Category: News

Thirteen Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts students earned the Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy by demonstrating proficiency in English and at least one other language before graduating high school. 

The Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy is awarded each spring and fall to students in ninth through 12th grades and is sponsored by the Arkansas Foreign Language Teachers Association and the Arkansas Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. The Arkansas Department of Education officially endorsed the seal in June 2018. 

There were 250 high school students from 16 Arkansas school districts and charter, private or virtual schools and home schoolers who earned the recognition in the fall. 

ASMSA students who earned recognition this fall include: 

• Elijah Holland, a senior from Clarksville — Spanish;
• Jacob Holmes, a senior from Rector — French;
• Yibing Hu, a senior from Jonesboro — Chinese;
• David Huang, a senior from Little Rock — Chinese;
• Catherine Kwon, a senior from Little Rock — Chinese;
• Steven Lynch, a senior from Scranton — Spanish;
• Annette Perez, a senior from Searcy — Spanish;
• Hynuseo Seok, a senior from Jonesboro — Korean;
• Annabel Spayde, a senior from Conway — French;
• Nina Thomas, a senior from Hot Springs — German;
• Gladwin Tony, a senior from Hot Springs — Hindi;
• Kenneth Ventress, a senior from Benton — French; and
• Tracy Yang, a senior from Marianna — Chinese.

Students who apply for the Seal of Biliteracy must complete an application in which they submit evidence of their proficiency in both languages. Students can use their seal of recognition on college and job applications to show future employers and admissions offices that they are proficient in two or more languages. The seal is notional recognized. As of 2019, 35 states have an official Seal of Biliteracy and 12 more were on their way to having their own seal, according to information from the Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy Committee. 

ASMSA’s efforts to help the students earn their seal were led by French instructor Bryan Adams. He said the recognition shows the dedication and hard work the students placed in the process.  

“As an educational tool, it gives students even more of an incentive for not just getting their feet we in a language by encouraging them to dig deep into levels of proficiency,” he said. “Attaining it is clear evidence that the individual is able to navigate capably in both English and the other tested language. 

“It would generally be agreed that it would take about four years of classroom study before a student might even consider testing for the biliteracy exam. For French here at ASMSA, we have had students do it in only one year of study. That credit does not go to me, though! The student I have in mid put in a great deal of work.” 

For more information on the program, visit arbiliteracy.org. 

Three Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts students as well as a faculty and residential life staff member have been chosen to participate in the Clinton Presidential Center Student Presidential Leaders Series. 

ASMSA students Joshua Stallings, Blake Smith and Danielle Luyet were chosen to participate in the program. They were joined by entrepreneurship instructor Steve Rice and residential experience coordinator Liz Carrel. Fifteen participants each statewide were chosen for the student and educator cohorts. 

Five new endowments that will recognize outstanding seniors from the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts were approved by the University of Arkansas Foundation, Inc., Board of Directors at its regular meeting on Dec. 9.

The endowments will provide an opportunity to recognize rising seniors and graduating students with a financial award. The awards will be announced each spring beginning in May 2021, said Dr. Sara Brown, director of institutional advancement and the ASMSA Foundation Fund.

ASMSA students Nina Thomas and Kenny Ventress knew the 2019-20 academic year would be unlike any other they had experienced. They just didn’t how different it would be.

Thomas of Hot Springs and Ventress of Benton originally were members of the Class of 2020, but both were accepted into the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for the 2019-20 academic year. CBYX allows students to spend a full year living with a German host family and attending a German school. They would spend the next year in Germany and return to ASMSA for their senior year as a member of the Class of 2021.

Three student teams from the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts earned recognition in the annual Congressional App Challenge sponsored by Fourth Congressional District U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman.

The Congressional App Challenge is an annual event in which middle and high school students across the country design and code their own original apps. The winning team from each congressional district is honored at an event in Washington, D.C., where they present their apps to attendees.

A group of Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts students assisted in painting a mural at the Northwoods Trail System in Hot Springs.

