HELEN TYSON MIDDLE SCHOOL
Meet the EAST Conference 2020 team of Helen Tyson Middle School (HTMS) led by facilitator Brittany Berry!
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Is this your first experience applying for the Founder’s Award? FACILITATOR: Our program has received recognition for a Founder's category three different years in the areas of project sophistication and student growth (now known as the Cornerstone Awards). The students have put in more work towards their projects than we have ever seen, and they are so personally invested in what they are doing. Their submission really showed their commitment and love for EAST and the projects they have worked on all year and, in some cases, years.
and then talk about options for the team. After looking through the submission process they decided it would be a great way to learn more about all the projects and share their work. ONE TEAM MEMBER: As a team, we really enjoyed working together, and we love spending extra time in EAST. It was also cool because we felt our projects really did a great job showing the impact of EAST and the resources EAST offers. ANOTHER TEAM MEMBER: More than anything, we love sharing what we are doing and thought our projects could help inspire others.
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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. FACILITATOR: The entire team was nervous while waiting to hear but decided regardless of the outcome it was worth the time and effort. TEAM MEMBER: We learned so
Why did you decide to submit an application for the Founder's Award? FACILITATOR: After our team was selected, students began the process of collecting information on all our projects in all our classes. They came together and discussed ways they could support students in putting work in for competitions 6
EAST QUARTERLY | www.EASTinitiative.org
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much about our program and really had fun working together, not to mention we learned a lot about filming and editing that will be useful for our current and future projects. TEAM MEMBER: On the day of, we were lucky our teachers let us go to the EAST room to watch the announcement live together. When we heard, we screamed, jumped up and down, and then ran down to the school office to let the principals know. They did a school-wide announcement. Q
Why was it important for your program to submit a Founder's Award application ? FACILITATOR: We thought it was an important opportunity for us to bond as a team and learn more about all the projects and students in our program. We are really proud of the work we are doing and thought others could benefit from hearing about our projects. The process of self-reflection is important, and we want to make sure we are keeping students and our community partners at the center of class each and every day.
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What are some memorable moments from the year or the submission process you'd like to share with our audience?
