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STUDENT GROWTH & ENGAGEMENT:
A CORNERSTONE OF EAST Clinton High School
M
eet the EAST Conference team of Clinton High School, recipients of the Cornerstone Award in exemplifying Student Growth for 2021. What does that mean, you ask? It means that these students have demonstrated their growth through projects with more technology and community connections and developed their unique skill sets to be better servant leaders. Here’s what they had to say about telling their story this year! How did you decide what category of Cornerstone you were going to submit for? EAST Team: We apply for the top two awards, Founder’s and Cornerstone, every year. We usually create a video that tells our story and hope for the best. This year the team knew that our program had experienced a good amount of student growth, and we felt confident that we could demonstrate that through our video. What category would be a close second for your program? David: Probably Community and Collaboration. All of the projects we presented this year had at least one community partner and a client.
THE CHS EAST TEAM David Saavedra: 5 years in EAST, 12th Grade Alex Prosser: 4 years in EAST, 12th Grade Mason Corley: 3 years in EAST, 12th Grade Ian Thompson: 4 years in EAST, 12th Grade Anna Belle Reece: 3 years in EAST, 11th Grade Sarah Scroggins: 3 years in EAST, 11th Grade Silas Chamberlain: 4 years in EAST, 10th Grade Daniel Andrus: 3 years in EAST, 11th Grade
How did it feel knowing that you won prior to conference this year? Silas: It felt very rewarding. It was a nice reassurance that all of our hard work is appreciated. Jennifer Fleming, Facilitator: It was great knowing we won in advance because going into the conference we could have more time to concentrate on the other preparations and just celebrate our win. I think it took a lot of pressure off of the students. Share with us how you told your community partners, school admins, and family members about the award and some of their responses and reactions.
them time to move to shelter. Alex: The Van Buren County Museum website is my favorite project because we helped an older part of the town connect to the internet. Now, they have a way to communicate with the rest of the community. Sarah: My favorite project was the Bus App. I really liked this project because a bus driver has an extremely important job of getting students to and from school, which is a lot of responsibility. Ensuring they know where they are going to be getting students is important. I also liked it because the school has peace of mind that their students and bus drivers drive safely and are not in danger.
Mason: Anna Belle posted the announcement on our social media and shared the information with Ms. Hutchins (who does all school social media). Ms. Fleming texted Mr. Smith, who spoke the following week at the school board meeting and told the board of our achievement. When the banner arrived, we hung it outside and at the front of the school for everyone driving by to see. We also posted the announcement in our local newspaper. Everyone was super excited and proud of our accomplishment.
What would take your projects to the next level?
Out of all the projects that you highlighted, what was the team’s favorite?
Silas: Yes, I think we should apply next year. I believe it is important to apply every year and at least go through the process because of the positive impact of the application process on our EAST program and students.
Silas: The Tornado Shelter/Siren project is my favorite. Where I used to live, I couldn’t hear the tornado sirens whatsoever. With this project, people will know when a tornado is near them because tornadoes are dangerous, and people need as much preparation as possible. This project gives
David: More communication and better organization; we need more communication within the team to see where we are each day and make sure we are making progress each week. Another thing that could help us is funding to get the resources we need for our more advanced projects. Are you applying to be a part of the Founder’s Circle next year?
