The ASMSA Foundation Fund celebrated an impressive year of fundraising at the annual Director’s Circle Luncheon on Dec. 2. And in the true giving fashion of those who gathered to celebrate the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and Arts, those in attendance answered the call yet again to make a special gift to the foundation.
The luncheon celebrated the establishment of three student-focused fellowships during the 2015-16 fiscal year. The fellowships provide students opportunities to conduct summer research and service projects. Also during the event, ASMSA Foundation Board of Ambassadors President Les Warren was recognized as the recipient of the 2016 Advocate of the Year Award.
The ASMSA Trustees’ Service Fellowship is named in honor of the visionaries who first served as a guiding entity for the school. In 1995, the Arkansas General Assembly established a Board of Trustees to oversee the polices and administration of the school.
Dr. Johnnie Roebuck, a longtime public school educator and state representative from Arkadelphia, was among the first seven trustees appointed to the board. Roebuck and other former trustees wanted to do something for the school that would honor the work and commitment of those early trustees who built the foundation of the school. Vicki Hinz, ASMSA director of institutional advancement, and ASMSA Director Corey Alderdice suggested creating an endowment that would directly benefit students, Roebuck said.
“Instead of a traditional scholarship, we wanted to create a way for students to give back to their home communities through service,” Roebuck said. “We are hopeful this fellowship will continue to attract donors and students will consider it a great honor to be selected as recipients.”
The ASMSA Trustees’ Service Fellowship is awarded to a rising senior each year. The student selected for the fellowship will receive a $600 grant toward a service project for their hometown or home school. The project must be completed during the summer between their junior and senior year at ASMSA. The student will give a public presentation on their project during their senior year.
Before the luncheon, $18,000 had been raised to endow the fellowship. Roebuck said the original goal was $20,000. She made a donation of $1,000 to the endowment fund and encouraged those in attendance to help the foundation reach the original goal by the end of the calendar year by making a donation in the name of Earl Wells.
Wells was a member of the ASMSA Board of Trustees from 2000-2004. Roebuck said he often described ASMSA as “his school.” She said Wells died earlier this year.
Taking Roebuck’s encouragement to heart, several in attendance either made a gift after the luncheon or pledged to make a gift that will meet and exceed the fellowship’s goal, Hinz said.
ASMSA Director Corey Alderdice recognized the endowment of two other fellowships in the 2015-16 fiscal year.
The Murphy USA Summer Research Fellowship was formed through generous contributions from the parents of two ASMSA students and their company match from Murphy USA. The fellowship provides a $600 grant to a rising senior who has demonstrated exceptional achievements both in and beyond the classroom. The selected student must commit to entering either the Siemens Competition in Mathematics, Science and Technology or the Regeneron Science Talent Search and agree to return to ASMSA for the entirety of their senior year at ASMSA.
The ASMSA Computer Science Summer Research Fellowship was established through gifts to the Coding Arkansas’ Future initiative. The initiative was announced during the 2015 Community of Learning Luncheon. The fellowship provides a $600 grant to a rising senior who has demonstrated exceptional achievements both in and beyond the classroom. The selected student must commit to entering either the Siemens Competition in Mathematics, Science and Technology or the Regeneron Science Talent Search and agree to return to ASMSA for the entirety of their senior year at ASMSA.
The recipients of each fellowship spoke briefly at the luncheon. Claudia Vestal of Jonesboro, who received the Trustees’ Service Fellowship, spoke about teaching children and other members her community how to make healthy snacks and drinks to battle the obesity epidemic.
Martin Boerwinkle of El Dorado, the recipient of the Computer Science Summer Research Fellowship, spoke about his creation of an algorithm to make 3D prints stronger and more efficiently. The fellowship allowed him to purchase a 3D printer in order to test the progress of his work. He is also working with an open-source application developer to incorporate his algorithm into their 3D printing application.
Nick Nehas of North Little Rock and Will Duke of Pine Bluff described their experience studying the Coral Gardens reef in the Caribbean Ocean off the coast of Belize. Nehas and Duke were the recipients of the Murphy USA Summer Research Fellowship. Their research led to recognition in the Siemens Competition in Mathematics, Science and Technology contest. The duo were recognized as national semifinalists and regional finalists. It was the first time in ASMSA’s history that a student has been recognized as a regional finalist. The regional finalists compete for the opportunity to advance to the national finals in Washington, D.C.
Advocate of the Year
Hinz recognized each member of the Foundation Board of Ambassadors in attendance at the luncheon. She said while the state of Arkansas provides the majority of funding for the school, it takes the work of others to raise additional funding for capital projects, academic and residential life programs, and other projects that may not be directly funded by the state.
“ASMSA depends heavily on the financial support of others to advance and expand both facilities and educational programs,” Hinz said. “The ASMSA Foundation working in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Advancement strives to attract private donations and forge strong relationships with individuals, foundations, trusts and corporations that have an understanding and willingness to support ASMSA.
“Our Foundation Fund Board of Ambassadors are instrumental in helping us in shaping those goals. It is my pleasure and honor this year to recognize a Foundation Fund Board Ambassador who is always available when needed, attends all ASMSA events and is an extremely strong advocate for ASMSA.”
She then announced Les Warren, the president of the foundation board, as the recipient of the Advocate of the Year Award. Warren has been a member of the foundation board since it’s development in 2013.
Warren thanked Hinz and Alderdice for the recognition, complimenting the work of the administration, the students, members of the original board of trustees and his fellow board members.
“I love working with ASMSA,” Warren said. “What great people. Education has always been a passion of mine.
“This school is a shining star for Arkansas. You students are amazing. But I hope that the future of this school is so much brighter than it is today. This is such a blessing to have this school here, and I am incredibly blessed to be a part of what’s going on here.”