Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Feb. 10, 2025 – The second semester of Arkansas State University’s BRIDGE Integrated Enrichment Program began recently as Nettleton Junior High’s LEADS Academy eighth-grade STEM and multimedia students engaged in inquiry-based learning activities.

Allen Hays is the Director of A-State Delta STEM Education Center and BRIDGE (Building Real-world Innovation and Development through Guidance and Education) Integrated Enrichment Program Coordinator. Hays said the pilot program, which began in August, is designed to foster curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking as students engage in hands-on exploration, collaborative problem-solving, and multimedia projects that deepen their understanding of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) concepts while developing digital storytelling and content creation skills.

The program was created in response to Nettleton Public Schools’s request for additional enrichment and outreach opportunities beyond traditional classroom experiences for NJHS LEADS Academy students.

Two groups come to the college: the Monday group, which is made of STEM and multimedia students and the Wednesday group, made of health and biosciences students.

Hays said the program aims to “fill the gap” regarding STEM education in junior high.

“In Arkansas, we’ve had a gap in junior high,” Hays said. “In elementary, they do a lot of STEM then they have nothing, and then in high school, they pick it all back up again. So, we’ve had this gap in STEM and this inquiry-based learning. They’re trying to fill that gap at Nettleton. They like to think outside the box and so they approached us asking us what we could do to help them. Then we come up with an integrated enrichment program, which is just the pilot. It probably will change; the structure will be a little bit different next year.”

He added he hopes to tie in more community-based initiatives into the program next year.

Although Hays said that they would like to expand the program in the future to include more districts, it is not yet feasible without more funding and space. The program has 30 students right now.

Nettleton Biomedical Science teacher and LEADS Academy Healthcare Professions/Bioscience teacher Megan Holland said while this is the first year for the program, BRIDGE has already helped students expand on their ideas.

“Their eyes have been opened to so many different types of careers that they can get into,” Holland said. “One of our things we did last semester was that we worked with the imaging department here at ASU and the students got to do ultrasounds on each other. Now, one of my students, who is male, wants to be a sonographer. He’s like, ‘I didn’t know this was a thing. I didn’t know people did this.’ This program has opened their eyes to so many different opportunities that they didn’t even know existed.”

Arkansas Biosciences Institute (ABI) Outreach Coordinator Shea Harris said it has been extremely fun to engage the eighth graders.

“So far, the BRIDGE program is a unique opportunity for these kids to come to the college campus and use $10,000 implementation that they would not have available in their classroom,” Harris said. “They get to see the labs, talk with researchers about their research. It’s a unique opportunity; I think for them, and I hope they get a lot out of it.”