By: Josie Sandlin, EAST Student Contributor

EAST is all about making positive changes in our communities, but it can be easy to overlook how EAST impacts the school districts it operates in. EAST has just as much of an effect within the school buildings as it does in the wider community. Dr Bobby Hart, superintendent of the Searcy School District, explained how EAST has impacted his district and vision of education.

“EAST kids have the skills of collaboration and responsibility and initiative, and they bring those skills into their other classes,” he says. 

Hart has a long history with EAST, having been a part of multiple program start-ups before coming to Searcy, which already had a thriving EAST program. He sees the real-world skills that EAST gives its students, and says he can pick them out of a room because of those skills. 

“When I walk into a biology class or a history class, I can tell who the EAST kids are because they’re the ones leading,” he says. According to Hart, the leadership and commitment of EAST students encourage other students to follow their example.

When asked what tangible benefits EAST can provide, Hart also says that EAST makes his students more employable after they graduate. Those same real-world skills of collaboration and self-direction and leadership take them beyond the classroom and get them into offices. 

“The networking that EAST allows them to do and the connections they make through EAST really give them a leg up when they’re entering the job field,” Hart explains. He added that EAST introduces its students to community leaders, business owners, non-profit organizations, and all kinds of community organizations and members. Those connections can be invaluable when applying for college or looking for a job.

EAST can mean different things to different people, and it impacts every school differently. Hart’s favorite thing about having EAST in Searcy School District is how it empowers the students, giving them a voice and allowing them to go beyond the boundaries the world sets  for them.

“My philosophy for education is not to teach kids what to think, but to teach them how to think and how to challenge authority in the right ways. EAST ties right into this: it teaches you how to learn,” he says. “I don’t want them to just accept whatever they’ve been taught, I want them to push themselves to understand things and form their own opinions.”

Starting an EAST program can be difficult, and keeping one alive and thriving requires dedication and time. But Hart believes that the benefits EAST provides are more than worth the cost.

“With dollars getting tighter for public schools, EAST should never be the thing on the chopping block. Schools will suffer and their students will suffer for not having an EAST program.”