Connecting Families to the ASMSA Experience
ASMSA includes a variety of support systems across the academic program and residential experiences designed to engage and intervene in order to promote student growth, support, and opportunity. The following page is designed to help families better understand the people charged with these duties and the roles on campus they serve. While our faculty and staff work closely with students each day, they also work alongside parents and guardians to develop shared interventions.
The ASMSA experience begins in early August and runs through late May. Because of the school’s outreach mission, a variety of programs and out-of-school enrichment experiences are offered throughout the year. The school calendar (included further down this page) is also available in an iCal format that can be added to the smartphone calendar app of your choice.
ASMSA Parents Association
Parents Association Facebook Group: All parents and guardians are members of the ASMSA Parents Association. The PA also maintains an online Facebook group where families can ask questions, connect with each other, provide encouragement, and engage in appropriate discussions with staff. All critical information is shared via email to all families so that participation in this group is not required.
Parents Advisory Council: The Parents Advisory Council (PAC) is an additional layer of engagement for parents and guardians who want to be involved in recruitment, advocacy, development, and strategic planning for the school. The group meets monthly via Zoom with members of campus leadership to discuss questions, needs, challenges, and institutional goals. The group is led by Senior and Junior Co-Chair parents or guardians.
Visiting Campus and Staying in Hot Springs
We have an agreement with The Waters hotel, located across from historic Bathhouse Row in downtown Hot Springs. For reservations, please telephone 501-321-0001 and request the ASMSA rate.
Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Hot Springs, located at 4410 Higdon Ferry Rd, also offers a discount for visiting ASMSA families. The hotel is located across from Oaklawn and is one of the newest hotels in Hot Springs. Enter code "LKAS" when making a reservation for a $79 per night rate.
QUICK LINKS
Academic Resources
Information Systems
Systems of Support
Connecting Students to Resources for Success
WHERE DO I GO WHEN I NEED HELP?
ASMSA's professional staff are charged with creating overlapping systems of support across both the academic and residential experiences. The following section highlights the various employees who provide assistance to both students and families as well as what their responsibilities entail.
ASMSA instructors possess Master’s degrees or higher in their discipline. More than half of our faculty have a terminal degree (Ph.D., Ed.D., M.F.A.) in their areas of specialization. Faculty not only lead the classroom experience but also provide office hours, mid-day tutoring sessions, and support a variety of extracurriculars.
Faculty and Staff Directory: Families are welcome to contact ASMSA faculty and staff by phone or email with their observations and concerns. We make every effort to respond within 24 hours. The individual responsibilities of support professionals across campus are explained in greater detail below.
Associate Dean for STEM: Dr. Brian Monson (501-622-5242, monsonb@asmsa.org) leads ASMSA's curriculum, faculty growth, and scholar development areas in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Associate Dean for Arts and Humanities: Dr. Tom Dempster (501-622-5237, dempstert@asmsa.org) leads ASMSA's curriculum, faculty growth, and scholar development areas in visual arts, music, design, English, social sciences, and global languages.
ASMSA’s Student Life Staff are a team of student affairs professionals that provide both supervision and programming through the residential experience. ASMSA’s Student Center includes two residence halls. Nichols Hall houses female students. Faris Hall houses male students. If you have questions or need assistance during the evening, please contact the Res Life Office (RLO) at 501-622-5213. In case of emergency, please contact Security at 501-622-5153.
Residential Experience Coordinators (REC): RECs have Master’s degrees in student affairs, college student personnel, or related areas. This means they have extensive training and experience in student support, community building, social-emotional learning, and other skills that frame residential communities. Each of the six wings of the Student Center has an REC.
Residential Mentors (RM): RMs are full-time staff members who are beginning to develop their interest in residential communities that work in conjunction with RECs to provide support, transportation, activities, and other programs in the Student Center. Because the second and third floors of the Student Center house more students, RMs are located on those floors.
Faris Hall
Brimah Vonjo, Jr., REC, 1st Floor, 501-622-5304, vonjob@asmsa.org
Wade Vierheller, REC, 2nd Floor, 501-622-5181, vierhellerw@asmsa.org
Alex Anderson, REC, 3rd Floor 501-622-5183, andersonx@asmsa.org
Diego de los Reyes, RM, 3rd Floor, 501-622-5173, reyesd@asmsa.org
Nichols Hall
Kenzie Glass, RM, 1st Floor, 501-622-5190, glassk@asmsa.org
Destiny Walker, RM, 2nd Floor, 501-622-5424, walkerd@asmsa.org
Ana Rodriguez, REC, 3rd Floor, 501-622-5191, rodrigueza@asmsa.org
Selig Hall
Elizabeth Carrel, REC, Full Building, 501-622-5190, carrele@asmsa.org
School Nurse: Monica Ward (501-622-5202, wardm@asmsa.org) is ASMSA’s School Nurse. During the school day (7:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.), the Nurse’s Office is staffed by a registered nurse who offers treatment and coordinates appointments and prescriptions with local doctors upon the student or parent's request. Other residential staff are on call in the evening and overnight hours should medical emergencies arise.
