EAST Projects 2022-2023

3D Printed Braille Remote Cover

🌟EAST Project Competition Finalist🌟

🌟3D Print It Up Competition Finalist🌟

Cason worked at Monette Manor and was continuously having to assist Mr. Larry Wilson, who is blind and partially deaf.  He struggle with using his remote to his smart TV.  She had the idea of a case that fits around the remote that had braille translations for each app button the remote consisted of.  She partnered with Jose Cortez and Johnathan Perez, two seniors, and they quickly got to work.  The remote case was designed in Blender and will wrap around the remote. After countless failed prints, the team was not able to see through to completion before the end of the school year.  This school year, since Jose and Johnathan graduated, Chasney Griggry has joined the team.  She learned how to use our new resin printer and tweaked Johnathan’s original design, in order to make it printable.  After much perseverance, a successful print was created and has been delivered to Mr. Wilson.  He was elated when he realized what he was being given and gave us valuable feedback that we can use to make further improvements to our design. We are hoping to expand this project beyond Mr. Wilson and make it available to anyone with a visual impairment.  

Veterans Day Program

Buffalo Island Veterans Hall of Fame 

Each year our EAST program hosts our annual Veterans Day Program in collaboration with the American Legion Post 136.  We started our Buffalo Island Veterans Hall of Fame Each year we honor a local hometown hero by creating a tribute video for them highlighting their military story.  Our community looks forward to this program every year. 

Buffalo Island Museum Project

Chasney Griggry worked to publicize the 360 virtual tour of the Buffalo Island Museum in local newspapers and on KAIT 8 TV.  Samuel Whitehead added new interactive exhibits for the hunting and fishing area of the museum. 

Grandfriend Project

Cheyenne Gribble and Autumn Dalton worked with Mnette Manor to get tablets for our Grandfriends and set up a way to meet with them virtually. Cheyenne has also worked in Thunkable to create a Grandfriends Games app for some simple games. 

Animal Enrichment 

Silas White and Jaxton Decker are designing two animal enrichment projects for midsize birds in collaboration with the Little Rock Zoo, such animals include: macaws, moluccan cockatoo, ravens, and vultures. 

Book Trailer Project

Gabriel Rodriguez, Yuridia Contreras, and Emilee Cordero worked with our local librarian, Patsy Orozco, and created book trailers that can be accessed by QR codes which are printed on bookmarks. These bookmarks are placed at Kohn Memorial Library to create excitement and interest for reading. 

Sensory Board Project

Dr. Kima Stewart asked our EAST classes for help. The elementary special education classroom in her building needed sensory toys and tools to help develop fine motor and sensory skills. Adelyn Smith, Hannah Hawkins, Kinsley Hamilton, and Alicia Guajardo published a Donors Choose grant to purchase sensory boards for this classroom. The project was funded, and our EAST team was able to present the sensory board to the elementary classroom. 

Helping Hands Foster Care Project

Jaycee Hawkins, Savannah Howard, and Autumn McGhee wrote a Donors Choose grant to purchase supplies to create foster care bags. These drawstring backpacks contained personal care items that can be given to children placed in foster care. We donated the bags to Together We Foster who will make sure the bags are handed out. 

Thrown to the Wolves

Ambar Orozco and Brittni Lyerly competed in the Thrown to the Wolves Competition hosted by Arkansas State University.  They presented the Peanut Receipts App Project to the judges and placed 2nd in the competition.  They each won $250 cash, a one thousand dollar scholarship to ASU, and $500 for the EAST classroom.  One of the judges, Mr. Manu Nair, owns a software company and has offered to help Brittni finish the app.