magazine’s social media pages and website. The best picture of the year will be featured in next season’s physical magazine.

EAST at Cross County High School wins Thrown to the Wolves 2022

Bo Cook, Mali Wallis and Lexi Jarrett

- EAST students at Cross County High School - each won $1,000 scholarships to Arkansas State University by impressing the judges with a concept of a specialized cutting board that is optimized for people who can only use one arm.

EAST at Nettleton High School Honored on National Philanthropy Day

EAST at Nettleton High School was chosen as a finalist for the 2022 Outstanding Youth Volunteer Group award at the 2022 National Philanthropy Day Luncheon hosted by the Arkansas Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Facilitator Sandra Taylor and nine of her students made the trip to the Robinson Center in Little Rock to network with philanthropists from all over the state at the award luncheon.

Thrown to the Wolves is Arkansas State’s first innovation competition for high school students, and is based on the popular television series “Shark Tank.” Thrown to the Wolves is a project-based learning challenge.

Twelve teams entered the competition, with EAST programs making up the entirety of the final four. Congratulations to Buffalo Island Central High School, the Academies at Jonesboro High School and Hoxie High School for their success in the competition as well!

EAST NIGHT OUT

is the best way for community members to Experience EAST, as dozens of programs hold these open-house-styled events every semester, sharing how students are making a difference through their projects.

TURNBOW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

BENTON HIGH SCHOOL

UPCOMING ENOs

• 1/25/23 - Crossett High School, 5:00-6:00 pm

• 1/31/23 - Alpena High School, 3:30-5:30 pm

• 2/9/23 - McCrory High School, 5:00-7:00 pm

• 2/23/23 - Carver STEAM Magnet Elementary School, Little Rock, 5:30-7:30 pm

SONORA MIDDLE SCHOOL

FARMINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT

• 3/7/23 - Melbourne High School, 4:00-6:00 pm

• 3/7/23 - Searcy Public Schools at Ahlf Junior High School, 4:30-6:30 pm

• 3/30/23 - Brookland High School, 6:00-8:00 pm

I remember the freedom to be able to be who you wanted to be. I already had a love for technology, but EAST solidified that passion for me and helped me prove to myself and others that I had the abilities I needed in STEM.

Daron Plummer Jr. EAST Alumni & CEO of Biztek Connection