Searcy (LP)  The program 303 United is becoming something of blooming interest here in the halls of Searcy High School.  While many people are wondering what exactly 303 united is, others are wondering how soon they can transfer into the advocate’s classroom. Mrs. Jill Treadway has brought this idea of incorporating assignments into real life, bringing forth a sense of unity into our beloved SHS.

For those of you who are unaware, Mrs. Treadway teaches psychology and economics. Years ago, during one of her economics classes, a student chose to use the phrase “303 united” during a demonstration where a make-believe country was necessary. He chose the number 303 because that’s the room that Mrs. Treadway and her students accompany. The name has since stuck, however the purpose has changed.

Over the summer, Treadway and a few of her students spent the day together and decided to commit to random acts of kindness. But before they could pass out bubbles, or tape unpopped popcorn to redbox machines, or place cute reminders/encouragements beneath windshield wipers, they decided to hashtag everything with 303 united, so they could possibly keep track of how big of a difference and the influence they were having on people.  

The idea of 303 united stems from a need for togetherness. Treadway says,” My whole mission was to pull the classes together, in a unifying project because of the massive amount of division in the world.” She admits to always wanting to incorporate social media into her classroom. She refers to it as a way of, “ meeting us ( students) where we are.”  So, as an assignment, students are required to post something relating back to her class while outside of her classroom, using the hashtag 303 united.  However, she understands that while social media is a huge factor within most teenagers daily activities, it is not part of other teenager’s lives. So there are alternative assignments available, or students are welcomed to team up.   Thus, 303 united transformed from a make believe country into a group of students willing and eager to apply their knowledge to the outside world.  

Treadway announced, “Eventually, I would love to get to what we were doing this summer, like have some random acts of kindness projects.”  As 303 united continues to grow, so will the unity within Searcy high school.