The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts held a dedication ceremony for Helen Selig Hall during its annual Director’s Circle Luncheon on Friday, Oct. 7.
ASMSA recently finished a $5.5 million renovation project of the former St. Joseph Hospital convent and chapel complex, converting the spaces into a residential housing for students, a campus mental health hub with offices for professional counseling staff, a new student union and an auditorium. The renovated facility is officially named in honor of former Hot Springs Mayor Helen Selig, who was among the earliest and most vocal proponents of bringing the school to city.
Selig was a prominent leader of a community group that lobbied the state to choose Hot Springs as the school’s home in 1992. She and her family have continued to support the school throughout its existence. Selig died on Feb. 18, 2022, after a long-term illness.
“Today we celebrate a promise that Helen Selig kept for three decades through her continued support and advocacy of ASMSA,” said Director Corey Alderdice. “We remind ourselves that the work remains unfinished and that it takes new generations of advocates like each of you to continue to advance the critical mission of our school to ignite Arkansas’ full potential. We look to the past successes of ASMSA but challenge ourselves to imagine daily what there is still yet to learn and to accomplish.”
The Arkansas General Assembly established what was known then as the Arkansas School for Mathematics and Sciences in 1991 without a host site picked for the program. A site selection committee received more than 50 applications from cities and towns across Arkansas hoping to serve as the host for the new school. Hot Springs was eventually one of seven finalists considered for the site in 1992.
Hot Springs supporters adopted the slogan “Clear As A Bell,” signifying that the city was the obvious choice to host ASMSA. In cooperation with the City of Hot Springs and the Garland County community, a plan to house the school in the recently vacated St. Joseph Hospital was proposed. Among those leading the charge was Selig.
Selig and other volunteers convinced the city to make a big commitment to the project to win the selection committee over. The city agreed to buy the building from the hospital and committed to perform maintenance on it. That included the buildings that are now Selig Hall.
In September 1994, a year after the school opened and during Selig’s first term as mayor, a dedication ceremony was held on campus to recognize the efforts of the city and citizens to ensure promises made during the site selection search were kept. Selig presented a bronze school bell to ASMSA as a symbol of the community’s efforts to keep the promises made to get the school placed in Hot Springs. The bell now stands in front of the Student Center.
During Friday’s event, Alderdice honored Selig’s gift and its meaning with a ceremonial ringing of bells.
“The choice — that daily choice — to look to the future of ASMSA remains clear as a bell. I ring this bell today in celebration of a life well lived. Our students ring their bells in honor of promises kept. We ring these bells to rededicate this special building for now and ever in honor and memory of Helen Selig,” he said.
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John Selig, Helen Selig’s husband, said she was a dedicated community leader and “a force of nature.”
“Nothing inspired her more than a challenge. So, when she heard that Hot Springs would have to perform a near miracle to be considered for this school, she was determined to show off all that Hot Springs could provide. From helping raise $1 million from the local community to negotiating this building with the Sisters of Mercy, she was creative, smart and passionate — three things that today’s students share (with her),” John Selig said.
John Selig said his entire family, which includes two alumni (granddaughter Lacy Selig ’08 and grandson Jack Selig ’19), thanked the school for honoring Helen Selig’s contributions. He also thanked ASMSA’s teachers and staff “who make this school exceptional.”
Dr. Sara Brown, ASMSA’s director of institutional advancement, spoke about the importance of support from donors such as the Seligs. That includes the Helen Selig Promise Kept Endowment established in honor of Helen Selig by her family in 2017. The endowment provides an annual grant to an ASMSA faculty member to be used to have an impact on a classroom, research project or department.
On each table at the event were wooden trinkets created by ASMSA art instructor Brad Wreyford using the school’s woodshop that serves as the working classroom for the Modern Design and Craft class. The course introduces students to hand-building skills. Also on the tables were origami cranes made by students in Japanese instructor Betty Brown’s language courses.
“Some of the tools used in our Modern Design class were provided from (the Selig endowment). … The grant funds have also provided resources and teaching tools for in-depth study of the Japanese language,” Brown said.
Brown unveiled a pen and ink portrait of Helen Selig created by Gary Simmons, a Hot Springs artist and longtime friend of the Selig family. It will be placed in the hallway of the Selig Hall residences.
“Just as Helen fought for our school and inspired others, we will continue to embrace her legacy as we educate the next generation. Thank you all for being a part of our story and building the foundation of ASMSA over the past 30 years.
The annual Director’s Circle Luncheon honors friends and advocates of the school each year whose gifts support the school and the ASMSA Foundation Fund. The Foundation supports faculty and students both in and outside of the classroom.
Kacie Koen (’23) shared her personal experience as a student from a low-income household who received support from the Foundation to attend two national young writers’ programs during this past summer.
Koen was accepted into the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio and the Sewanee Young Writers’ Conference, among the most prestigious playwriting summer programs.
“Because I come from a low-income household, I could not afford to attend even one program. However, through the advocacy of my teachers and financial support from our Foundation donors, many sitting in this room today, my entire tuition for both summer programs was paid. Because of your support, I was able to fully immerse myself in my dream writers’ workshop,” Koen said.
Koen concluded by saying that because of the opportunities and support she has received at ASMSA she has been able to publicly workshop, produce and even publish some of her creative writing.
“ASMSA gave me an opportunity, and I am forever thankful for it. I know many of you helped lay the foundation of our school, so on behalf of the student body, thank you for investing in us,” she said.