ASMSA celebrates its history and transformation 30, NERDY & THRIVING
In the year since the General Assembly passed Act 237 of 2023, more commonly known as the LEARNS Act, much has been said about what’s on the horizon for education in Arkansas. The omnibus bill addressed a variety of topics including literacy, empowerment, accountability, readiness, networking and school safety. Moreover, Governor Sanders’ signature legislation seeks to “fund students not systems” and to provide families with greater access to a variety of learning environments that best meet the needs of young people.
ASMSA’s founding legislation in 1991 predates the arrival of charter schools, “New Tech” high schools, Schools of Innovation and other alternative models in our state. ASMSA existed prior to the dynamic Internet and online learning we have available today as well as opportunities for college-level study through Advanced Placement and concurrent partnerships. In many ways, ASMSA is both the original and best example of school choice in Arkansas.
ASMSA represents a maximal approach to school choice in which talented and motivated students from all corners of Arkansas — regardless of race, family income or zip code — have access to quality and nationally-acclaimed educational opportunities. Parents have the freedom to determine if the residential experience, digital learning courses, or out-of-school enrichment programs best meet their family’s needs.
In recent years, we have been exceptional stewards of the state’s investment. ASMSA has increased residential enrollment 10% by supporting robust experiences within the Arts and intentional points of entry for sophomore admission, which exits the pilot stage this year. The STEM Pathways outreach initiative has grown to support nearly 4,000 students and educators annually through online learning and educator development programs. Emerging opportunities such as ASMSA’s Talent Identification Program inspire middle schoolers to develop a growth mindset and sustain a love of learning.
As ASMSA concludes our 30th anniversary celebration and looks ahead to our fourth decade of educational excellence, the quickly changing landscape is a reminder that our faculty and staff have both a meaningful challenge as well as a deep responsibility to set the standard for what advanced education can be in our state. When the 95th General Assembly convenes next January, we will identify pathways that grow ASMSA’s ability to serve additional students throughout the state. For no more than the state’s existing per-pupil funding commitment to these learners, we believe it possible to serve additional students both on campus and online. We look forward to these conversations with stakeholders, legislators and other decision-makers. As education evolves, so must ASMSA. What never changes, though, is our commitment to igniting Arkansas’ full potential.
Executive Director
Corey Alderdice
Dean of Academic Affairs
Stuart Flynn, J.D.
Dean of Students
Rheo Morris, Ph.D.
Director of Finance
Toni Edwards
Director of Admissions
Jason Hudnell
Director of Institutional Advancement
Ashley Bennett
Director of Human Resources and Campus Culture
Nia Rieves
Board of Visitors
Marlene Battle, Pharm.D. (‘97), Chair
Mary Alice Chambers, Vice Chair
Mary Zunick, Secretary
Brian Reed
Timothy Barnes
Ex-Officio Representatives
Corey Alderdice Executive Director
ADE Division of Elementary and Secondary Education
Krystal Nail, Program Director, Office of Gifted and Talented and Advanced Placement
Arkansas Division of Higher Education
Ken Warden, Ed.D., Commissioner
Arkansas Economic Development
Commission
Jennifer Fowler (‘04), Program Director, Arkansas NSF EPSCoR
Department of Arkansas Heritage
Patrick Ralston, Executive Director, Arkansas Arts Council
ASMSA Foundation Fund
Board of Ambassadors
Tricia Curreri, Chair
Association for Alumni and Friends of ASMSA
Amy Stvartak (‘11), Chair
ASMSA Governing Council
Allyn Dodd, Ph.D., President
ASMSA Student Government
Karilynn Arellano (‘25), President
ASMSA Parents Advisory Council
Kelley Lammers, Ed.D., Chair
For more information about ASMSA, visit asmsa.org.
Questions? Call or text (501) 622-5235.
Writer and Graphic Design
Donnie Sewell
Photography
Mike Kemp, Aaron Brewer
Interaction with students continues to drive teaching career Page 19
30th Anniversary Gala celebrates ASMSA’s history, transformation Page 14
2 A World of Difference
Aarohi Sonputri (’24) follows her passion to help people.
5 Making the Cut
Fused glass course is the latest addition to the Arts curriculum.
7 Best in Show
Young creatives excel in and out of classroom as Arts program matures.
23 Give it a Twirl
Lycci Pan (’25) earns spot in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day band’s flag corps.
25 Tiny Murder Mysteries
Documentary on forensic scientist earns student trip to national event.
27 Among the Trees
Blaine Martin (’20) earns graduate fellowship for doctoral research. #ASMSA
On the Cover: ASMSA celebrated its 30-year anniversary throughout the 2023-24 academic year. We reflected on the school’s impact on Arkansas students statewide. Along the way, we had some cake as well!
Jaden Williams (‘23), Bryce Snider (‘24) and Yared Belete (‘24) participated in The Gates Scholarship Summer Institute for Gates Scholars held in June. (Photo courtesy of Jaden Williams, @iamjadenw)
Aarohi Sonputri (‘24) is finding ways to change the world. She spent the summer of 2023 in Nepal working on a volunteer project that helped improve a region’s water, sanitation and hygiene situation. Sonputri’s research for her Life Sciences Capstone focused on finding a treatment for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
A World of Difference
Sonputri’s efforts in Nepal, UAMS lab examples of her passion
United Nations data reports that Nepal’s population topped 31 million people in 2023. While the nation’s access to clean as well as safe water and sanitation services have improved, 23 percent of the nation’s rural population still lacks acceptable sanitation, according to neverthirst, a nonprofit organization that works on providing funds for water, sanitation and hygiene projects.
During the summer of 2023, Aarohi Sonputri (’24) spent a month and a half in Nepal as part of a Sanitation and Hygiene initiative to help improve that situation. The
graduate from Little Rock traveled to Mithila Janakpur in the Mahottari District of Nepal’s Madesh Province in June and July. While there she conducted a needs assessment, led the design for community toilets, engaged in fundraising and conducted educational sessions exclusively for women and children age 12 and older.
Sonputri was able to make the trip through a $17,000 grant from the Center for Integrated Rural Development (CIRD), a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization officially recognized by the government of Nepal. Sonputri
contacted CIRD in 2022 about the possible project.
“The process began with an interview in late 2022, where I communicated my interest and outlined the project’s details via an email to the director,” Sonputri said. “I was not expecting a response back to my initial proposal. After this came more interviews leading into April 2023, and in March (2023), I took the initiative to write a grant proposal, which was positively received by CIRD.”
She was inspired by a life science lesson at ASMSA on global disease rates and limited access to
vaccines in underdeveloped countries that led to higher mortality rates. Sonputri is a native of Nepal whose family moved to the United States. Her grandmother is from that region, and her family would return for visits.
“This prompted me to investigate specific health challenges in my home country,” she said. That included sanitation and hygiene practices where access to needed services is very low. “So, that’s really heartbreaking to see. That made me want to work there even more.”
What she found was a pressing need and a way she could apply the life-science skills she has learned at ASMSA and during an independent research study at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Winthrop P. Rockefeller Institute.
She began researching the Mahottari District through news articles and information on the website of UN Women, a United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women around the world. It was a region she had never visited before. Her research eventually led to the grant, her trip and her work.
“Initiating this program was crucial for me as it offered a chance to make a meaningful impact on community well-being, particularly focusing on women,” Sonputri said. “The Sanitation and Hygiene Initiative aligned perfectly with my passion for addressing critical health challenges, especially in regions affected by open defecation, a topic often overlooked due to its taboo nature when it comes to women.
to purchase school supplies — including uniforms required for school — for the local community. She slept in a sleeping bag on the floor of the CIRD office during her stay.
“I sympathize with and understand the economic challenges faced by students in poverty in Nepal, where many struggle to attend even the free government schools due to the inability to afford uniforms and supplies. I chose to prioritize the impactful use of resources. Additionally, the sleeping bag was very comfortable and convenient,” she said.
Her work wasn’t completed when she returned home. She is actively involved in analyzing data for CIRD’s Women’s Development department. She works specifically with disease rates data, primarily focusing on measuring hepatitis A rates. The analysis is studying the rates in context of the Sanitation and Hygiene Initiative after the installation of the community toilets that Sonputri helped build. Early results are positive with some testing showing hepatitis C rates down 17 percent.
‘The prospect of leveraging my skills and education to contribute directly to positive change, breaking the silence around women’s sanitation issues, resonated deeply with my values.’
Aarohi Sonputri (‘24), speaking about her volunteer efforts in the Mahottari District of Nepal in summer 2023
The Nepal project wasn’t Sonputri’s only focus during that summer. She participated in Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Medical Summer Program while working in Nepal. The program was virtual, allowing her to do both by participating in the program while in Nepal. She would spend time at nights in the CIRD office participating in the Columbia program.