ASMSA seniors Lillian Hickman of Omaha, Madison Mainer of Ozark, Takoya Marks of Prescott and Miranda Merideth of Wynne as well as art instructor Brad Wreyford helped paint a mural on a City of Hot Springs pumphouse facility along the trail. The mural was officially unveiled on Nov. 13 during the second annual Güdrun Mountain Bike Festival at the Northwoods trails.

The mural is one of 12 being created statewide under the ARKanvas Initiative of OZ Art. ARKanvas is a partnership of OZ Art, The Unexpected and JustKids. In addition to Hot Springs, the initiative is creating public artworks in Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, Fort Smith, Conway, Little Rock, Pine Bluff and Stuttgart.

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Internationally known artist Camille Walala designed the Northwoods mural. Walala is a multidisciplinary artist working across the fields of art, architecture, textile art and graphic design, and is a perpetual purveyor of positivity, expressed through vibrant color and bold patterns.

The Northwoods Trail System mural was painted by a team of artists following her design. The artists were in constant communication with Walala via FaceTime and other means as they applied the paint, according to a City of Hot Springs press release.

Wreyford said Mary Zunick, cultural affairs manager for Visit Hot Springs and one of the driving forces behind the just-concluded Arts & The Park Festival, told him about the project. The students did about an hour and a half of work on the project. It was a great opportunity for the students to participate in a community project, Wreyford said.

“The students really enjoyed the experience. It was simple and straightforward involvement and engagement in the community, which is important,” he said.

The four students who participated are each participating in the Fine Art and Design capstone program at ASMSA. The program consists of two sequential semesters of visual art, emphasizing the development and pursuit of a student’s individual studio experience. The first semester introduces students to the structure and discipline required to develop a self-directed body of work through a progression of techniques and concepts. Students build an individual portfolio for exhibition and competition during the second semester.

Fields of research include painting, drawing, collage, sculpture, 2D design, 3D design, digital design, digital fabrication, architecture, functional design/furniture/ graphic design, photography and documentary film. The capstone culminates with an exhibition where each student presents their portfolio in a gallery setting. Their work is judged by industry professionals, according to the quality of work and the ability to articulate the intent/concept of their work.

The theme of the ARKanvas Initiative is Unite, a tribute to being united through shared outdoor and art experiences across Arkansas. A virtual experience will be launched at www.ARKanvas.com and @OAArtNWA on Instagram and will feature videos of the art, artists and communities.

Thirteen 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.

Dr. Whitney Holden, a life sciences specialist at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, has received the National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools Innovative STEM Teacher Award.

The award was announced during the organization’s virtual professional conference on Nov. 7. Holden was one of three finalists for the inaugural Innovative Teacher Award. The 2020 NCSSS Innovative STEM Teacher Award celebrates a teacher who works at institutional member schools. The teacher should advance the mission of the member school and STEM education. Each institutional member may nominate only one teacher.

The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy received the NCSSS Innovative STEM Student Program Award for the IMSA STEM League. The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky earned the NCSS Innovative Partnership Award for its Cloudbridge Nature Preserve research abroad program.

NCSSS is a consortium of approximately 100 member high schools, many “ranked” among the best in the country, along with 55 affiliate members (including colleges, universities, summer programs, foundations and corporations) located in 32 states that share the goals of transforming mathematics, science and technology education.

“I’m very honored by this recognition,” Holden said in a video on Twitter after receiving the award. “I love what I do. I also couldn’t do it alone. I want to take this time this school provides a fantastic environment that really encourages innovation in so many ways. Our students are tremendous. They are always willing to try new things and go the extra mile. My colleagues always bring their A game, particularly ASMSA’s Dr. (Patrycja) Krakowiak who I work with closely and the many teachers who are enrolled in our biology outreach program.”

Krakowiak is also a life science specialist at ASMSA.

The teacher selected to receive the award was expected to demonstrate how they implemented STEM-infused strategies and innovation in their classroom that connects STEMs to real-world careers that could be replicated by other institutional member schools.

Holden teaches residential students at ASMSA as well as students and educators virtually across Arkansas. At ASMSA, she teaches an independent capstone research class that develops well-rounded, scientifically literate students by focusing on statistical analysis and peer-reviewed literature.

