The 4th grade EAST students at Clinton Primary School welcomed community members, local leaders, school staff, and fellow students this morning for the Hope Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce Community Coffee, showcasing a variety of creative, student-led projects that focus on helping both their school and the surrounding community.
Guests enjoyed a spread of both sweet and savory refreshments during the event, with several desserts even prepared by the students themselves. Coffee and water were served as attendees mingled throughout the EAST classroom, stopping to hear firsthand from students about the projects they have been passionately working on this year.
Among the featured projects were wall-mounted holders help younger students keep up with frequently misplaced items like lunchboxes, jackets, and water bottles.
Another impactful project came from Ethan and Kaleb, who developed a communication board designed for children with communication challenges. The board allows students to point to pictures and symbols to better express their needs and emotions while at school.
One of the most ambitious projects presented was a Missing Child safety initiative. An app created by Micah, Ethan, Marquaviouus, and Daniel. The students visited classrooms to gather fingerprints, and descriptions of students to create a secure database. They are also currently working toward connecting the app to be able to potentially send information directly to the Hope Police Department in emergency situations in the case of a missing child. One suggestion was they also connect their local news source SWARK.Today and they thought that was a great idea.
Kiya and Anastasia showcased newly created parking lot signs aimed at improving safety and traffic flow around the school campus, while Kiya, Anastasia, Raylie, and Amelia presented hallway maps and colorful paw print markers designed to help students better navigate the building.
Students also handed out handmade keychains and bookmarks, giving guests an opportunity to see the creative side of the EAST program alongside its service-oriented projects.
EAST Director, Ali Askew said, “The EAST classroom program encourages students to explore, make mistakes, and learn from them, fostering a safe environment for growth. The program also emphasizes mutual respect through a treatment agreement that outlines how students and teachers should treat each other. The EAST program benefits students who might be ‘wigglers’ in a regular classroom setting. EAST is where they can be particularly effective and thrive in hands-on, community oriented learning environments.”
Executive Director of the Hope Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce, Christy Burns, spent time visiting with students throughout the morning and praised both the creativity and purpose behind the projects.
“These students are learning far more than classroom lessons,” Burns said. “They are learning leadership, problem solving, teamwork, and how to truly serve others through their ideas. It is inspiring to see such young students already making a positive impact within their school and community.”