“The prospect of leveraging my skills and education to contribute directly to positive change, breaking the silence around women’s sanitation issues, resonated deeply with my values.”
While there, Sonputri was able to communicate with members of the local community by using Bengali, Hindi and Nepali. The native language of Mahottari is similar to Bengali.
“This multicultural approach allowed me to connect with the community, showcasing the interconnectedness of languages and facilitating meaningful interactions during my time in Mahottari,” she said.
While the sanitation projects were the main work of her visit, Sonputri found another way to contribute to the local community as well. Part of the grant funds were designated for living arrangements during her stay in the region. Sonputri instead used those funds
Sonputri has remained busy as a volunteer for programs in Nepal, other nations and at home. She served as a virtual assistant for the Tibetan Refugee Centers in Kathmandu with CARE Nepal, helped teach Afghan women English through the Leaders of Tomorrow program and served as a tutor for elementary subjects to underprivileged girls in India during the COVID-19 pandemic through Educationist. She also was an AP Certified tutor on Schoolhouse. world, a free tutoring website.
Sonputri, who plans to attend Williams College where she’ll study life sciences, used the skills that she learned while developing a therapeutic target for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cancer working in a lab at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences to handle and interpret health-related data in Nepal. The cancer research was the focus of her ASMSA Life Science Capstone project.
She was able to identify a small molecule that
Aarohi Sonputri (‘24) won first place overall in the 2024 West Central Regional Science Fair for her Life Sciences Capstone research of the DNA structure called G-quadruplex (G-4) that could lead to a new treatment for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Dr. Whitney Holden, an Instructor of Excellence in Life Sciences, served as Sonputri’s project adviser.
stabilizes a part of the DNA structure called a G-quadruplex (G-4) within CARD11. Stabilizing that gene region led to the repression of CARD11, thus preventing additional cancer growth. The therapeutic strategy could provide an alternative treatment with fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy and radiation.
Sonputri worked in the lab of Dr. Samantha Kendrick, an assistant professor at UAMS and an associate member of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. She said Kendrick and Kennith Swafford, a Ph.D. student at UAMS who served as a lab supervisor, made her feel at ease. Shadowing others, running experiments on her own and attending lab meetings helped her feel more comfortable.
“The work was definitely rigorous but incredibly interesting, so I was not discouraged from it whatsoever,” Sonputri said. “I think the biggest lesson one learns in a research space is regarding handling hardships. High-achieving students often have the tendency to be discouraged over failures; however, being in a lab where you are bound to have one experiment be unsuccessful once in a while, you learn to question in a way that prompts critical thinking and creativity.”
Her research received various recognition throughout the 2023-24 academic year. In January, Sonputri was selected as a semifinalist in the Regeneron Science Talent Search. It is the nation’s
most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. She was the only semifinalist from Arkansas.
In February, Sonputri won first-place overall in ASMSA’s West Central Regional Science Fair, qualifying for the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. In March, she won third place in the Best in State Individual Awards at the Arkansas State Science and Engineering Fair. Her research was also published in the 2023-24 issue of The Columbia Junior Science Journal this spring.
Dr. Whitney Holden, an Instructor of Excellence in Life Sciences at ASMSA, served as Sonputri’s capstone adviser. Holden said Sonputri’s dedication to her research was “nothing short of extraordinary.”
“With over 750 chemicals screened to identify potential inhibitors for a critical pathway in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, her commitment to advancing medical knowledge is unparalleled,” Holden said. “Aarohi’s results stand as the most impressive set I’ve seen in my over 10 years of mentoring high school students.
“Her remarkable achievement as a Regeneron STS semifinalist is also a shining example of the invaluable opportunities provided by ASMSA’s capstone program, especially where we place students in UAMS labs, allowing students like Aarohi to immerse themselves in rigorous scientific efforts.”
Making the Cut
Fused glass course latest addition to the Arts curriculum
Watching the early steps used in creating a piece of fused glass art might remind you of a jigsaw puzzle or perhaps a game of Tetris. The artist uses pieces of glass cut into certain shapes, piecing them together to form a pattern or a shape.
Or perhaps they are using ground glass with a mold that helps form the shape. Sometimes the pattern or the color may not be evident until after it has emerged from the kiln, when what may have appeared to be a fragile, disjointed piece reveals itself as a beautiful work of art.
Lola Warren, an ASMSA visual arts instructor who teaches ceramics courses, has worked with glass since 2008. She started by taking a glass blowing workshop in Tennessee.
“After that, I was hooked,” she said. “I then experimented with fusing in my home studio and started to incorporate it into my ceramic work. I experimented with glass casting, fusing, slumping and glass blowing. Over time, I started working less with ceramics and working more with fused glass. I’m a little obsessed with it.”
Warren thought that a fused glass class would be a good addition to ASMSA arts curriculum. She said that there are so many ways to create art that sometimes students may not be exposed to certain techniques or media. She was an artist for years before she was introduced to ceramics and glass.
“I want students to learn about as many art forms as possible as early as possible to give them a more educated grasp of what’s out there,” she said.
Kiria Flowers (‘24) works on a piece in the Intro to Fused Glass course this spring. Students learn to take glass cut into smaller pieces to create artwork and jewelry. That includes learning the correct way to fire the glass in a kiln so that the melted glass fuses together to make a pattern in a solid piece of art.
So, Warren proposed the addition of an Intro to Fused Glass course. After it was approved, she started floating the idea of working with fused glass to students in her class to gauge their reactions. Kaira Harper (’24) said Warren mentioned a glass jewelry-making class while she was enrolled in a ceramic sculpture class in the fall. She liked the idea, but apparently so did many other students.
“I thought it would be fun to close out senior year experimenting with an art form I’ve never tried before, so when it actually came to fruition, I took it. It seems like the word spread fast, too; by the time I made my way to my (Student Success Coordinator)’s office, there was only one spot left,” Harper said.
Charlotte Lammers was also intrigued by the class when Warren spoke to her about it in the fall. She had taken a few classes that used a 3-D medium and wanted to expand her art expertise by adding fused glass to her portfolio.
Lammers wasn’t sure what to expect in the class initially because she wasn’t didn’t know what glass fusion was, but she soon found out that it offered the opportunity to create some unique pieces.
“I knew I would have the opportunity to create jewelry, but I was not aware of all the abstract sculptures and landscape pieces one could create with shards of glass. Cutting the glass was much more tedious than I originally thought it would be. Skilled teachers always make everything look so easy! I was pleasantly surprised by the creative flexibility glass offered,” Lammers said.
Warren introduced the students to how glass has been used through the art world. Students made pendants, heart-shaped keychains, suncatchers, salad plates, tea-light holders and decorative trinket bowls.
Kiria Flowers (’24) wasn’t sure what to expect when she started the class, especially the variety of works that can be created from fused glass. She was surprised by what she learned, including different ways to fuse glass as well as the chemistry behind the process that influences the glass colors.
“My favorite part of the class was taking something I’ve been working on for weeks out of the kiln to see the final product. I loved kiln days. My favorite assignment was the complicated design project where we had to make a small plate or bowl using a 2-to-3 step process. I ended up choosing to make a blue flower plate which I absolutely fell in love with,” Flowers said.
Lammers and Harper also said the multi-fire project was their favorite assignment. Lammers created a miniature bowl using only shades of blue, although one ended up green after the final firing. Harper created a butterfly trinket tray that required five firings.
Each firing takes 15 to 24 hours, depending on the process. With 12 students enrolled in the class and kiln space that could accommodate three pieces, there were some limitations to the size and number
A student works on a small fused glass piece during class. Several of the students in the class said the new course showed ASMSA’s dedication to offering unique courses across all academic disciplines.
of pieces students could produce. Warren even took a few of the pieces home with her to fire in her own kiln. Regardless of the limitations, Warren thought the students’ creativity came through in their final pieces. Some of the students were even able to sell a few of pieces to classmates.
Having unique classes such as fused glass is part of the reason the three students said they and their classmates chose to attend ASMSA. It’s classes such as these that will continue to draw students to the school.
“The main reason I and most of my friends came to ASMSA was to take classes at levels and in varieties not available at our sending schools, and that includes art classes,” Harper said. “For me, being able to have experiences like this has the same effect as being able to do elaborate labs in chemistry; it allows me to build a deeper understanding of the world around me with my own hands.”
Flowers said being able to offer an expanded list of art courses shows that ASMSA cares about the art department and art in general.
“When students gain the ability to choose between a larger selection of art classes, it allows them to focus on things they may be interested in besides painting and drawing. It allows for exploration, which I believe is what high school is all about,” Flowers said.
Young creatives excel as Arts programs mature Best in Show
The year 2004 stands out for the Arkansas School for Mathematics and Sciences. It became a member institution of the University of Arkansas System in January of that year. There was an addition to the school’s mission and name as well — “the Arts.”
