EAST Initiative Challenges Arkansas Students
By: Jessica Dean, KARK 4 News
Updated: December 11, 2012
In one Hot Springs High School classroom, there is no teacher, just an advisor. There are no books or lesson plans, just freedom.
"They work on their own projects at their own pace, they teach it to themselves," explains senior Taylor Byrd.
All of the work in the name of EAST.
"EAST stands for Environmental and Spatial Technology, which is basically just a bad acronym because we do way more than that," Byrd says.
For example, junior Bryttani Bartlett uses the nearly million dollars in technology to cut and render her way to expert video editor.
"I work with people in their 30's and they've been doing this not for a long time and I'm in the 11th grade, I'm 16 years old and I'm already doing this, " Bartlett says. "I have the same skill set they do, and I learned it all in EAST lab."
Across Arkansas, nearly 20,000 students participate in EAST, which is supported by the state.
In this classroom alone, they've created a virtual map for Arkansas hospitals and medical centers and produced a virtual reality tour of Garvan Woodland Gardens.
"It just shows me all the opportunities I have and it just makes me feel so awesome because it's given me so many opportunities already," Bartlett says.
Finding your passion in high school and perfecting it is quite an opportunity indeed.
"They work on their own projects at their own pace, they teach it to themselves," explains senior Taylor Byrd.
All of the work in the name of EAST.
"EAST stands for Environmental and Spatial Technology, which is basically just a bad acronym because we do way more than that," Byrd says.
For example, junior Bryttani Bartlett uses the nearly million dollars in technology to cut and render her way to expert video editor.
"I work with people in their 30's and they've been doing this not for a long time and I'm in the 11th grade, I'm 16 years old and I'm already doing this, " Bartlett says. "I have the same skill set they do, and I learned it all in EAST lab."
Across Arkansas, nearly 20,000 students participate in EAST, which is supported by the state.
In this classroom alone, they've created a virtual map for Arkansas hospitals and medical centers and produced a virtual reality tour of Garvan Woodland Gardens.
"It just shows me all the opportunities I have and it just makes me feel so awesome because it's given me so many opportunities already," Bartlett says.
Finding your passion in high school and perfecting it is quite an opportunity indeed.
