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.

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- omore as part of the Early Entrance program.

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.

“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- 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.