Through those evolutions, the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts was born. As the institution celebrates the 30year anniversary of its opening in 1993, it’s also important to reflect on the growth of “the Arts” in
those 20 years, especially over the past decade as ASMSA has made specific investments to grow its arts, music and humanities programs.
ASMSA added its first full-time visual arts instructor in 2014 and a second in 2018 allowing students to take a variety of visual arts classes such as 2-D and 3-D Art and Design, Ceramics, Modern Design and Craft (which includes woodworking), and Introduction to Fused Glass. The Visual Arts and Design Program of Distinction (P.O.D.), an immersive, college-level arts curriculum that
allows students to focus on courses that develop their artistic talents and creativity, was formalized in 2022. Students enrolled in the courses have consistently earned recognition in many state, regional and national competitions such as the Congressional Art Competition, Historic Cane Hill Arkansas High School Art Exhibition, Thea Foundation Scholarship Competition, Arts Across Arkansas and Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.
In 2018, the first full-time music
Alex Back (’24)
First place for Music Composition, 2024 Arts Across Arkansas competition
‘ASMSA has allowed me to pursue a life in music that would have been unobtainable had I not been here. ASMSA is a music-fostering environment.’
instructor joined ASMSA’s faculty. A third full-time music educator will join the faculty this fall. Students may participate in the Wind Ensemble and String Ensembles as well as an SSA/Treble Choir. Nearly a quarter of students participate in some facet of the music experience. All three groups earned state recognition near the end of the spring semester, including the Wind Ensemble and choir earning top honors in state competitions in their classifications, the first time any ASMSA music ensemble received such recognition. Individual student musicians were selected for All-Region and All-State band ensembles and honor bands as well as in competitions such as Arts Across Arkansas.
A full-time instructor whose specialty is in film and graphic design joined the faculty this past school year. Expanded opportunities in humanities, including a Creative Writing Capstone and the opportunity to participate in regional, state and national competitions such as the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, Poetry Out Loud and National History Day, have been developed as well. Film and creative writing students earned recognition in the Arts Across Arkansas state competition. One student’s documentary film was chosen for two film festivals this past year. Foreign language students in Spanish, French and Japanese won awards in the Arkansas Foreign Language Teacher Association contest this spring, and more than 50 students have earned the Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy which recognizes their fluency in at least one other language than English, in the past two years.
Many of these students have received recognition across different artistic disciplines. It is that versatility that often allows ASMSA students to stand out, said Dr. Thomas Dempster, who serves as associate dean for arts and humanities, director of bands and as a music instructor.
“Here, we have students who are All-Region-level players who are strong visual artists, strong jazz performers who are talented writers and poets, and students who engage with theater as well as music,” he said. “What’s more is that students who can work in various disciplines or be exposed to various ideas across disciplines can see how those paths or pursuits may overlap or converge.”
As an example, Dempster spoke about the convergence of music and visual arts for Yared Belete (’24), who had a visual arts piece selected for the Historic Cane Hill Arkansas High School Art Exhibition and plans to major in architecture. He also was a horn player in the Wind Ensemble.
Belete studied the graphically-notated scores of pieces by Cornelius Cardew, Wadada Leo Smith and Mark Applebaum. The notations fall outside of standard Western notation because of the heavy influence of visual art concepts and materials on them, Dempster said. What he calls graphic scores such as these contain
elements and broad ideas such as gesture, shape, direction, contour and texture that also play with what notation is supposed to convey.
“Something in (Belete) sparked and transformed his artwork, and in a sense made him a keener musician as well,” when they looked through the pieces, he said. “So, Yared created a series of works, some rather large form, that explore these ideas, overlaying the boundaries of music and visual art.”
At the end of the year, a group of student musicians and faculty members performed one of Belete’s works that included this kind of graphic notation.
For a school whose initial emphasis was on providing Arkansas students with extraordinary opportunities in STEM subjects, some people still refer to ASMSA as “the math and science school,” even two decades later. That is despite the humanities offering meaningful experiences throughout the school’s history. Ask alumni about their experiences in American Studies or Folk Music and Acoustics or the humanities instructors who influenced them during their time at ASMSA and a flood of memories will be released.
What is often missed in those instances, however, is the growth in not only the program but in the creative levels of students and what they are seeking in arts, music and humanities programs. They aren’t always students dedicated strictly to the arts.
“Breaking down the stereotypes of what an artist looks like opens an invitation for all students to take art courses,” said Brad Wreyford, an Instructor of Excellence in art. “Some of my best students have been STEM-centric in their academic pursuits. They often do incredible work for me. My goal is to take anyone who takes my classes and convince them that they are already artists and worthy of enjoying their creativedecision making.”
Sometimes those opportunities result in a student with STEM interests when they first enroll at ASMSA revealing a passion they may not have recognized previously. Alex Back (’24) came to ASMSA with the idea of eventually becoming a pre-med student. The quality of the music program was not his top priority. His previous band director even discouraged him from applying to ASMSA, claiming it had an “underdeveloped” band program, Back said.
“He could not have been more wrong. I would not be the musician I am today without Dr. Dempster and Dr. (Nathan) Groot. ASMSA has allowed me to pursue a life in music that would have been unobtainable had I not been here. ASMSA is a music-fostering environment,” Back said.
While at ASMSA, Back earned All-Region Band honors in 2023 and 2024, All-Region Orchestra recognition in 2023, All-State Band selection in 2024, was a member of the 2023 University of Central Arkansas High School Honors Ensemble and won first place for his composition “Wind Chimes,” a movement
Gwen Oliver (’24)
First place for Visual Arts, 2024 Arts Across Arkansas competition
‘Before coming here, I knew I loved making artwork, but I didn’t know if I loved being an artist. This program has really been eye-opening for me.’
Avery Binuya (’24)
Third place in Visual Arts Category, 2024 Thea Foundation Scholarship Competition
‘Through ASMSA’s support and push for competitions, I went from a discouraged ceramicist surrounded by (traditional artists) to a recognized artist in a position to inspire other budding ceramicists.’
of a larger piece called “Year One,” in the 2024 Arts Across Arkansas competition. He was a member of both this year’s Wind Ensemble and choir that earned top ranks in their respective state competitions.
Back also earned a full-ride scholarship to the prestigious Peabody Institute music conservatory at Johns Hopkins University to study music composition.
“I cannot speak for everyone, but the majority of music-affiliated students here at ASMSA will agree with me when I say that I would not be the musician I am without this school. If I had stayed at my sending school, I would have either never figured out or found out too late that I wanted to pursue music,” Back said.
Gwen Oliver (’24) came to ASMSA knowing that she wanted to be in the Visual Arts and Design P.O.D. Before beginning the program, she thought of herself an artist who primarily worked in paint and pencil because that was all she had been taught.
“Before coming here, I knew I loved making artwork, but I didn’t know if I loved being an artist. This program has really been eye-opening for me,” Oliver said.
While at ASMSA, Oliver earned a Regional Silver Key in visual arts in 2023, had selections featured in the Arkansas High School Art Exhibition sponsored by Historic Cane Hill, won first place in the 2024 Arts Across Arkansas Visual Arts category, and was selected for the Region 2 All-Region band as First Chair for horn in F in 2023.
Along the way, she discovered a new artistic passion — creating design-based art, sculptures, pottery and woodworking pieces. She was given the opportunity to discover her own art style under the guidance of two instructors who were also practicing artists — Wreyford and Lola Warren, an art instructor whose specialty area is ceramics — who helped “us find the kind of art we enjoy and love to create.”
“It’s been really nice to have two practicing artists as teachers these past two years. Obviously, they mentor me with their work, but I think some of the most valuable things I’ve gained are from conversations we’ve had about being a professional artist in today’s world. I’ve had multiple conversations with both of them about steps to take during and after college to get my foot in the door of the art world and begin to make a name for myself,” Oliver said.
In the Creative Writing Capstone, students learn the art of writing from two instructors who have a Master of Fine Arts degree, the standard terminal degree for creative writers. James Katowich and Brian Isbell, both Instructors of Excellence in humanities, work together with the young writers. Katowich said it is likely rare to find a school with a creative writing class taught by one published writer with an MFA, much less two.
Katowich said beginning writers often need encouragement to even start putting words on the page. Through his own experiences as a writing student, he believes it is important to teach the whole
writing process, including research, brainstorming, organizing and prewriting.
Katowich said devoting class time to the writing process helps students become more confident. During a 90-minute class, students can participate in a lesson, reading or another exercise focused on a key skill and then write during the remainder of the class. Katowich leads by example during that time.
“Early on in the semester, I write alongside the students, and for some reason having me there typing away at a rough draft of my own makes them more comfortable launching into their own new work,” he said.
