The following article was written by EAST at Rivercrest High School student Karysn Graham about their project of making the experience of touring the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home available to anyone in the world.

Johnny Cash.  The Man in Black.  Those names are recognized not only in our corner of Northeast Arkansas, but around the world.  And while many have made the trek to the historic Dyess colony to visit the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home, not everyone can make that trip.  EAST at Rivercrest High School set out to make that journey and experience available to literally anyone with a network connection through a couple of projects — a video for the Johnny Cash Heritage Festival and a virtual tour of the Historic Dyess Colony: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home.

Students had the opportunity to create a virtual tour of the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home highlighting not only the replica structure that Cash grew up in, but artifacts and history as well. The creators of the tour itself include William Beckett, Josh Sanchez, James Simpson, and Johnathan Smith. The speakers for this project are Welsley Gray and Jackson Ephlin. The virtual tour was made to promote the history of the Arkansas Delta and to connect our school to our community. 

EAST at Rivercrest HS was also tasked with the challenge of creating a video to be shown at the annual Johnny Cash Heritage Festival. Our student creators of this video project are Gloria Edings, Colton Ball, Jackson Ephlin, and Jered Robertson. 

Our EAST program is thankful for the privilege of being a part of these projects.  We love partnering with Arkansas State University and the A-State Heritage Sites.  A-State University Heritage Sites develop and operate historic properties of regional and national significance in the Arkansas Delta. These sites provide educational resources for formal and informal learning, including serving as living laboratories for students, and attract heritage tourists from around the country.

Rivercrest EAST is already partnering and planning with A-State Heritage Sites for an upcoming project highlighting their Southern Tenant Farmers Museum in Tyronza, Arkansas.  Our program and school love and support our surrounding communities and look forward to sharing a piece of our heritage and history with the rest of the world.