Author: Donnie Sewell

Parents want their children to get the best education available. In most cases, it would be hard to argue that’s not a given. What often leads to more discussion and debate is how best to provide that education.

As parents have these kinds of discussions not only among themselves but also with education and government leaders, the choice on where to educate their children to school has become an important topic. In 2023, 20 states enacted a school choice program, according to information from the National School Choice Week website.

Arkansas is among those states, adopting the Arkansas LEARNS Act in 2023. Included in the legislation was the creation of a program that expanded parents’ access to a variety of institutions such as charter, independent and online schools that they feel would be best for their child.  Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a proclamation designating National School Choice Week as Arkansas Parental Choice Week.

According to a 2022 Niche.com parent survey, 79 percent of families said the quality of local public schools was a factor when deciding where to live. Campus safety (73 percent), teacher qualifications (71 percent) and type of school (70 percent) were also deciding factors in choosing a school, according to the survey.

Parents of Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts students take many of those factors into consideration as well when they are deciding whether to apply to and then enroll at the school.

Avery Binuya, a senior at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, won third place in the Visual Arts category of the 2023/2024 Thea Foundation Scholarship Competition.

Binuya of Lamar was awarded an $8,000 scholarship for her piece titled “Reflections.” The piece is two identically intricate wheel-thrown teapots, but one is shattered. Binuya used a gold picture frame to mimic a mirror’s reflection to fit the category them of “Individual and Beautiful.”

Aarohi Sonputri, a student at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, has been selected as a semifinalist in the Regeneron Science Talent Search.

The Regeneron STS is the nation’s most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. The program is sponsored by the Society for Science. Each year, 300 Regeneron STS scholars are selected as semifinalists. A pool of 40 finalists are later invited to participate in final judging, display their work publicly, meet with notable scientists and compete for awards, including the contest’s top award of $250,000.

Sonputri is the only semifinalist from Arkansas. This year’s semifinalists were selected from 2,162 entrants from 712 high schools in 46 states, Puerto Rico and 10 other countries — the highest number of entrants since 1969, according to a press release on the Society for Science website.

Fourteen Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts students earned the Arkansas Seal of Bilteracy for the Fall 2023 semester.

The Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy is awarded each spring and fall to students in ninth through 12th grades who demonstrate a proficiency in English and at least one other language before graduating high school. More than 400 students across the state earned the seal this fall.

Rabbit Hole, the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts’ League of Legends esports team, placed second in the state after tournament play on Dec. 14. Their finish marked the conclusion of a good fall overall for all of ASMSA esports teams.

Rabbit Hole is comprised of starters Jonathan Tucker, Tristan Henson, Gage Carr, Andrew Nguyen and Lane De Foor with Ty Carmichael, Quede Martin and Daniel Lee serving as subs. The team is coached by Chris Martinez, a lead technology specialist in ASMSA’s Information Technology department. They played against Fort Smith Southside in the tournament finals.

Bryan Ieamsang, an Instructor of Excellence in French at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, recently earned an international diploma recognizing his fluency in the French language.

Ieamsang received the DALF C2 credential, the highest credential available for nonnative speakers of French. DALF stands for Diplome approfondi de langue française. The diploma is issued by the French Ministry of Education and “certifies the skills acquired in French as a foreign language” for the recipient. It is internationally recognized and valid for life.

Alex Back, a senior at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, recently participated in the 2023 University of Central Arkansas High School Honors Ensemble.

Back, who plays French horn, was among 61 student musicians from across the state who participated in the two-day clinic on Nov. 30-Dec. 1 on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. He was chosen from more than 300 applicants for the clinic.

The new Campus Administration Building at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts currently under construction is nearing the “in the dry” or “dry-in” stage.

The terms are used when the rough exterior, including the base roof, has been completed, allowing the construction crew to begin more interior work in dry conditions. Construction crews are expected to reach the “dry-in” stage of the Campus Administration Building (CAB) by the end of December.

Work began on the $5.25 million, 11,000-square-foot project in the spring of this year with crews clearing a site adjacent to the Student Center, the campus residential building. The project is expected to be completed in spring 2024.

“We are excited to complete the first phase of the physical transformation of the ASMSA campus in this milestone anniversary year,” said ASMSA Director Corey Alderdice. “To date, more than $35 million has been invested in campus facilities since 2010 to ensure our students, faculty, and staff have the appropriate spaces to live, learn and share the ASMSA experience with peers from across the state.”

The CAB will include offices for the director as well as the institutional advancement, finance, human resources, public affairs and admissions departments. Those departments are currently located in the Academic and Administration Building and the Creativity and Innovation Complex. Flexible meeting spaces are also on each floor.

Moving those departments to the new building will allow ASMSA to begin the process of vacating the Pine Street Wing of the former St. Joseph Hospital complex that was the original residential space for students when the school opened in 1993. Students as well as the cafeteria moved to the Student Center when it opened in 2012.

The Pine Street Wing of the building currently houses faculty offices as well as classroom spaces for the school’s arts program. These areas will move to the current Academic and Administration Building and the Creativity and Innovation Complex upon the CAB’s completion. The Facilities Department, which is housed in part of the Cedar Street Wing, will also be relocated. ASMSA will then begin the process of returning control of the hospital complex back to the City of Hot Springs for demolition of the building.“When employees return to campus in January, a campus committee will begin work on the new 2033 Facilities Plan,” Alderdice said.  “This important document will guide the continuing evolution of both ASMSA’s campus as well as a vibrant downtown Hot Springs.”

Families, alumni and other ASMSA stakeholders will have the opportunity to provide feedback on the school’s needs as well as the plan.

Two Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts students received full-ride scholarship offers in the 2023 QuestBridge National College Match program.

Senior Xander Napier of Lamar matched with Grinnell College, a small, private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa. Shea Stabila of Pangburn matched with Amherst College, a small, private liberal arts college in Amherst, Mass.