Another valuable tool is the workshop. Students complete and submit rough drafts of poems, essays or stories which are compiled into a single document and distributed back to the class. Students would discuss the pieces on the document, focusing on what is working well and what is not.
“For students, the experience is sometimes scary, sometimes exhilarating, but always intense, and as a result, one central fact gets ‘burned’ into young writers’ minds: my work is going to be read by other people. After a single semester of workshops, the transformation is profound: the students are now writing with the reader in mind, and it is this mental shift that is absolutely required for good writing,” Katowich said.
Isbell added another important step is that they must stop reading pieces as readers but as writers instead. It is not an easy task and involves rethinking years of training that focus mainly on comprehension.
“Learning to read as a writer requires putting those skills in abeyance, not forgetting them, but pushing through the passive and/or critical reader to a writer who reads for skill, technique, craft, art. Once they read that way, they become much more aware of their own writing and that of their peers during workshops,” Isbell said.
Outside recognition is also important for creative students, Katowich said. Young writers often crave validation, he added, and one way to gain that is through various competitions. This year, eight students received regional Scholastic Key recognition in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition for their creative writing, visual art and digital art creations. Two students won awards in last year’s competition, including one student who a National Silver Key for a poem.
Maddox Jessup (’25) earned a regional Scholastic Gold Key in this year’s competition for her poem “For Moon” as well as Honorable Mention recognition for a second poem, “Seasons of Love.” She participated in the Creative Writing Capstone, which included writing poetry. The course reinforced her passion for writing while introducing her to new styles, she said.
“My time in the Humanities Department has been an eye opener. I knew that I loved to write and learn languages, but with ASMSA, that love has only been
See Create, Page 13
Regional Gold Key for Writing, 2024 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
‘I knew that I loved to write and learn languages, but with ASMSA, that love has only been driven home more.’
Maddox Jessup (’25)
ASMSA collaborates with French school
In the fall of 2019, ASMSA French Instructor of Excellence Bryan Ieamsang wanted to find a French school to partner with to give his students opportunities to interact with native language speakers.
Ieamsang had seen the success of ASMSA’s exchange programs with two Japanese high schools — Hanamaki Kita High School in Hanamaki, Japan, and Tennoji High School in Osaka, Japan.
“I wanted more collaboration with someone (in the same way) we have collaboration with Japanese schools. I wanted that for my language, too,” Ieamsang said. He began searching for programs that might work. “I didn’t know what existed. I just kept searching and looking and going to the embassy webpage. I kept doing Google searches for collaboration and French and American schools.”
He eventually found and applied to the French Embassy’s School Partnership Program. The program encourages partnerships to make it easier to establish pen-pal programs for students, organize travel exchange programs and encourage the exchange of ideas among students, teachers and administrators, according to the embassy’s website.
At the same time, Nathalie Laugier-Mattoug, an English instructor at Albert Lourdes High School in Vichy, France, also was looking for a partnership for her students. Vichy is located in the Auvergne Region near some natural hot springs. It didn’t take long after they both applied for the program that they were able to connect..
“In a way, it was a coincidence because it was COVID time,” Laugier-Mattoug said during a visit to ASMSA in April. “Bryan sent an email to the French Embassy looking for a partnership with a French high school. I think I was the only one to answer.”
Because of the seven-hour time difference between Hot Springs and
Vichy, live interaction between the students is hard to arrange. Instead, students exchange handwritten letters and emails while also using an educational platform called Flip to record videos.
“We started exploring (Flip), but some students are really shy and nervous,” Ieamsang said. “We also did a pen pal program. Flip gave us the idea maybe we need to find a way to get them in contact with each other at the same time. So even if that means that somebody has to stay awake or be awake at a particular time so that we can all be in class at the same time.”
Laugier-Mattoug said her students can be shy when they speak. While they are enthusiastic about learning English, it is sometimes difficult for them to be recorded speaking it.
Her students’ enthusiasm was evident during a session that Ieamsang and Laugier-Mattoug held
for ASMSA’s campus during her April visit. During the presentation, Laugier-Mattoug shared information about her school, Vichy, the Auvergne Region and France in general. The session included some videos of her students sharing the information while speaking in English.
Laugier-Mattoug spoke about the differences between her school and education in general in France as compared to ASMSA and the United States. She said her students often leave home about 6:30 in the morning and may not return home until almost 7 at night. Students at the school also focus on preparing for professional careers. So while students may be learning English, they aren’t always putting a lot of focus on it, she said.
One aspect of ASMSA that surprised Laugier-Mattoug was the community spirit and excitement of the students. Because of the length
Nathalie Laugier-Mattoug, an English instructor at Lycées Albert Londres High School in Vichy, France, speaks during a presentation about the collaboration between ASMSA and her school. She visited campus this spring to connect in person with Bryan Ieamsang, a French Instructor of Excellence at ASMSA.
of the school day, her students don’t participate in extracurriculars. The idea of school spirit is, for the lack of a better term, foreign to them. There are no clubs. Yearbooks aren’t common.
To try to keep her students motivated, Laugier-Mattoug has tried to find different partnerships to broaden their education. She participates in the Erasmus+ project, a European Union program supporting education, training, youth and sport. In addition to ASMSA, she participates in partnerships with schools in Estonia, Finland, Croatia, Greece and Hungary. The project also encourages study-abroad trips.
“So, I’m looking for partners everywhere in the world trying (help her students learn) English because I’m an English teacher and to discover other cultures because I think that’s the most important part of our job as teachers,” she said.
Ieamsang said his students were excited about Laugier-Mattoug visiting campus for a week, including her having an opportunity to attend ASMSA’s prom.
“They have asked her so many questions this week,” Ieamsang said. “They love it. They’re highly motivated, and they’re curious. Many of our students have never been to a different country. So, it kind of is like a mythical thing for them.”
Ieamsang said Laugier-Mattoug’s visit was a big step in helping to find different ways the two schools could better their partnership. He plans to take a visit to her school eventually so “then we can learn more about how we can interact.” Both hope that they get to take students for visits to the schools as well.
“If they can’t experience French outside of this classroom, then how real is it to them, you know? I think as a teacher that’s probably my biggest job I have is to make it real. I have to make it relevant, and I have to show them where the language is spoken outside of this small room,” Ieamsang said.
driven home more. The educators and curriculum are excellent at guiding you through the process with ease. I have learned so much this year,” Jessup said.
Regardless of the contest or the medium, competitions provide students an opportunity to gain that validation by putting their works, and in a way themselves, out there for an audience to see.
“Creating anything new requires bravery and fortitude; it requires a reasonable hope that the effort and the anxiety involved will result in something good,” Katowich said. “For many students, a nice grade or compliment can be discounted, but winning a contest matters because students know for certain their work was judged impartially and on merit alone. It is a victory their nagging self-doubts find harder to explain away.”
Avery Binuya (’24) said having the opportunity to compete as a ceramic artist was important to her. Binuya won third place in the Visual Arts category and an $8,000 scholarship for her ceramic arts piece titled “Reflections” in the Thea Foundation Scholarship Competition. The piece is two identically intricate wheel-thrown teapots, but one is shattered. It was also selected for the Historic Cane Hill Arkansas High School Art Exhibition and was included in the Celebrating Art book.
“When I first began entering my ceramic pieces in competitions, I had very little faith that I would gain the same recognition as traditional art,” Binuya said. “In retrospect, the lack of representation of functional ceramics simply meant I had the opportunity to showcase the beauty of ceramics. Through ASMSA’s support and push for competitions, I went from a discouraged ceramicist surrounded by (traditional artists) to a recognized artist in a position to inspire other budding ceramicists.”
Warren said having the
opportunities to compete in contests may be lucrative in terms of scholarships and cash prizes, but they also can help young artists build confidence in a world where the competition can be tough.
“They learn to fail and succeed, and both are important to their growth,” Warren said. “They learn to get back up and keep going if they don’t get into a competition or don’t win. Winning can be important, but so can learning to get back up and keep moving forward. They learn to be mature and composed young artists whether they win or lose.”
Warren said the maturity and sophistication of students’ work increases considerably over their time at ASMSA. When they graduate, they have a portfolio of work they can be proud to show off. She said many of the seniors who graduated this year and planned to pursue art in college had scholarships.
The same was true for students in other disciplines as well. Dempster said at least five music students from this year’s graduating class earned full-ride or other generous scholarships to colleges in Arkansas and across the country to study music. It was the same last year, and there are many students who are studying other subjects but benefit from music scholarships by performing in college music groups to help pay for their education.
The growing successes in various competitions and students choosing to follow creative passions as avenues for study and career paths reveals the upward direction of ASMSA’s overall arts and humanities program.
“We’re a strong school for competitive successes, and those successes are built on strong individual mentorship, built on faculty pushing students to go far beyond what they know, to experiment, to be imaginative and to follow their strengths as far as they can while developing and enriching their skills to take them even further,” Dempster said.
