Author: Donnie Sewell

For a second year in a row, the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts STEM Pathways initiative has set an enrollment record.

The initiative is serving 3,315 students across the state through its Computer Science Plus, Advanced Biology Plus and Advanced Statistics Plus cohorts. The program set a record last year with 2,117 students enrolled in Computer Science Plus and Advanced Biology Plus cohorts.

Seven Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts seniors have been selected as QuestBridge National College Match Finalists.

QuestBridge is a nonprofit organization that connects exceptional low-income youth with leading institutions of higher education. QuestBridge works with top universities across the country to offer four-year, full scholarships to deserving students who may otherwise be unable to afford to attend those institutions.

When Layla Lammers came to ASMSA in the fall of 2021, one of her first priorities was to find a way to continue her daily running as well as her high school cross country racing career.

Lammers, a senior from Blytheville, has been running since she was a fifth-grader, becoming a “serious runner” in middle school and began competing in cross country during her freshman year. While ASMSA doesn’t host any sports teams of its own, it does have an agreement with Hot Springs World Class High School to allow its students to compete on the Trojans’ teams. ASMSA is near by Hot Springs National Park.

Three teams represented the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts in the recent JOLT Cyber Challenge sponsored by The Venture Center with one finishing in fourth place.

The JOLT Cyber Challenge is an annual event that brings together teams from across the state to participate in a two-day long competition to solve computer science-based puzzles, often involving subjects such as decryption, programming and cyber security.

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts Debate Team won seven medals at the Bentonville Tiger’s Eye Classic debate tournament held Sept. 30-Oct. 1.

Individual students who earned recognition include:

• Avery Binuya, second place, Novice Congressional Debate;
• Daniel Nkunga, fourth place, Novice Congressional Debate;
• Cyrus Sorsby. fourth place, Prose;
• Kuhno Lee, fifth place, Big Questions Debate;
• Madison Arenaz, sixth place, Varsity Lincoln Debate;
• Linden Mixon, eighth place, Varsity Congressional Debate; and
• Isaura Funes, 12^th place, Varsity Congressional Debate.

The Tiger’s Eye Classic included more than 700 students from 23 schools and two states. ASMSA took a team of eight, four of which competed in their first tournament. Arenaz and Fuenes are team captains while Binuya served as the team’s tournament captain.

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts held a dedication ceremony for Helen Selig Hall during its annual Director’s Circle Luncheon on Friday, Oct. 7.

ASMSA recently finished a $5.5 million renovation project of the former St. Joseph Hospital convent and chapel complex, converting the spaces into a residential housing for students, a campus mental health hub with offices for professional counseling staff, a new student union and an auditorium. The renovated facility is officially named in honor of former Hot Springs Mayor Helen Selig, who was among the earliest and most vocal proponents of bringing the school to city.

Four years ago, the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts welcomed its first cohort of sophomores to campus. The pilot Early Entrance program provided a pathway for a small group of students on an accelerated academic path to begin their ASMSA experience a year earlier than they could have in the past.

ASMSA Director Corey Alderdice often describes ASMSA’s students as populating two different but equally important groups — transitional and transformational.

Transitional students are those who often come from school districts where they have had more advanced learning opportunities before coming to ASMSA. Their educational background enables them to immediately begin focusing on ASMSA’s rigorous coursework. These were the students who qualified for the initial Early Entrance program.

Transformational students often have faced gaps in learning opportunities — whether they are based on family income, limited available courses or lack of academic counseling among other reasons. They may be some of the best, brightest and most motivated students; however, they lack the solid foundation.

To help address those opportunity gaps for the transformational students, ASMSA introduced the HELIX Prep Academy this year. Based on a previous summer program called Helping Elevate Low-Income Students to Excellence that was sponsored by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, HELIX Prep Academy is designed to bring a small group of transformational students to campus as sophomores and prepare them to excel in their junior year and beyond. The first cohort includes 18 students from across the state.

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts has been ranked No. 1 in Niche.com’s 2023 list of Best Public High Schools in Arkansas.

Niche.com is a website that provides in-depth profiles on thousands of colleges, school districts and individual K-12 schools across the nation. Parents and students use Niche’s information to find the right school for them.

Several Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts students were recently recognized as recipients of the National African American Recognition Award by the College Board.