What Would You Do With New?

WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH NEW?

magine coming to EAST each day with tons of great ideas and projects, but not quite having all the materials you dream of to bring them to fruition. Close your eyes and imagine again that your EAST facilitator told you to create a wishlist for EAST— no limitations— detailing how much you would achieve with everything on the list. December 26th, 2018 Stan Whisnant, EAST facilitator at North Little Rock High School, opened his eyes, and the eyes of his students, and told them to imagine no more! They had just been awarded $30,000 to accomplish all their EAST dreams. I

As the school year came to a close, EAST at North Little Rock High School (NLRHS) had the opportunity to be a part of a promo commercial for Professional Computer Mall, Inc (PCM) and Intel. It was a final step in celebrating the $30,000 makeover grant awarded to them after entering a contest in October of 2018 that inspired them to imagine how much more they could do with new technology.

“I almost deleted the announcement email," says Whisnant with a laugh, "it had been so long since we’d submitted the materials that I assumed we didn’t win.” Thankfully, he opened the email and saw that their entry won. They were one of three national winners for the "What Can New Do for You? Workplace Makeover" contest sponsored by PCM and Intel.

In May, students spent time with Tony Zaragoza, Intel Partner Champion and Business Development Manager for PCM, and his film crew from Portland, Oregon, Caffelli, showing off the five new computers they built with materials from their winnings. They detailed how they planned to use the two Viewsonic

screens they were awarded to enhance collaboration between them and their peers in EAST at North Little Rock Middle School. Zaragoza shared these details about the contest during his visit.

“PCM and Intel formulated a Workplace Makeover contest, and we were looking for three deserving winners that could articulate through letter and video an urgency to transform their workplace. The submission materials were amazing; I didn’t realize they were from students until I arrived in Arkansas. This program just keeps impressing me.”

PCM is a leading provider of IT products, services, and solutions for businesses of all sizes, including healthcare, retail, and top security platforms. PCM prides itself on providing and developing the latest IT solutions. They have proven themselves through providing experiences with advanced technology since 1987. With an array of certified personnel and valuable partnerships, like Intel, 3M, and Acer, they promise to position their clients for high levels of success in their IT future.

Whisnant outlined a vision for EAST at NLRHS based on the goals and dreams of the students and then tasked them with creating the submission materials. The students crafted a plan for what they would like to happen, how they would use the new technology, and how it would modernize their EAST environment. PCM’s competition criteria were based on one of their Pillars of Productivity: Productivity, Total Cost of Ownership, or More Security environment, and the submission had to detail why that category best fits that team or organization. Out of 3,000 submissions, one winning applicant for each of the pillars was selected.

“This is my vision, and my kids get nervous when I say I have a vision because they can get a little strange,” says Whisnant with a laugh to Zaragoza. "My vision is to collaborate and communicate across the EAST network—like with our schools in Pennsylvania and Oklahoma even—with more efficiency AND make sure my kids are prepared for the 21st century.”

This makeover provided EAST access to technology that has only been on the market for a few months. According to Zaragoza, this program has one of the best sets of computers in the country; not many businesses— let alone high schools have computers with Core i9 capabilities and Optane memory. PCM has furthered the evolution of EAST at NLRHS in numerous ways. From taking more ownership in the maintenance of the classroom, to creating new programs for students outside of EAST to benefit from the newly received devices, PCM and EAST have provided a path for students and facilitators to not only imagine what they can do with new technology but to execute and impact.

Five Intel Core i9 processor-based PCs with Intel Optane memory, GeForce 2080, 960GB M2 memory and liquid-cooled, One HP Sprout Computer system, One HP Elitebook notebook, One 75- inch Viewsonic Interactive Touch Display with Intel Unite Collaboration software, One 65-inch Viewsonic Interactive Touch Display with Intel Unite Collaboration software, Two Logitech MeetUp camera conferencing systems, One Flash Forge 3-D printer