Three Decades and Counting
Gala marks ASMSA’s history, impact and continued transformation
It was a special night as several alumni returned to celebrate ASMSA at the gala. Members of the Classes of 2005 and 2008 sponsored tables for the event.
In August 1993, what was then known as the Arkansas School for Mathematics and Sciences opened its doors to its Charter Class of students.
The 2023-2024 academic year marked ASMSA’s 30-year anniversary.
ASMSA commemorated that anniversary throughout the year, kicking off the celebration on August 23 with a luncheon for all current and former faculty members that also included a beam-signing for the new Campus Administration Building.
To close out the yearlong observance, ASMSA held the 30th Anniversary Gala: Ignite, Illuminate, Inspire in the Creativity and Innovation Complex in May. The event was an opportunity to celebrate the school’s history, the ongoing transformation of campus and its future potential.
The gala featured speakers who played both vital roles in the early days of the school as well as alumni, faculty and current students who shared their personal ASMSA experiences. Several video packages highlighted the school’s impact on Arkansas students as well as Hot Springs and the state.
Dr. David Rainey served as the director of the school when it opened in 1993. One of the rooms in the Creativity and Innovation Complex is named for him. Below: Several members of the ASMS Board of Advisors and Board of Trustees returned to campus for the gala.
Randy and Maggie Gammill spoke about their experiences as parents of two alumni, their children’s successes inspired by their attendance at the school and their service on both the school’s Parents Association and Board of Trustees.
The Gammills’ oldest daughter Amy was a member of the Charter Class of 1995. She lived in the Residential Life Building, which once housed St. Jospeh Infirmary before being transformed into a living space for a school. Randy Gammill spoke about a group of parents from that first class who volunteered to help set up the residential area.
“Now when we got here, it didn’t look anything like this,” said Gammill, comparing it to the Oaklawn Foundation Community Center in the CIC where the gala was held. “They were rooming in hospital rooms. The furniture was in boxes, and the mattresses were still wrapped in plastic. But not to worry; we were so excited, all the parents were, and we helped unpack the furniture, unwrap the mattresses, and set everything up for our kids.”
The Gammills helped organize the Parents Association, which provided parents an opportunity to interact and share input with the school’s Board of Trustees. Randy Gammill served as president of the Parents Association and would later serve on the Board of Trustees.
Randy Gammill recognized Maggie Gammill’s role as then-Gov. Mike Huckabee’s education liaison. “There were many issues she was able to help us address,” he said, noting that this was before the school was part of the University of Arkansas System.
After graduating in 1995, Amy Gammill went on to a distinguished medical career as a doctor in the United States Air Force, where she achieved the rank of colonel and was set to retire in June after a 25-year career. Jenny Gammill graduated in 1999 and serves as a STEM specialist for the Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative, working to help educators implement student-focused instructional strategies that impact student learning.
Randy Gammill asked both of them to write about their experiences at ASMSA. In her message, Jenny Gammill said she adopted the spirit of collaboration, creativity, curiosity and critical-thinking into her work with educators that she found at ASMSA.
“I’m so thankful ASMSA exists in our state, especially for students in small towns in Arkansas who are looking for opportunities that don’t exist in their schools and need the challenging academic environment ASMSA provides to prepare them for the next stage in life,” Jenny Gammill wrote.
Michaela Stevens (’24) served as a member of the 2023-24 Student Ambassadors. The group works with the Office of Institutional Advancement as student representatives of the school with friends, donors and stakeholders. She began attending ASMSA as a soph-
Maggie and Randy Gammill spoke about the opportunities ASMSA has given students across Arkansas, including their daughters who both graduated in the school’s first five years. Randy Gammill also served on the ASMS Board of Trustees as well as president of the Parents Association.
omore as part of the Early Entrance program.
“I think the most influential aspect of my experience here has been how many opportunities I’ve had to try new things,” Stevens said.
She had the opportunity to explore several different areas of interest, eventually choosing to focus on a life sciences capstone project, for which she and her research partner received recognition in science fair competitions at ASMSA as well as on the state level. Stevens also found a passion for creative writing. She earned recognition in the Scholastic Art and Writing competition in 2023 and plans to major in English in college.
Stevens also highlighted the value of both the academic and residential programs. Beyond learning life skills, she was also able to make new friends and connections that made ASMSA her home.
“The friendships I have made are so much deeper than they would have been otherwise thanks to all the late-night studying, dinner-table discussions and bathroom mirror chats,” she said. “ASMSA has taught me the value of putting myself out there academically, taking classes out of my comfort zone and discovering new creative outlets.”
Dr. Zac Cowsert (’08), who serves as a history in-
‘Our school doesn’t just pay lip service to the Arts anymore. Our growing and robust music and arts programs are the best in the state. The addition of college counselors, student success coordinators and mental health support provide our students with a framework that ensures their academic and social well-being. The relative sink-or-swim days of my ASMSA experience are gone, and good riddance.’
Dr. Zac Cowsert (‘08), speaking about his ASMSA experience first as a student and now as a member of the faculty
structor at ASMSA, and his wife Jerdian (’09) spoke about how their experiences at ASMSA influenced the direction they took in their careers and lives.
“I always think that ASMSA changed my trajectory,” Jeridan Cowsert said. “I think I would have gone into a totally different area. Instead, I ended up going into social work because I was able to meet different people. I was able to learn different things. I was able to learn to present by my teachers, how to build an argument, how to write.
“I was able to grow up faster whenever you’re away from your home. You’re making your own decisions. You’re responsible for those decisions. You’re responsible for those consequences in your life.”
She said the experience also taught her leadership skills that continue to be useful in her career today.
Dr. Zac Cowsert returned to ASMSA in 2022. He said since then that he often seems to relive his high school days and comparing his memories as a student
to his experience as an ASMSA instructor.
He spoke about the physical transformation of campus through the addition of new living spaces for students and new education facilities that include space for a growing music program. The greatest changes since he graduated 16 years ago go beyond brick and mortar, he said.
“Our school doesn’t just pay lip service to the arts anymore. Our growing and robust music and arts programs are the best in the state. The addition of college counselors, student success coordinators and mental health support provide our students with a framework that ensures their academic and social well-being. The relative sink-or-swim days of my ASMSA experience are gone, and good riddance,” he said.
Cowsert said during his two years as an instructor he has discovered that the school’s greatest asset, however, is what remained the same — the students and the faculty.
Scan the QR code or visit asmsa.me/galaphotos24 to view a Facebook album of photos from ASMSA’s 30th Anniversary Gala: Ignite, Illuminate, Inspire
“The classmates that I remember and the students that I now see before me in the classroom are the same — brilliant and insightful, driven and curious, happy to learn and mostly happy to work hard. Our students are smart and diverse and weird and wonderful and deeply, deeply caring of one another,” he said.
Cowsert joked that the teachers are the same — literally — as he now calls some of his own instructors colleagues. While it may have taken some time to adjust to that dynamic, he has learned that they continue to be dedicated to students.
“Our teachers are passionate about their respective subjects, and they are invested in the success of our students. They are experts in their fields. Only at ASMSA can high school students learn chemistry from chemists, art from artists, physics from physicists, literature from writers or history from historians,” he said.
“It is the students, educators, staff, parents and supporters — it is you who make ASMSA special. This was true when I graduated 16 years ago. It is true today on our 30th anniversary, and I have great faith that with your continued support this will be true in decades to come.”
Allen Tillery Auto in Hot Springs was the Presenting Sponsor for the event. Chandler Tillery said that when he and his brother took over management of the auto dealership in 2019 that their mentor mentioned the importance of community involvement. A natural fit was to support schools in Hot Springs and Garland County, including ASMSA, he said.
Chandler Tillery of Allen Tillery Auto speaks about the importance of community involvement by local businesses. Allen Tillery Auto served as the Presenting Sponsor for the 30th Anniversary Gala.
Members of the ASMSA String Ensemble provided light entertainment prior to and during the gala. The group was led by Dr. Nathan Groot, who serves as director of the String Ensemble as well as a music instructor.
A Familiar Face
Students — both current and former — still drive Ernestine Ross after 30 years at ASMSA
Much has changed about ASMSA during its three decades of existence. Students once lived in a former hospital converted into residential space until the Student Center opened in August 2012. The school joined the University of Arkansas System in 2004. The campus’ first new academic building opened in 2019. An arts and music program has bloomed in the last decade.
But there has been one constant at ASMSA from the day it opened — Ernestine Ross.
Ross serves as a member of the Arts and Humanities Department faculty, primarily as a speech, psychology and sociology instructor. She has degrees in counseling and mental health counseling, so her current courses now reflect her interests in helping students better understand how the mind works.
