STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

Boyette collected input from selected stakeholders as a way to help quantify the impact of ASMSA that can’t be measured in economic data. Alumni, administrators, faculty, and parents were interviewed either individually or as a group. The following is a summary of the findings:

Alumni Interviews

In order to fully quantify the far-reaching impact that ASMSA has, it was important for Boyette to interview alumni to better understand their experience before, during, and after enrollment at ASMSA.

Interview Summary

What makes ASMSA special?

§ All the smartest kids in the state of Arkansas are gathered in one place

§ The fact that it’s equitable. Anybody from the state, regardless of background, has equal access.

§ Standards for instructors are very high, with all holding Master’s degrees and/or Ph.D.’s

§ College-like atmosphere. Many reported ASMSA was harder than their first years of college.

§ Quality of instruction is very high.

§ Size of the school creates an intimate setting for students.

§ Provided the opportunity for alumni to “start my life”

§ All students are high-achieving and prioritize education.

§ Teachers and faculty put in the extra time to make sure their students are getting what they need.

§ Resources the school has available far exceed that of a normal Arkansas public school.

§ Students actually get the support they need

§ Teachers are more like college professors than public high-school teachers

§ Labs are well-funded.

How did ASMSA prepare you for college and/or your future career?

§ Time management

§ The ability to think deeply

§ Encouraging students to become independent, free thinkers

§ Early self-actualization

§ Accountability and responsibility

§ Changed what one alumnus thought he wanted to do in college by instilling in him a love of math and, thus, engineering

§ Very thankful for the opportunity to play sports at Hot Springs High School

§ Feels like they got the “complete experience” by enrolling in a residential school

§ First time being away from home forces one to practically become an adult sooner than traditional public school students

§ Learned how to use a credit card

§ Immense feeling of freedom

§ “The school not only changed my life but changed my family’s life. My mom went to college when I went to college. She now lives in [city] with me today. Because of my success, she was inspired to achieve success, too. It totally changed the trajectory of everyone’s lives in my family.”

§ Having access to classes not taught in hometown school – multi-variable calculus, collegelevel Physics I and II

§ Having a low socioeconomic status with no car, Hot Springs’ walkable downtown improved his social life

§ “I socially bloomed.”

What was the deciding factor in your decision to go to school at ASMSA?

§ Science labs were conducting actual scientific research with state-of-the-art equipment

§ Computer labs had the latest available computer technology

§ Many interviewees reported wanting to leave their respective hometowns as soon as possible

§ Wanted to study computer science

If you could turn back time, would you choose to go to ASMSA again?

§ All interviewees reported they would.

§ “I would choose to do this again over any other two years in my entire life.”

How is the ASMSA experience different from other Arkansas high school experiences?

§ The artificial social hierarchy that exists in so many high schools for 16- to 18-year-olds doesn’t exist at ASMSA. This lack of hierarchy is antithetical in preparing someone for the real world or college.

§ Isn’t just about academics

§ The ethos is all about independent thought and critical thinking. Students are encouraged to question orthodoxy and the status quo.

§ Students aren’t thought of as animals to be corralled; rather they are treated like adults

§ Students had more freedom both academically and socially.

Other than students or faculty directly, who is impacted by ASMSA?

§ ASMSA has brought on a huge difference to downtown Hot Springs by hosting hundreds of young residents in a previously abandoned building.

§ It is a nationally recognized top-ranking school that is a great asset for both Arkansas and Hot Springs

§ Helps create productive citizens in Arkansas, the US, and the world.

§ Effects are felt in a variety industries – whether it’s academia, private sector, or public sector.

§ Academically speaking, no school in the state can compare

§ All of the businesses in downtown within walking distance: the Arlington, pizza shops, retail stores, parks, etc

§ Lots of students go on to Ivy League schools and have thus become great stewards, promotors, and ambassadors of Arkansas.

§ “The school is so unique, and Arkansas is so lucky to have it. The concept of a public boarding school is really awesome and unlike anything on the left or right coasts.”

§ “The school is great for the reputation of a state that doesn’t get a lot of good press.”

Where do you see ASMSA five years from now?

§ Would like to continue on its current trajectory

§ More scholarships

§ More programs

§ Younger leadership

§ The incorporation and evolution of the UA System partnership should continue.

Do you have any thoughts on the addition of the arts?

§ Humanities were always a big part of the school, but never took a formal art or music class

§ “After the addition of the arts, what else is left?”

§ Rounds out the student body and changes, a bit, the type of student that is attracted to the school