She also serves as co-director with Krakowiak for the Advanced Biology Plus program and the Arkansas Summer Research Institute. In Advanced Biology Plus, Holden provides curriculum and training for Arkansas educators who are teaching Advanced Placement Biology and their students. Schools participating in the program have seen a larger number of their students who take the AP Biology exam receive a passing score — from 10 percent when the program began to 40 percent. The program accounted for one in eight Arkansas students who took the AP Biology exam last year.

The Arkansas Summer Research Institute allows underrepresented groups of students of STEM to learn technical skills while also focusing on essential professional skills such as networking, entrepreneurship and resume writing.  ASRI is funded by a grant from the Arkansas National Science Foundation Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NSF EPSCoR).

ASMSA Director Corey Alderdice, who also serves on the national board of NCSSS, nominated Holden for the award.

“Dr. Holden is a sterling example of what is possible when faculty embrace the mission of ASMSA to ignite the potential of students and educators across our state,” Alderdice said. “In the classroom, in research, and in teacher empowerment, she leads the way for both her colleagues on campus as well as all who wish to inspire the next generation of STEM innovators.”

Holden said that being willing to learn as an educator is important when developing learning opportunities for students.

Through my work I have found the keys to building truly innovative experiences are mentorship, teamwork, respect and a willingness to challenge myself as well as my students,” Holden said in a video that was included in her nomination for the award.

The Arkansas School for Mathematics Sciences and the Arts’ Class of 2020 scored a composite 30.6 as a class. That tied the high-mark in school history set by the Class of 2017.

It was the fourth straight year that graduates had an average of at least a 30 on the national college admissions exam. It was the seventh year in a row that students scored at least a 29 average on the ACT as a graduating class. The Class of 2020 included 107 students.

The national composite average dropped a tenth of a point to 20.6 while the average composite score for Arkansas students taking the test was 19.

Students applying to ASMSA must initially take the ACT as parts of the admissions criteria. Students generally see an increase in their ACT scores during their time at ASMSA. The Class of 2020 had a composite average of 26.2 upon entering ASMSA.

“We are proud of the Class of 2020 for their commitment to success on the ACT as well as their growth on the exam during their time at ASMSA,” ASMSA Director Corey Alderdice said. “While the ACT is only a snapshot of students’ critical thinking and quantitative abilities, we recognize the role the exam plays in positioning students for college admission and scholarship programs and champion student efforts to improve scores in order to unlock opportunities.”

The ACT is scored on a scale of 1 to 36, with 36 being the highest possible score. Students also receive scores in four individual testing areas, which are combined for the composite score. The individual testing areas are English, mathematics, reading and science.

The Class of 2020 scored well on each individual testing area. The average scores on each subject were:

• English: 31.7
• Mathematics: 29.1
• Reading: 32.8
• Science: 31.1

Stuart Flynn, dean of academic affairs at ASMSA, attributed a significant portion of the students’ success on the test to the students’ hometown school districts throughout Arkansas.

“The scores are an indicator that schools around the state are preparing students to be successful as they progress through their school careers. The advanced coursework that students experience at ASMSA creates learners who are able to handle any kind of assessment,” Flynn said.

Alderdice said that ASMSA strives to be viewed as an extension of every school in the state. He said such scores are only possible with the combined preparation students received from their home institutions and continued study at ASMSA. All ASMSA classes are taught on the college level, and the school offers approximately 60 classes that allow students to earn college credit via a partnership with the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. Recent cohorts of graduates have completed an average of 50 hours of college credit through the ASMSA experience. While the ACT is designed to measure how prepared academically students are for the first year of college, it does not reflect ASMSA’s efforts to create confident learners who are able to handle college life and beyond.

“ASMSA is a college-bridge environment — it combines the academic rigor, research experience and opportunities to study abroad of college with the supervision, safety, support systems and structure of high school,” Alderdice said.

“There’s this idea of college readiness being measured by ACT score benchmarks, which predicts how likely a chance a student will have making a C or better in a college class, but there’s more to consider than academic capacity. Can the student live independently? Can they act autonomously and make appropriate decisions as a young adult?”