In the early years, however, Ross carried a very different courseload. She taught English
Ernestine Ross has been a member of ASMSA’s faculty since 1993, the year the school opened.
composition courses as well as team teaching an American Studies history course, subject matters she had not taught before.
“So, it was just so new it was just like I was a student because if Matilda (Buchanan, the Humanities Department chair) assigned 100 pages in American Studies, I had to read the 100 pages also. So, I would be up at night reading and reading and making notes too so I could teach them,” Ross said.
“Anything that I know about Composition or American Studies, I learned from Matilda. My degree area is in social sciences. I didn’t have any experience or training. I just learned from her. She was my mentor.”
Buchanan helped make the Humanities Department feel “just like a little family,” often bringing breakfast for the faculty. She also was direct and honest with faculty members, Ross said. “You know, if she had something that she had to say to you, she didn’t go behind your back. She just called you and told you (that) you didn’t do this and you need to do this. I still think the world of her.”
Prior to joining ASMSA’s faculty, Ross served as permanent substitute instructor at Hot Springs High School for a year teaching civics. She had previously worked as a supervisor in the federal Job Training and Partnership Act locally for several years before the program ended. Ross said that Judge Henry Britt, a former Arkansas circuit judge from Hot Springs, told her husband about the residential school that was about to open and was seeking faculty members.
The decision to apply led to a long-term career that she enjoys. It’s easy to see that students connect with her, creating long-term bonds. When alumni return to campus for events that both past and present faculty may attend, there is always quite a few who seek out Ross. They crowd around her, laughing and reminiscing about their time at the school.
A group of alumni crowd around Ernestine Ross for a photo at Homecoming 2022. When alumni return to visit campus, Ross is one of the faculty members they most often request to visit.
She also is invited to events marking milestones in her former students’ lives such as weddings, baby showers, military officer commissioning oath ceremonies and more.
“It means so much to me because still now I get calls,” Ross said. “Some former students last year surprised me and came over to have lunch with me. So, you know, it’s just like family. It means everything to me. I get attached to people.”
Sometimes those reunions are a surprise or chance meeting. During a visit to a dermatologist last year, a woman came into the exam room.
“She said, ‘Oh my gosh, oh my gosh.’ I’m going ‘Oh Lord, I hope nothing’s wrong with me.’ So, she went out and she came back in and said, ‘This is my teacher. She just bragged on me, and I was just so proud to think that now she’s a nurse practitioner.”
It’s the students that keep her returning every year, she said. Ross shares a story about sitting in her office doing some work. She was feeling a bit discouraged at the
moment when a group students dropped off a flower and a card for various faculty members.
“That really touched me. And I said, ‘OK, this is why I’m doing this.”
Outside of ASMSA, Ross has served the Hot Springs community in various ways, including being a member of the Rotary Club of Oaklawn. She is currently serving as the club’s president — its first black president ever, she said.
Through Rotary Club, she has also been able to provide leadership opportunities for her students through Interact, a youth-focused initiative.
Her Interact students have volunteered in the community and have conducted fundraisers benefitting community programs. She’s been involved in the program for 28 years.
“It prepares them for the future, and it helps them connect with others. It teaches them how to be good citizens, addressing the whole person. Academically, you can be sound, but you need those other softer skills, too,” she said.
Class of 2024 marks 30th commencement; 3,000th graduate recognized
The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts held its 30th annual Commencement celebrating the graduation of the Class of 2024 at the Oaklawn Event Center on Saturday, May 18.
The ceremony honored 111 graduates from 33 counties. The graduates earned $24.5 million in scholarship offers, pushing the overall total to more than $328.5 million in the school’s 30-year history. The event also included a special recognition of the school’s 3,000th graduate — Tim Palmer of Mena.
Matt Bell — who is co-founder, president and chief executive officer for Origami Sake in Hot Springs — served as Commencement speaker. Daniel Nkunga of Sherwood, Kaira Harper of Jonesboro and Gwen Oliver, formerly of Jonesboro — all members of the Class of 2024 — were student speakers.
Bell told the graduates that the day marked the culmination of years of hard work, dedication and perseverance. He said perseverance is “one of the most essential virtues you can cultivate in your lives.” As an example, Bell shared the story of Origami Sake, which officially opened for business in 2023, and its other co-founder, Ben Bell (’00). The two men are not related.
“As the co-founder of Origami Sake, I can attest to the power of perseverance firsthand. Our story of starting Origami Sake right here in Hot Springs is one of dedication, passion and, most importantly, perseverance,” Bell said.
“Ben refused to give up on his dream. He persevered, learning from failures, adapting to new circumstances and staying true to his vision.”
Bell emphasized that perseverance “is not a solitary endeavor. It requires the support of those
Matt Bell, president and chief executive officer for Origami Saké in Hot Springs, served as the guest speaker at this year’s commencement ceremony. Bell cofounded the sake brewery with ASMSA alumnus Ben Bell (‘00).
around you — mentors who offer guidance, friends who lend a listening ear and family who stand by you through thick and thin.”
He encouraged the graduates to remember to lean on each other for support as they embark on the next chapter of their lives because they would be stronger together than they could be alone.
Harper spoke about the cyclical nature of life, which for the Class of 2024 was focused on their education over the previous 13 years.
“Naturally, graduations are a very important step in that cycle, as they allow us to look back on our progress every couple of years, express hopes for the future and reflect on the past,” she said.
“Each of us has participated in a ceremony similar to this one before; having conquered kindergarten or elementary school, we were sent off in caps and gowns, striding purposefully towards new chapters
in our lives to the tune of ‘Pomp and Circumstance.’ And now we’re here again, stopping to take a quick breath before the cycle begins anew. I don’t doubt that some of us will repeat this ceremony once, twice, maybe even three times more as we achieve higher levels of education.”
Harper encouraged her classmates to take with them the lessons they have learned during their time at ASMSA. Harper, who came to ASMSA as a sophomore, said the school provided an environment where she saw her own initiative mirrored in her classmates and teachers day in and day out over her three years at the school.
“As a result, sixteen-year-old me can proudly say that I have matured in a way that I’m not sure would have been possible if I had stayed content with where I was,” she said.
Oliver spoke about how she and many of her peers grew up watching movies set in a high school,
such as “Mean Girls,” “Clueless” and the “High School Musical” films. The movies often made them wonder what their own high school experience would be like. What they learned, she said, was that high school was nothing like those movies.
But she found one movie that perhaps was more relatable to the ASMSA experience — Disney-Pixar’s “Inside Out.” The film focuses on Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear — characters who represent the emotions inside the character of Riley, who goes through life changes when her family moves from her hometown in Minnesota to San Francisco. She must adapt to living in a new city and making new friends.
“When we all decided to come to ASMSA two or three years ago, we took a huge leap of faith and made sacrifices. We left our loved ones, our home high school and our friends, making a choice that pushed us to grow. This decision led us to a lot of core memories,” Oliver said.
Oliver took a moment to express how she and her classmates had experienced each of the emotions featured in the movie through shared ASMSA experiences.
“Deep down, we are all like the character of Riley in ‘Inside Out.’ We have experienced all of these emotions and so much more at [ASMSA]. Today, Joy prevails as we graduate from ASMSA. And just like Bing Bong [Riley’s imaginary friend], when he says his final words to Joy, this is my message to all of my ASMSA friends: ‘Take her to the moon for me, OK?’”
Nkunga, who served as the president of ASMSA’s Student Government Association this year, spoke about finding his version of a utopia of sorts at ASMSA. His sister is an ASMSA alumna, and he would listen to the stories she would tell about the friends she made, the interesting classes that challenged her and the experience she could not have had anywhere else when she would
Tim Palmer (‘24) of Mena was recognized as the 3,000th graduate of ASMSA during this year’s commencement ceremony. A fun part of the surprise recognition was Palmer being awarded a set of balloons marking the occasion.
visit home on the weekends.
Her stories reminded him of a character in Thomas More’s “Utopia,” which depicts a fictional island of the same name “where people live and are only guided by their own rational thought,” he said. Much as the fictional character shared stories of this island, his sister’s stories told of a place where the smart students took classes in which they were interested in taking and lived in a community where they could make friends who were passionate about learning.
Nkunga said he soon was able to experience all of that himself. “I got to live in a community where the smartest people I’ve met weren’t just passionate in the classrooms but were ever-present in the clubs I took part in and the events the school put on — a place where I could be my own person no matter how nerdy that interest was,” he said.
But then the second semester happened. Nothing had changed about the school or the people, but
Nkunga found himself at a place where the pace of classes and extracurriculars began to catch up with him.
“The perfect society I imagined and I lived in slowly faded away to reveal the insane amount of effort I needed to give to maintain it,” he said.
He learned that the word utopia translates to “no place.” So, there is no place in society where people could just exist together in harmony to work and live, he said.
