Lakeside EAST program receives national award
Lakeside High School’s EAST program was recently named a Cornerstone Winner for Project Sophistication & Innovation in the 2021 EAST Conference competitions. The EAST Conference will be held virtually this year March 17-19.
In addition to Lakeside, other Cornerstone Winners were Cross County High School, Community & Collaboration, and Clinton High School, Student Growth & Engagement.
“This award recognizes programs that have exhibited exemplary projects in one of EAST’s core principles: Project Sophistication & Innovation, Student Growth & Engagement, and Community & Collaboration,” a news release said.
The competition allows students to “reflect on EAST experiences and tell the story of their program’s successes through a self-directed and produced video,” the release said.
“As a facilitator, it’s a reflection of the kids’ hard work,” John Stokes, EAST facilitator, said. “There’s only three segments to the Cornerstone, and Project Specification & Innovation is by far the one that we really wanted.”
He said this win labels the team as the most innovative EAST program in the nation for 2021, noting the team has worked extremely hard, the administration has been very supportive, and the central office staff members have been great in the process of getting the program up off the ground and running.
“We expect big things moving forward. The next object that we’re heading for is the Founders next year,” Stokes said.
“It’s a pretty big award, and I’ve seen (EAST) kind of rise up from a class where you just sit at a computer screen all day to something where we actually have sophisticated projects,” said Ben Willard, a Lakeside High School junior. “We can finally see that the EAST program is getting off the ground like it should be.”
Stokes said the team’s submission was a reflection of the projects it has done.
“All of those projects exhibited different facets of what EAST means,” Stokes said.
There are all kinds of growth projects in EAST, and the students did an “excellent job” highlighting the growth potential, he said, noting, “I think (Willard) saw the change in the program, and (I) hope our district has seen the change in the program.”
“The growth and the development of all the intricacies of different projects is probably why they chose us,” Willard said.
The win has shown how hardworking a lot of students are, Willard said, noting, “They’re able to work together as a team and really set them apart from other students.”
For Stokes, this win is a validation of what he came to Lakeside for, he said.
“This school district is all about their kids, all about their programs that they offer. They want the best experiences for their students,” Stokes said.
“I think we’re starting to see that as a combination of everybody’s effort, not just the program that we’re building here at the high school, but the entire district,” he said. “We’ve been supported to no end. I think that’s the big difference that we’re seeing now is it’s truly a team effort.”
Education Accelerated by Service and Technology, or EAST, is celebrating its 25th
anniversary of accelerating education through service and technology, according to the release.
“This year’s theme, Homecoming, is about celebrating 25 years of students from blended backgrounds with various talents and passions coming together to network with other students, share stories and ideas, and showcase projects that inspire change within their communities,” it said.