Author: Donnie Sewell

Michaela Stevens won first place in the 21^st Annual Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum Student Essay Contest.

Stevens, a rising junior at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts from Hot Springs, won first place in the ninth- and 10^th- grade category. Contestants wrote essays based on the theme of how individuals or communities have shown strength and resilience to overcome challenges and tragedies. The prompt for Stevens’ age category specifically focused on what we can learn from the way communities responded to a tragedy.

Connor Bailey had a tough challenge in this year’s The Stock Market Game. He set a record in last year’s competition, finishing the Afterschool Yearlong Division with a stock portfolio valued at more than $1 million.

While he didn’t match the value of last year’s portfolio, he not only repeated as the winner of this year’s Afterschool Yearlong Division but also won the Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 divisions as well.

The Stock Market Game is a national program of the SIFMA Foundation that allows students and teachers the opportunity to invest a virtual $100,000 in stocks, bonds and mutual funds in a simulation contest. Economics Arkansas sponsors the game in Arkansas.

Kacie Koen’s plans for this summer are likely much different than what she may have imagined a year ago.

Before coming to ASMSA, Koen, a member of the Class of 2023, had plans to perhaps become a lawyer, but an information session in August 2021 on the Creative Writing Capstone piqued her interest.

A part of the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts’ campus that represents an important aspect of both its past and its future will soon bear the name of one of the school’s earliest supporters.

The University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees approved a resolution on May 26 to formally name the renovated St. Joseph Hospital convent and chapel complex on the ASMSA campus Helen Selig Hall. Selig died on February 18, 2022, after a long-term illness.

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts held its 28^th annual Commencement celebrating the graduation of the Class of 2022 on Saturday, May 21, at Bank OZK Arena at the Hot Springs Convention Center.

The ceremony honored 103 graduates from 36 counties. State District 84 Rep. Les Warren served as the keynote speaker for the event. The ceremony also featured two student speakers.

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts placed three teams in the top four at the 2022 TEAMS Engineering Competition.

TEAMS is an acronym for Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science. The annual competition is sponsored by the Technology Students Association. The competition’s theme is based on the Grand Challenges of Engineering.

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts recognized students for their academic achievements during the 2022 Honors Convocation held May 16 in the Creativity and Innovation Complex on campus.

Awards for students’ academic achievements were announced for each department — Humanities, Mathematics/Computer Science and Science. The event also included a presentation of special awards and featured two student speakers — seniors Emma Cavaneau of Benton and Stacia Toney of Eudora.

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts will celebrate its 28^th annual Commencement honoring the Class of 2022 at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 21, at Bank OZK Arena at the Hot Springs Convention Center.

District 84 State Representative Les Warren of Hot Springs will serve as the commencement speaker. In addition to his advocacy for the school as a member of the Arkansas General Assembly, Warren has also served as a member of the ASMSA Foundation Fund Board.

Student Government Association President Claire Green and Sidney Hansberry, both members of the Class of 2022, will be the featured student speakers.

Bank OZK Arena will open for seating at 1:15 p.m. Doors will close at 1:45 p.m. and no guests will be admitted after that time. The ceremony will also be streamed on Facebook Live at https://www.facebook.com/ARMathSciArts.

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts recognized students and their works of arts and literature during the annual Arts and Humanities Research Capstone Symposium Awards ceremony on May 9.

The Arts and Humanities Research Capstone Symposium was held May 6. During the symposium, students presented and discussed the works of art and literature they crated for their capstone projects. Every ASMSA student is required to complete a capstone project during their academic career at the school. Students may choose topics throughout the mathematics, sciences, and arts and humanities spectrum.