Assistant Dean for Residence Life: Dr. Colin Jno-Finn (501-622-5231, jnofinnc@asmsa.org) serves as the AD for Residence Life. The AD is the evening supervisor for the residential experience and assists when individual Student Life Staff members are unavailable.
Traditional high school guidance counselors service a number of roles when working with high school students. ASMSA’s Office of Student Success and Scholar Development focuses on out-of-classroom programs, support, and interventions that are designed to help both our most talented students as well as those who are in need of additional assistance to meet their potential. These staff are tasked with taking a “big picture” view of the student experience and work closely with both academic and residential staff.
Student Success Coordinator (SSC): ASMSA’s SSCs deliver the school’s academic support and intervention program. Penny Lock (501-622-5176, lockp@asmsa.org) and Erica Arivette (501-622-5175, arivettee@asmsa.org) are assigned to specific students. SSCs provide advising services as students chart their program of study, conduct workshops that address academic skill-building, and provide direct intervention if students are underperforming. In addition, Ms. Lock serves as ASMSA’s 504 Accommodation Plan Coordinator, and Ms. Arivette manages ASMSA’s Peer Mentor Tutoring Program.
HELIX Prep Academy Coordinator: Chris Golston (501-622-5135, golstonc@asmsa.org) is the coordinator of ASMSA's HELIX Prep Academy. HELIX stands for Helping Elevate Low-Income Students to Excellence. prepares low-to-middle income and rural students who experience opportunity gaps for the rigors of ASMSA’s early college program. The sophomore year serves as a transitional year during which students take advanced high school level coursework and participate in mentoring to better prepare for and excel in their junior year and beyond.
Scholar Development Coordinator: Adrienne Conley (501-622-5280, conleyc@asmsa.org) serves as the Scholar Development Coordinator. Adrienne is the primary academic support contact for exceptional sophomores enrolled in ASMSA's Early Entrance program. She works with students throughout campus to identify, compete, and prepare for opportunities that align with their passions while also preparing a compelling narrative for selective college admissions and national scholarship opportunities.
Associate Dean for College Counseling: Bret Vallun (501-622-5129, vallunb@asmsa.org) serves as the AD for College Counseling. Since ASMSA is a “college bridge” experience, we know that students are on a clear path to higher education. Because the landscape of college admissions is constantly changing, ASMSA prioritizes separate support for college planning and scholarship applications.
The challenges of adolescence, the needs of gifted students, as well as the demands of the ASMSA experience require a robust mental health apparatus that responds to the social and emotional needs of our diverse student body. In addition to working with affinity groups on anxiety, LGBT+, interpersonal development, and other topics, staff provides a variety of both proactive and reactive programming.
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC): Staci Stich (501-622-5433, stichs@asmsa.org) is ASMSA’s LPC. The counselor is responsible for a range of clinical responsibilities and projects. The primary focus of the work is treatment in the individual therapy modality, but other duties include crisis triage, group therapy, psycho-education, outreach, and assessment. Related case management duties include working with students, their families, off-campus care providers, and on-campus support services.
Licensed Social Worker (LSW): Maddisyn Karn (501-622-5122, karnm@asmsa.org) serves as ASMSA’s LSW. The LSW receives referrals from ASMSA administrators, faculty, and staff in order to assess the mental and behavioral health status of referred students. The LSW collaborates with the 504 Accommodation Plan Coordinator to connect students and families with services in the community, formulates short-term and long-term counseling plans for patients under care, and facilities crisis services.
ASMSA Director: Corey Alderdice (501-622-5115, alderdicec@asmsa.org) is ASMSA’s longest-serving Director. The role of the Director is similar to that of a Superintendent in a traditional school district or a college Chancellor. Alderdice leads all campus efforts, though specializes in operations, external engagement, public affairs, legislative advocacy, and fundraising. Director Alderdice also serves as the final appeal on disputes and disciplinary matters.
Dean of Academic Affairs: Stuart Flynn, J.D., (501-622-5111, flynns@asmsa.org) serves as Dean of Academic Affairs. The role of the Dean is similar to that of a Principal in other high schools. The Dean of Academic affairs supervises faculty, library staff, as well as members of the Office of Student Success.
Dean of Students: Rheo Morris, Ph.D., (501-622-5174, morrisr@asmsa.org) serves as Dean of Students. In addition to supervision of the residential experience and student conduct, the Dean of Students leads ASMSA’s Strategies Team. This weekly meeting of the school’s support professionals triangulates student issues and needs across both the residential and academic spheres of campus.