BENTONVILLE — School District officials hope for a state grant that would be used to establish an Environmental and Spatial Technology program at Bentonville High School this fall.
The program, typically referred to simply as EAST, is an elective class focused on project-based learning in the community. Students identify a community need, then use sophisticated technology in the classroom to help address and meet that need.
“It’s a great opportunity for kids to learn problem solving and project management and to do service learning,” said Judy Marquess, director of staff development for Bentonville schools.
Bentonville applied for a grant through the Arkansas Department of Education that would provide about $115,000 worth of equipment for the EAST program.
The EAST Initiative, a nonprofit organization based in Little Rock, coordinates with the department on program startup grants every year.
The number of grants the department distributes for EAST programs depends on the department’s budget each year. The Legislature decides the department’s budget.
Matt Dozier, president of EAST Initiative, said 25 Arkansas schools applied for EAST grants through the state this year. He estimates the department will be able to approve about 10 of those applications.
“That’s an estimate,” Dozier said. “It could be six. It could be three.”
Springdale, which has EAST programs at four of its schools, was the only other Northwest Arkansas school district that applied for an EAST grant this year.
At A Glance
About EAST
The EAST Initiative started with a single classroom program in Greenbrier in 1996. Since then, it has spread to 220 schools in six states. Benton County schools with EAST programs include NorthWest Arkansas Community College, Benton County School of the Arts and Gravette High School.
Source: Staff Report
Last year the department was able to give five grants, but typically it gives between 10 and 15 per year, Dozier said.
Dozier visited Bentonville High for the first time three weeks ago to determine the school’s readiness to implement EAST.
Bentonville High students and teachers have expressed an interest in having an EAST program, Marquess said. The school hopes to enroll as many as 100 students in the program.
Jack Loyd, an assistant principal, will oversee EAST at Bentonville High if it receives the grant. He will choose the teacher who would serve as EAST facilitator and prepare the lab for students.
“My role will then turn into a supportive one, making sure they have the resources they need,” Loyd said.
No facilitator has been chosen yet, but the school has “two great candidates” who have expressed interest in filling that role, Loyd said.
Those schools that receive EAST grants are asked to pay a one-time fee of $25,000 for professional development for the program.