Six seniors at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts have been named 2023 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.

ASMSA students selected as a Finalist include Parker Hance of Conway, Elizabeth Show of Bismarck, Tim Palmer of Mena, Ivy Hong of North Little Rock, Xander Napier of Lamar and Shea Stabila of Pangburn.

QuestBridge partnered this year with 50 colleges and universities to offer scholarships at institutions such as Duke University, Rice University, Stanford University and others.

Students apply for the scholarships through QuestBridge’s free National College Match application. They may list up to 15 of the partner schools at which they would like to be considered for admission.

Finalists who receive a match will be notified on Dec. 1. Finalists who do not receive a match for a scholarship will still be eligible to be considered for regular admission to partner schools and may still receive financial aid in the future. In 2022, more than 1,700 Finalists were matched with a participating institution.

Match Scholarship recipients are granted early admission to one of QuestBridge's college partners with a full four-year scholarship, worth more than $200,000. The Match Scholarship is offered as part of a generous financial aid package provided by the college that covers the cost of attendance, including tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, and travel expenses. All Match Scholarship packages have no parental contribution or student loans.

Five students from the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts recently received honors in the College Board National Recognition Programs.

The programs celebrate students’ hard work and academic performance. Recognition programs include the National African American Recognition Award (NAARA), National Hispanic Recognition Award (NHRA) and the National Rural and Small Town Award (NRSTA).

ASMSA students earning recognition include:

• Kaiden Daniels of Dumas (NAARA);
• Bryce Snider of Hoxie (NAARA);
• Annalise Stanford of Paris (NAARA);
• Katelyn Torres of Fairfield Bay (NHRA); and
• Kalyn You of Everton (NRSTA).

Seven students from the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts have been named Commended Students in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program.

The students are:

• Pragya Chauhan of Bentonville;
• Gavin Chen of Benton;
• Parker Hance of Conway;
• James Mathis of Russellville;
• Julie Morse of Mayflower;
• Brent Orlina of Little Rock; and
• Michaela Stevens of Hot Springs.

About 34,000 Commended Students were recognized across the nation. Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 students in the 69^th annual National Merit Scholarship Competition but were not chosen among the finalists. Students take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test as a junior to qualify for the competition.

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts will host a free public science lecture at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7, as part of Homecoming 2023.

Dr. Bharat Ratra, a Distinguished Professor of Physics at Kansas State University, will present “The Accelerating Expanding Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and Einstein’s Cosmological Constant.” Ratra works in the areas of cosmology and astroparticle physics. He researches the structure and evolution of the universe.

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts has opened its search for the Classes of 2026 and 2027.

ASMSA is a public residential high school serving academically and artistically motivated students of all backgrounds from throughout the state of Arkansas. More than 250 students in 10^th, 11^th and 12^th grades attend classes and live on the Hot Springs campus in a community of learning unlike any other in the state.

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts is the top public high school in Arkansas and among the top 50 in the nation in the 2024 Niche.com rankings.

Niche.com is a website that provides in-depth profiles on thousands of colleges, school districts and individual K-12 schools across the nation. Parents and students use Niche’s information to find the right school for them.

ASMSA is No. 1 on the website’s Best Public High Schools in Arkansas list. In addition to its top state ranking, the school is No. 46 out of more than 20,400 public high schools included in the website’s national rankings. The school is also rated as top in the state in Niche.com’s Best College Prep Public High Schools in Arkansas and Best High Schools for STEM in Arkansas lists.

ASMSA earned an A-plus Overall Niche Grade as well as A-plus grades in the individual categories of Academics, Teachers, College Prep as well as and Resources and Facilities. To view ASMSA’s profile, visit https://asmsa.me/nicheprofile.

“ASMSA's community of learning is again thrilled to be named Arkansas' top public high school in Niche.com's annual rankings,” said ASMSA Director Corey Alderdice. “What brings meaning to this recognition is the excellence across all parts of ASMSA's academic and residential experiences combined with a high level of satisfaction and enthusiasm from students, parents and alumni.”