“And maybe that would’ve been the actual case if not for you,” he said to his fellow graduates. Nkunga said each of them had made ASMSA better, regardless of if it was in big or small ways. “Every single one of you has made my ASMSA experience better and better and has forced it to approach the edge of utopia.”
“The Arkansas School for Math, Sciences and the Arts might not be the utopia, but it is my utopia, and it’s only because you were all here to do it with me,” he said.
Give it a Twirl
Pan earns spot in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade band as member of the flag corps
Throughout the early part of the Spring 2024 semester, Lycci Pan (’25) would practice a color guard routine in Alumni Plaza next to the Creativity and Innovation Complex.
She would spin her flag quickly, its fabric rippling with the wind. Sometimes she would toss it in the air for a flip or pass it from hand to hand behind her back. Pan was always in constant movement, and so was her flag.
Pan will be practicing a lot more over the next few months. In November, Pan will be a member of the flag color guard in The Macy’s Great American Marching Band during the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
Pan’s CIC courtyard rehearsals were in preparation for auditions for the band’s color guard. The application
process required her to record a video of a solo routine and place it on YouTube for viewing by the band’s selection staff. Pan choreographed and performed a routine accompanied by Lana Del Rey’s song “Chemtrails Over the Country Club.”
“I started practicing for the audition video right after winter break,” Pan said. “I would practice fundamentals, trick tosses and previous routines I have done at my old school. Then around two weeks before the video needed to be submitted, I created my final routine and spent the last few days before the deadline crafting the video.”
The band made its first appearance in the parade in 2006, the same year Pan was born. Each year, 185 musicians and approximately 40 flag and dance
Lycci Pan (‘25) often rehearsed a flag corps routine in Alumni Plaza in front of the Creativity and Innovation Complex in preparation for her video audition for The Macy’s Great American Marching Band.
members march the 2.5-mile parade route. The band usually stops in front of Macy’s flagship New York City store to perform.
Pan plans to incorporate cardio and distance walking into her workouts to prepare for the parade march. She may also seek a local color guard that she could join to stay in practice.
“The routines can be quite demanding, both physically and mentally,” she said. “They require a high level of precision and coordination, which can only be achieved through consistent practice and dedication. There can also be a learning curve when it comes to mastering throws and spins, which can take time and focus to overcome. A big part of this sport is getting over the fear factor of a toss or a new move. It is very difficult but so rewarding when you do.”
Pan picked up the sport after watching several performances during her ninth-grade year. She was amazed at how pretty it looked, and the following summer she joined her school’s marching band color guard. One of Pan’s friends participated in The Macy’s Great American Marching Band last year and shared information about the opportunity with her.
She was in French class when she received notification that she had been selected for this year’s band. She handed her friend sitting next to her the phone but stayed calm. “I couldn’t actually have a full-blown reaction since I was still in class.”
Pan has been to New York City several times to visit family there, and she plans to take some time to see them after her parade performance. She’s excited about the opportunity to meet other people from across the nation and perform for an international audience who will be watching the parade.
“I am also really proud to be representing ASMSA and the state of Arkansas on a national scale,” she said.
ASMSA-TIP wraps successful first year, will expand for 2024-25
When the Duke Talent Identification Program, more commonly known as Duke TIP, shuttered in 2020, its closure left a void for students, educators and schools throughout the southeastern region of the United States.
Duke TIP previously provided gifted and talented students in middle school with various educational resources, such as the opportunity to take the ACT early. That gap included hundreds of students throughout Arkansas. To address that need, the ASMSA Talent Identification Program launched for Arkansas seventh-graders in September 2023.
Just as with the previous program, ASMSA-TIP offers participants a voucher that allows them to take the ACT as an “above-level” test, a standardized assessment that is designed for a higher grade level. Participants also receive a monthly e-newsletter with specific content for gifted and talented students and their parents, quarterly webinar sessions with Gifted and Talented (GT) professionals as well as access to activities and experiences designed to identify and develop talent.
Dr. Ashley Hicks, ASMSA’s outreach coordinator, said TIP students participated in activities such as Summer@ASMSA, a weeklong residential camp experience, and the AMC 8, a test sponsored by the American Mathematics Competition which ASMSA hosted for Arkansas students.
“Participating in activities helps students gain confidence in content and learn what they could know and not just what they should know for their grade level,” Hicks said. “Through our virtual and inperson activities, students and families are connected to one another and given the opportunity to build networks that extend beyond
their current school district/GT environment.”
Participants’ parents said the program provided a place for their student to fit in socially as well as to stay engaged in academics, Hicks said. ASMSA hosted a ceremony in June where participants were recognized for their achievements on the ACT.
Interest in the first year of the program was strong as it served 232 middle school students from 38 Arkansas counties. Participants came from 60 schools, and 48 also attended a Summer@ASMSA camp. The top three students in the AMC 8 held at ASMSA in January were TIP scholars.
“We are extremely pleased with our first year of the ASMSA Talent Identification Program,” said Jason Hudnell, director of admissions. “I have been incredibly impressed with the bright young minds of our participants from all corners of the state. The success of this pilot year will no doubt serve as a springboard as we look to expand opportunities of TIP to reach even more students in the upcoming school year.”
ASMSA-TIP will include students in grades 6-8 in 2024-25. Hicks said the first-year success confirms the need for this kind of program in Arkansas.
“I believe that ASMSA-TIP helps to meet a need in the Arkansas educational landscape that has been missing since we lost Duke TIP,” Hicks said. “Several of our success this year wouldn’t have been possible without partnerships with educational co-op GT specialists and GT coordinators/educators at specific school districts.”
The program is made possible through grants from the Hot Springs Area Community Foundation and the Ross Foundation. Additional information is available at asmsa.org/tip.
Student doc earns recognition in National History Day competitions
Crime stories seemingly have always been a staple of popular culture. Murder mysteries featured characters such as Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, and new crime novels continue to top readers’ lists. Pulp and dime magazines often focused on crime stories. True crime stories such as Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” grabbed readers’ attention in the 1960s. Today fictional crime and law enforcement series dominate the television landscape, and true crime podcasts draw large audiences.
Makenna Kutzschebauch (’26) is interested in murder mysteries and forensic science, which is the use of scientific methods to investigate crimes. This past year, she turned those interests into an award-winning documentary about American forensic scientist Frances Glessner Lee.
“Dioramas of Death: Reforming Forensic Medicine in the U.S.”, a 10-minute documentary about Lee, earned Kutzschebauch a trip to Maryland this summer to compete in the National History Day National Contest. This year’s National Contest was held on the University of Maryland campus.
National History Day is a competition in which students in the sixth through 12th grades choose a historical topic to research. They present their findings through papers, exhibits, performances, websites or documentaries. National History Day is an educational, nonprofit organization that promotes history and civics education. The National Park Service and the National Endowment for the Humanities are among the organization’s and competition’s sponsors.
Lee was a forensic scientist who created the Nutshell Studies of
Makenna Kutzschebauch (‘26) made a short documentary about Frances Glessner Lee, who is often considered the mother of criminal forensic science.
Unexplained Death, 20 dioramas of true-crime scenes recreated in minute detail at dollhouse scale. Lee endowed the creation of the Department of Legal Medicine within Harvard Medical School in 1931, the first such department in the country. It eventually opened in 1940.
“She taught police officers observation skills with these scenes through weeklong, intensive seminars,” Kutzschebauch said. “Before her, there was nowhere in the U.S. to be educated in forensic medicine, and police officers rarely knew what forensic medicine was.”
Kutzshebauch earned thirdplace honors in the documentary category at a regional National History Day competition in March at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She followed that with up with a first-place win at the state competition in April at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, qualifying for the national competition.
Kutzschebauch became fascinated with Lee and her accomplishments in forensic science after Lee was mentioned in “The Box in the Woods” by Maureen Johnson. Her research included
While participating in the National History Day national competition this summer, Makenna Kutzschebauch (‘26) had the opportunity to view one of the crime scene scenarios depicted in Frances Glessner Lee’s Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death at Maryland’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
reading “18 Tiny Deaths” by Bruce Goldfarb, a biography of Lee, as well as a book by Corinne May Botz that included photos of the Nutshell Studies. That was just part of her research.
“I read newspapers from the time and dozens of articles about her. I also interviewed Bruce Goldfarb, who, along with writing the only book-length biography on Lee, also worked with the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death at Maryland’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner,” Kutzschebauch said.
From there, she wrote a script and recorded herself reading it. Then she found images and videos for the documentary’s visuals and added music. Kutzschebauch’s roommate helped her record a short intro.
Dr. Zachery Cowsert (’08), a history instructor at ASMSA, praised Kutzschebauch’s efforts to
create the documentary. “I’ve been deeply impressed by the depth of her scholarly research and the high quality of her documentary editing,” Cowsert said. “Netflix worthy! She’s blazing a new path for history and humanities here at ASMSA and deserves immense credit for it.”
