Meet the EAST Conference 2020 team of Marshall High School led by facilitator Coach Tommy Welch! Q
Is this your program's first time submitting for the Founder's Award? FACILITATOR: YES (WOOHOO) TEAM MEMBER: It’s still unreal to us!
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Why did you decide to submit an application for the Founder's Award? TEAM MEMBER: It has always been something that the facilitator has told us to shoot for. We felt that our program had grown more this year than in years past, due to the Production Crew getting out in the community and offering our services wherever needed. FACILITATOR: The six students in this bunch have grown not only as individuals but as a group. They were determined from the start of the school year to prove to themselves that they had the right stuff. We developed a philosophy of "Be Humble & Kind, But Make Every Day Count," and "Attitude Reflects Leadership." With this in hand, they truly felt that they were right in line to meet ALL the Cornerstone requirements.
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Describe what it felt like when you were notified that you were 1 of 4 Founder's Award winners for EAST Conference 2020. TEAM MEMBER: We were out in the community working on a project and had stopped in a local restaurant to grab lunch. While we were waiting for food to arrive, we watched the Facebook live presen8
tation. When they announced our name, Coach Welch (facilitator) let out a LOUD scream, jumped up, and did some kind of dance. The people in the restaurant thought he was crazy, but after we announced what was going on, they applauded and some even stood up.
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Why was it important for your program to submit a Founder's Award application? TEAM MEMBER: It is a way to prove to yourself that the work you are doing is following the excellence of being an EAST program. That NO MATTER how big or small your program is, you can make a difference in a unique way that not only helps those in your community but allows an experience that you will take with you for the rest of your life.
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What advice would you give a school who is considering submitting for Founder's Award next year? FACILITATOR: Start at the beginning of the year! TEAM MEMBER: Yes, start at the beginning of the school year collecting the requirements that cover the Cornerstone elements of the Founder’s Award.
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EAST QUARTERLY | www.EASTinitiative.org
What is something you know now that you wish you knew prior to submitting for the Founder's Award or even starting EAST?
FACILITATOR: That COVID-19 was going to impact the EAST Conference and the opportunity for the students to share their projects with their peers. How do you plan to follow up on the success of this year? FACILITATOR: Keep pushing to help make our community, school, and other EAST programs better in any way that we can. TEAM MEMBER: To Be Humble and Kind, But Make Every Day Count!!!!!!!!!
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If you could plan a Founder's Award recipient celebration what would it look like? FACILITATOR: We’d love to still celebrate and be honored at EAST Conference 2021 so that the team can experience what it's like to present on the stage and soak in all the positivity and excitement. TEAM MEMBER: I don’t really know, but I know I want it to involve the other winners!