ASMSA is a public, residential school for talented and highly motivated students in the 10^th through 12^th grades who have an interest and aptitude for mathematics and science as well as a passion for creativity and the arts. It is part of the University of Arkansas System. Students from across Arkansas choose to attend ASMSA’s early college experience for advanced academic opportunities that may not be available at their current school.

“Arkansans should take pride in having a school ranked among the Top 50 nationally,” Alderdice said. “ASMSA is a special investment by the people of Arkansas in igniting the potential of many of our most promising young minds. As the state enters a new era of school choice, we encourage talented and motivated students to explore this unique opportunity alongside their families.”

Grades, ratings and rankings for each school are determined by information provided to Niche by the U.S. Department of Education, self-reported information from each individual institution as well as reviews by students, parents and alumni of the school. To see a full list of the 2024 Best Public High Schools in Arkansas, visit https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-public-high-schools/s/arkansas/.

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts has launched the ASMSA Talent Identification Program (ASMSA-TIP) for gifted Arkansas seventh-graders.

ASMSA-TIP will provide gifted students, parents and educators with resources and guidance that are tailored to support a child’s educational, social and emotional development. Such programs empower students to reach their full potential while helping parents and educators make the best educational decisions for their students.

Participants will receive a voucher to take the ACT as an “above-level” test, a standardized assessment that is designed for a higher grade level. This practice will help ASMSA-TIP better enrich and support talented students and their parents.

“ASMSA’s heartbeat is providing opportunities for high-achieving students all across the state of Arkansas,” said Jason Hudnell, ASMSA director of admissions. “To that end, we believe that ASMSA-TIP will provide incredible opportunities and resources for Arkansas’ seventh-graders and their guardians.”

Parents and educators may be familiar with the Duke Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP). Founded in 1980 by Duke University in North Carolina, Duke TIP previously served students, educators and schools throughout the Southeastern region of the United States. With the program’s closure in 2020, hundreds of students throughout Arkansas have lacked a similar opportunity.

ASMSA Director Corey Alderdice noted that after engaging with educational partners statewide campus leadership recognized an opportunity to fill critical needs for Arkansas gifted students and coordinators.

“As advocates for the needs of gifted and talented students, we were certainly shocked by the loss of the Duke TIP program amid the pandemic,” Alderdice said. “Through our conversations with ASMSA stakeholders in the time since, we concluded that filling this void for Arkansas while encouraging students to learn to the full potential was a commitment the school should embrace.”

Participants also will receive a monthly e-newsletter with specific content for students and their parents, access to quarterly webinar sessions with Gifted and Talented professionals and an opportunity to participate in a recognition ceremony for students who perform exceptionally well on the ACT exam.

ASMSA-TIP candidates are current seventh-graders who have met one of any of the three following criteria:

• The student scored in the 90^th percentile on one or more subtests of a state or national standardized exam, such as the ACT Aspire or MAP testing.
• The student has been formally identified as gifted or talented by their school district.
• The student has been recommended as gifted or talented by a teacher, administrator or educational community leader (Scout leader, camp counselor, etc.).

Program fees are $95 per student, but a number of assessment waivers are available for families with exceptional need.

For more information or to register for ASMSA-TIP, visit www.asmsa.org/tip or email talent@asmsa.org.

Nine students at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts have been named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists.

The National Merit Scholarship Corp. announced the names of more than 16,000 Semifinalists in the 69^th annual National Merit Scholarship Program on Sept. 13. The students, who are all members of the Class of 2024, will have an opportunity to continue in the competition for 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring.

The ASMSA seniors named Semifinalists are:

• Nasya Choy of Conway;
• Melanie Holmes of Atkins;
• Carter Horton of North Little Rock;
• Kuhno Lee of Little Rock;
• Christian Lu of Jonesboro;
• Andrew Nguyen of Sherwood;
• Rene Ramirez of Pearcy;
• Chiking Vang of Lincoln; and
• Anna Grace Wright of Pottsville