Kutzschebauch didn’t advance to the finals at the National Contest, but she described the experience as amazing and incredibly rewarding. She had the opportunity to attend an information session on a potential film collaboration between Polish and American students as well as a student-led discussion about a film where she was able to meet students from across the United States and international schools.
But her favorite moment of the week was sitting in on a session featuring Ken Burns, the filmmaker known for documentaries such as “Baseball,” “The Civil War,” “Country
Music” and many others. Burns spoke about his career.
“It was so inspiring to see such a successful historical filmmaker give a talk in person,” she said.
Students from each state were given pins from their home state that they could use to trade for pins from other states. Kutzschebauch also had a chance to see some of the Nutshell Studies in person at Maryland’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Kutzschebauch would like for more ASMSA students to participate in the competition next year. “Competing in National History Day has taught me so many values and skills. I’ve improved my public speaking and writing skills and found a passion for filmmaking, among other things. Next year’s theme is Rights and Responsibilities, and I’m so excited to see new people participating.”
Martin (‘20) earns NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
The saying is that money doesn’t grow on trees, but for Blaine Martin (’20), his interest in studying trees helped him earn a major scholarship for graduate school.
Martin will begin work this fall on his doctorate in the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Department of Plant Biology. He’ll do so with the benefit of a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship as well as a Merit Doctoral Fellowship from the university.
The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited United States institutions. The prestigious fellowship is the oldest of its kind.
The NSF GRFP will provide Martin a $37,000 living stiped as well as a $16,000 education stipend for three years over a fiveyear period.
Martin said the NSF grant will allow him to conduct extensive fieldwork in western Panama as well as potential new field sites to study plant-fungal interactions for his doctoral work.
Martin spent the past year living in Panama while completing research with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
While there, he worked with Dr. Erin Spear, a staff scientist at STRI, on several projects related to foliar fungal pathogens of tropical trees.
Blaine Martin (‘20) spent a year in Panama conducting research with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. A National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship will allow him to continue his research while working on a doctorate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. (Photo courtesy of Blaine Martin).
One of the primary focuses of the research was to understand how environmental variations in the canopy and host range affected the fungal pathogen community of leaves.
One particular project that Martin
led examined the role of seasonality on seedling foliar fungal pathogen communities and their population dynamics.
He learned about STRI while working in a lab at Tulane University, where he earned his
Martin
Niche.com ranks
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 Resources and Facilities. To view ASMSA’s profile, visit asmsa.me/ nicheprofile.
“What brings meaning to this recognition is the combination of 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,” said ASMSA Executive Director Corey Alderdice.
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.
bachelor’s degree in environmental biology. He was invited to join a graduate student who was studying under Dr. Sunshine Van Bael, an associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Tulane who also earned her doctoral degree from UIUC, as a field technician in Panama for a summer.
That experience “deepened my passion for fungal ecology and created a connection to one of the best tropical field stations in the world, STRI,” Martin said.
Martin plans to investigate the interactions between fungi and their plant hosts as well as their symbiotic effects on each other, particularly in the tree genus Podocarpus, a conifer that lives in low-nutrient sites in western Panama.
His hope is to understand how root-associate fungi may play a role in the trees’ survival in low-nutrient soil.
The time leading up to the notification that he had received the NSF fellowship was stressful. Fellowship notifications were released around the same time that graduate school acceptance decisions were being announced. He was still at STRI living in shared housing when he decided to check the NSF portal one last time before going to bed.
“When signing in, the first thing I saw was ‘Fellow Portal.’ My heart started to race as everything pointed to me winning the award. I searched for my name on the official list and still could not believe it when I read ‘awarded’ next to my name,” said Martin, who then called friends and family to update them on the good news.
“It was still hard for me to process given this was going to change my whole graduate school experience. After all the congratulations and the feeling settled, I began to feel extremely proud of myself. It felt like all my work throughout undergrad and this path in science was paying off.”
Martin credited his experience working in Van Beal’s fungal
ecology lab at Tulane and the fieldwork experience at STRI, from which he was able to complete an honors thesis, directly helped his research proposal he submitted to NSF.
He said the merit section of his application was bolstered by his early introduction to laboratory skills and research through his Life Sciences Capstone with ASMSA instructors Dr. Patrycja Krakowiak and Dr. Whitney Holden.
“My exposure to independent scientific research in the ASMSA Life Science Capstone provided me the inquisitiveness and confidence that helps me excel in research today,” Martin said. “I learned how to ask scientific questions, craft a hypothesis, create methodology that provides relevant results and discuss results in a larger context.
“Having Dr. Krakowiak, an expert in genetics, and Dr. Holden, an expert in microbiology, provided a robust training in the methods of biology. Learning from experienced scientists how to do research was a formative moment.”
Both the personnel and physical resources allowed him to “flourish as a scientist years before my peers,” including being allowed to join a lab during his first year of undergraduate studies. He had the opportunity to serve as a mentor and lead researcher for his undergraduate peers.
Martin’s experience at ASMSA also inspired him to give back to the school in ways that he could. He participated in a recent Arkansas Summer Research Institute led by Krakowiak and Holden as a panelist and as a mock judge for student capstone posters.
Martin said those experiences reminded him of the important role ASMSA plays for the state of Arkansas and the future of science.
“Mentorship and giving back to early-career scientists (are some) of the most impactful things I learned directly through watching instructors at ASMSA inspire students every day,” he said.
End Note ASMSA integral part of UA System
Dr. Donald R. Bobbitt President, University of Arkansas System
As president of the University of Arkansas System since 2011, I’ve participated in countless conversations, lectures, speeches and roundtable discussions concerning most aspects of the approximately $4 billion annual enterprise that constitutes the state’s largest higher education system. One component that typically generates the most curiosity is the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts (ASMSA). It’s also the one piece of our puzzle that I’m always eager to talk about because of its uniqueness among UA System entities. ASMSA plays a key role in our ability to completely fulfill our mission to deliver the highest-quality educational and professional opportunities for all Arkansans.
It’s always rewarding for me to tell people about the transformational experiences students at ASMSA undergo that lead to engaging and successful futures. Through ASMSA, Arkansans from any corner of the state can attend one of this country’s finest high schools, move on to one of our seven (soon to be eight with the addition of EACC) twoyear colleges, attain a bachelor’s degree at any of our five four-year institutions and continue on to post-graduate study within the UA System with the ultimate goal to obtain a Ph.D., Ed.D., J.D., Pharm.D. or M.D.
But ASMSA provides much more than just an opportunity for me to highlight the system’s high school students. It is truly a top-tier unique early college experience, as students graduating ASMSA typically accrue nearly 50 hours of college credits. This provides them with a monumental advantage as they move on to college. More than $24 million in college scholarship offers were earned by the 2024 ASMSA graduating class, further demonstrating the quality of the state-of-the-art educational experience ASMSA students receive.
I often get asked about the tangible results of having the school alongside the UA System’s traditional college opportunities. In short, “Why does the UA System even have a high school?” It’s not an easy answer, as many of the benefits are mutually received between and among the 21 campuses, divisions and units under our umbrella. Most often the answer is simply that efforts are more streamlined and efficient because of the fact that resources are comprehensively and unselfishly shared. For instance, the minimum of 30 college credits that are earned by ASMSA students is made possible through the school’s partnership with the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. Statewide transfer of those credits is seamless.
Because of the first-rate education and college preparedness ASMSA students earn during their time at the state’s only public residential high school (and one of only 17 nationally), the UA System also reaps the benefit of those students matriculating to one of our traditional college campuses. While 100 percent of ASMSA graduates go on to college or the military, nearly 60 percent continue their post-high school education in Arkansas, with nearly 37 percent at one of our UA System institutions.
So as ASMSA celebrates its 30th anniversary, I want to bring attention to the fact that this is also the school’s 20th anniversary of being an integral and unique part of the UA System. The UA System is privileged that the state has allowed us to include ASMSA in our portfolio of high-quality educational programs serving Arkansas and the world, and we look forward to continuing to provide this competitive educational experience for the next 30 years. I personally want to congratulate the school, its past and present faculty and staff as well as the UA System Trustees for their continuing support of this unique and important resource of the System and the State.
ASMSA completed the first phase of the campus’ physical transformation this summer with completion of the new Campus Administration Building. The $5.25 million project caps off more than $35 million in new and renovated facilities since construction began on the Student Center in 2010. In addition to office space for a variety of campus units, the CAB also improves ADA accessibility between the academic and residential zones of campus. Conference rooms and collaboration spaces in the atrium of the building will be available for students throughout the day. The clock tower and digital chimes were included in the project as a nod to the 2008 Campus Master Plan that originally proposed the feature for the Student Center.
