High School Students Named as Fellows in Sustainability-Literacy Project

Four students from two different high schools in Northeast Arkansas have been named as fellows in the Students Involved in Sustaining Their Arkansas (SISTA) Project, sponsored by the Brown Chair in English Literacy at the University of Arkansas.

Marybeth Byrd, Emily Davis, and Emma Haskins of Armorel High School and Loren Davison of Buffalo Island Central High School will spend the remainder of academic year 2016-2017 working in collaboration with University of Arkansas student mentors, who will help each of the fellows conduct research and develop proposals for projects that they hope will revitalize and sustain their hometowns and regions. SISTA is directed by Julia Paganelli, a student in the University of Arkansas' graduate program in creative writing.

Byrd and Davis will jointly develop a proposal to create an Internet website and a mobile application that can potentially help alleviate and solve criminal abductions of children. Haskins will develop a proposal to restore the former Alert Pad at Eaker Airforce Base near Blytheville and convert it into a Cold War Museum. Davison will develop a proposal to create an afternoon tutoring service for students in grades 2 through 12 in the Buffalo Island Schools.

Now entering its third year of sponsorship by the Brown Chair in English Literacy, SISTA provides support and instruction to Arkansas high school students who envision outreach projects of their own choosing, initiatives that extend beyond the walls of their respective schools. Previous years' SISTA fellows have proposed the creation of a healthy nutrition center, a community arts studio, a "smart water" irrigation project, a tourism authority, and a green-grocery farmers' market in their home communities.

Once the fellows have completed their proposals, the Brown Chair begins its work, trying to find philanthropic and foundation funding to bring the proposals to fruition.

The 2016-2017 SISTA Fellows are supported by their teachers in the Environmental and Spatial Technologies (EAST) Program at their respective schools, Alicia Bell at Armorel High School and Jill Sanders at Buffalo Island Central High School.

Marybeth Byrd is the daughter of Laurie and Kevin Byrd.  Emily Davis is the daughter of Karin and Casey Davis. Emma Haskins is the daughter of Angela Spurlock and Jeff Haskins. Loren Davison is the daughter of Mary Ann and Richard Davison.