Graduating seniors who attended any high school with an EAST program are eligible to apply for the scholarships, EAST Director of Development Sara Drew said, noting that EAST provides three $1,000 scholarships each spring through three different scholarships.

For the EAST Student Scholarship, students must have completed a minimum of 100 hours of community service learning as part of their participation in an EAST program. The Jerry Prince EAST Student Scholarship is presented to an outstanding student who has taken full advantage of the opportunities provided by EAST. And the Dr. Mary Lowe Good Legacy Scholarship was created to continue the legacy of Dr. Good by assisting one female student to continue making advancements in the STEAM field.

 This year’s scholarship winners include:

·        Dr. Mary Lowe Good Legacy Scholarship 
Abigail Brown is a senior at Lakeside High School in Hot Springs. She has been an EAST student for eight years, and, at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year, was given the opportunity to be the Student Champion for the LHS EAST program. She has attended seven conferences since joining EAST, only missing the one cancelled due to COVID. Outside of EAST, she’s involved in theatre as well as martial arts as a 2nd degree and junior instructor. In the fall, she will be attending Ouachita Baptist University to double major in Elementary and Theatre Education.  

·        Jerry Prince EAST Student Scholarship
Kevin Durden is a senior at Little Rock Central High School who will pursue a degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Arkansas in the fall. Kevin has participated in EAST for 10 years, serving on both the EAST Conference Ambassador and Technical Support Teams. Kevin also competes in Congressional Debate, is an active member of DeMolay International, and loves building Lego sets. 

·        EAST Student Scholarship
Lexi Jarrett is a senior at Cross County High, a New Tech School in Cherry Valley, Ark., and has been an integral part of her school’s EAST Program since seventh grade. Her list of projects and accomplishments include winning the Congressional App Challenge for a 360-degree tour of Parkin Archaeological State Park, and winning Arkansas State University’s Thrown to the Wolves Innovation Competition for her team’s design for a cutting board that would assist users in cutting food with one arm. She has served as the Executive Director and play-by-play commentator for CCHS Live!, a livestream project for her high school. Her involvement with CCHS Live! led to numerous opportunities for her, including participating as the lead court-side analyst at the King Cotton Holiday Classic basketball tournament. Lexi plans to attend the University of Kansas in the fall and will major in Journalism.

Tom Brannon first joined THV 11 in April 1996 as weekend meteorologist and morning show feature reporter. Two years later, he joined B.J. Sams and Robyn Richardson as weekday meteorologist and co-anchor of “THV 11 This Morning,” which became Arkansas’ most popular morning news program for over a decade. Tom returned to THV 11 in January 2021 and stepped into the role of Chief Meteorologist. The native Arkansan graduated from Cabot High School in 1985. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a Certificate of Broadcast Meteorology from Mississippi State University; he holds a seal of approval from the National Weather Association. 

Individual tickets, event sponsorships, and table purchases can all be made online at https://eastlink.me/ScholarshipLuncheon. This year’s luncheon sponsors include: Globe Life, Gill Ragon Owen and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

EAST students are engaged and excited about learning. In a survey of more than 3,400 students across 42 schools, data showed that the EAST experience is 22% more engaging than other core courses. The survey was conducted through a tool called the Wellington Engagement Index (WEI). Created by educators, WEI was designed to measure student engagement, and to give administrators and teachers opportunities for reflection as they challenge students to solve real problems in their communities. During the 22-23 school year, EAST programs:

·        Collaborated with 1,285 community partners for more than 17,990 volunteer hours;

·        Realized an estimated economic impact statewide of more than $461,620 dollars through those volunteer hours;

·        And trained more than 7,610 students through 110 unique training opportunities both online and in-person.