The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts held its annual Honors Convocation and Academic Awards ceremony on May 17.
The annual Honors Convocation is an opportunity to recognize the students’ academic achievements for the school year. Special awards and fellowships are announced, and seniors are selected to speak during the event.
Seniors Alec Gatewood of Smackover and Yug Shah of Marion were selected to speak at the Honors Convocation. Both speakers addressed the changes and growth the students have experienced in themselves in their time at ASMSA as well as thanking those who supported them throughout their academic career at the school and beyond.
Gatewood challenged his classmates to put themselves back in a class before they were ASMSA students. He then asked them to compare their past selves to the person they had now become.
“Look at the change that we have made. Ask yourself if you … changed your world,” Gatewood said. “Thank you so much for being the best people I have ever met, and please be the best that you can be for the rest of your journeys. Our goals are ambitious, but each of us should keep something in mind: we can do all things. I love you guys, and I know that we will all do great things. Only one person changing the world — that is an ASMSA student. That is who each of us are. I know that we, the ASMSA Class of 2021, will be the best that we can be.”
Shah spoke about how each student came to ASMSA from diverse backgrounds, areas of the state and interests. During their two years together, they found common ground among each other. He credited their success in doing so to three pillars of support — ASMSA friends and classmates, ASMSA faculty and staff, and their families at home.
“Unlike other schools, we’ve had the opportunity to actually live together, as family rather than just friends,” Shah said. “… We have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to sit in classrooms of some of the most passionate teachers in the state. We have fallen in love with various subject matters because our teachers have inspired us to love learning.
“The third pillar that ensures we don’t fail is our support back home. Our families: the parents and friends who were actually brave enough to let us go. They saw in us a potential for independence and achievement before we ever knew what we were capable of.”
Honors announced during the event included departmental achievement awards and special awards. The students who were recognized with departmental achievement awards were:
Humanities Department
Outstanding Graphic Arts student — Skylar Boone of Benton
Outstanding Visual Arts junior — Winnie Smith of Vandervoort
Outstanding Visual Arts senior — Madison Mainer of Ozark
Outstanding Music Junior — Mai Nobles of Hot Springs
Outstanding Music Senior — Aishani Singh of Hot Springs
Outstanding Creative Writer Senior — Emersyn Rackley of Harrison
Outstanding Creative Writing Junior— Ella Suffren of Hot Springs
Outstanding American Studies student — Lauralee Jarrett of Brinkley
Outstanding U.S. History student — Joshua Stallings of Little Rock
Outstanding World History student — Tracy Yang of Marianna
Outstanding Social Science student — Sebastian Albertson of Harrisburg
Outstanding Humanities Senior — Harper Haynes of Maumelle
Outstanding Humanities Junior — Breegan Rose of
Outstanding Beginning French student — Felicia “Rose” Brown of Donaldson
Outstanding Intermediate French student — Joshua Stallings of Little Rock
Outstanding Advanced French student — Kenny Ventress Jr. of Benton
Outstanding Intermediate Spanish student — Jacob Holmes of Rector
Outstanding Advanced Spanish student — Alex Guo of Jonesboro
Outstanding Beginning Japanese student — Emersyn Rackley of Harrison
Outstanding Photographer — David “Bear” Moore of Hampton
Daniel A. Benton Humanities Award — Tyler Kuper of Van Buren
John Harrison Humanities Student Award — Janie Gentry of Vilonia
Alderdice Family Award for Excellence in the Arts — Nina Thomas of Hot Springs
Mathematics Department
George H. Connor Jr. Award (for top male mathematics student) — Jacob Holmes of Rector
Melanie Nichols Award (for top female mathematics student) — Catherine Kwon of Little Rock
Outstanding Computer Science Student — Tristan Goodell of Maumelle
Science Department
Dr. Jon Ruehle Life Science Student Award — Aly Navarro of Hot Springs
Outstanding Junior Biology Student — Amy Hoang of Hartman and Cameryn Berryhill of Evening Shade
Outstanding Senior Biology Student — Annabel Spayde of Conway
Outstanding Sophomore Chemistry Student — Charis Xiong of White Hall
Outstanding Junior Chemistry Student — Emma Caveaneau of Benton and Eureka Smith of Hot Springs
Outstanding Senior Chemistry Student — Matt Hill of Hot Springs and Zachary West of Arkadelphia
Outstanding Junior Physics Student — Soumya Chauhan of Bentonville and Gwen Keith-Powell of North Little Rock
Outstanding Senior Physics Student —J acob Holmes of Rector and Jaden Turner of Sherwood
Outstanding Junior Earth and Space Science Student — Claire Green of North Little Rock and Luna Mae Solleder of Hot Springs
Outstanding Senior Earth and Space Science Student — Alec Gatewood of Smackover and Terrance Meinardus of Alma
Outstanding Sophomore Engineering Student — Raymond Moore of Hampton
Outstanding Junior Engineering Student — Spencer Lile of Benton and Danielle Luyet of Conway
Outstanding Senior Engineering Student — Jaden Turner of Sherwood and Kaden Ramirez of Cabot
Special Awards
Alderdice Family Summer Arts Fellowship — Skylar Boone of Benton
Computer Science Summer Research Fellowship — Bonnie Mieirs of Malvern
Fredinburg Technology and Innovation Fellowship — Danielle Luyet of Conway
Murphy USA Summer Research Fellowship — Alyssia Davis Beebe, Abby Berger of Jonesboro and Claire Green of North Little Rock
Trustees’ Service Fellowship — Stacia Toney of Eudora
ASMSA Class of 2000 Student Leadership Impact Award — Aviance Haymon of Osceola and Jacob Holmes of Rector
Charlie Cole Chaffin Student Service Award — Sebastian Albertson of Harrisburg
ASMSA Student Support Award — Andreas Bradley of Jacksonville
Aerojet Rocketdyne — Yasmean Dehaghani of White Hall and Terrance Meinardus of Alma
University of Rochester George Eastman Young Leaders Award — Blake Smith of London
University of Rochester Bausch and Lomb Honorary Science Award — Sheridan Dethrow of Jonesboro
University of Rochester Xerox Award — Joshua Stallings of Little Rock
Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award — Ghaida Fadah of Pine Bluff