"EAST Night Out"

EAST students of Ashdown High School held their first "EAST Night Out" on Tuesday, Nov. 11. EAST, which stands for Environmental and Spatial Technology, is an initiative of a nonprofit organization that provides new ways of learning for modern students.

At the event on Tuesday, EAST students led visitors through a variety of displays, including PowerPoint and DVD, showcasing the more than 25 projects that are underway in their classes. The student-driven service projects include many areas of focus, such as producing a DVD that highlights and promotes Millwood Lake/Park to tourists; ABC (Ashdown Beautification Campaign)devoted to cleaning up the community of Ashdown through education and action; SPU (Special Prevention Unit), a positive drug and alcohol prevention team that leads through training and presentation; and a school mapping project which would assist firemen in locating specific areas in case of a fire, with hopes of expanding this activity to the mapping of other major buildings or facilities in Ashdown.

EAST classrooms are equipped with state-of-the-art tools from specially designed software to GPS/GIS mapping tools and beyond. The classroom is a unique learning environment with no lectures and no tests, but instead a facilitator who guides the students in creating their own learning. EAST facilitator for Ashdown High School is Mrs. Nancy Stuart.

For more information, you may visit the national office at EASTInitiative.org or contact the Ashdown High School site at 870-898-3562, ext. 1016.