Author: Donnie Sewell

Several students from the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts earned recognition at the Arkansas State Science and Engineering Fair, including taking top honors in various categories as well as qualifying for the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.

Miranda Lee, a senior from Conway, won the George Scheffer Best in State Award for placing first in the Best in State Individual Awards category. The team of seniors Nathan Grady of Blytheville, Emily Lin of Little Rock and Kaitleen Toh of Little Rock placed third in the Best in State Individual category. The category features all projects in the competition that includes all category competitors as well as competitors in the ISEF Finalist category.

Lee and the team of Grady, Lin and Toh competed in the ISEF Finalist category at the state event. Each of them had already earned a trip to ISEF by placing in the top three overall projects at the West Central Regional Science Fair held at ASMSA in February.

Five other students earned trips to ISEF through the state competition held at the University of Central Arkansas on April 3. Aarush Goyal, a senior from Bentonville; Nathan Harbut, a senior from Hot Springs; Isaac Cotton, a senior from Stuttgart; and the team of seniors Beau Goldthorpe of Benton and Stevie Watkins of Perryville qualified for the international competition that will be held in Phoenix, Ariz., on May 9-15.

Through qualification at either the state science fair or the West Central Regional Science Fair, ASMSA is set to send 10 students to this year’s ISEF competition, matching the single-most students in a year since 10 qualified for the 2020 ISEF competition. Senior Tanvi Marupally of Conway is the 10^th student who earned an ISEF slot by winning first-place overall at this year’s West Central Regional Science Fair.

When Donovan Hurtarte learned about The Presidential 1776 Award for Civics competition, he saw it as an opportunity he couldn’t ignore.

“I’ve always believed that if something challenges you and aligns with your interests, you should always go for it,” said Hurtarte, a senior from Little Rock.

The Presidential 1776 Award for Civics is a national civics competition that challenges high school students in ninth through 12^th grades to test their knowledge of the founding of America and the ideas that shaped the country. Hurtarte qualified for the in-person regional semifinal round that will be held Saturday, May 2, at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta. Regional semifinals will also be held at presidential libraries in Boston; Dallas; Grand Rapids, Mich.; and Yorba Linda, Calif.

The award-winning Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts Wind Ensemble will hold its spring concert at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 5, in the Creativity and Innovation Complex on the school’s campus.

The Wind Ensemble earned top honors at the Arkansas School Band and Orchestra Association 2026 Class 3A State Concert Contest that was held at Searcy High School on April 15. Fifteen bands competed at the state contest. ASMSA earned First Division (Superior) ratings from all three judges.

By scoring top honors at the state contest, ASMSA will serve as the Honor Ensemble at the 2027 state contest. It will be the second time in three years that ASMSA will have that privilege. ASMSA won top honors at the 2024 contest, which qualified it to serve as the Honor Ensemble in 2025. ASMSA scored First Division (Superior) ratings at the 2025 contest, but ASBOA rules prevent schools from serving as the honor band in consecutive years.

Tuesday’s spring concert will feature Arkansas Composer Laureate Dr. W. Francis McBeth’s seminal work “Of Sailors and Whales” with narration by Dr. Dan Kostopulos, an ASMSA humanities Instructor of Excellence. The performance of Philip Sparke’s “Wind in the Reeds” will feature Dr. Thomas Dempter, ASMSA’s Associate Dean for Arts and Humanities, on solo bassoon.

The concert is free and open to the public. It will be held in the Oaklawn Foundation Community Center in the Creativity and Innovation Complex, located at 200 Whittington Ave.

The Arkansas Activities Association Spring 2026 Esports Championships will be held at The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts on Thursday, April 30.

Twelve teams from high schools across the state will play for titles in three games: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Rocket League and Madden NFL 26. Schools set to compete include:

• Mario Kart Deluxe: Valley View High School, Bentonville High School, Buffalo Island Central High School and Fort Smith Northside;
• Rocket League: Cabot High School, El Dorado High School, Bryant High School and Dardanelle High School;
• Madden NFL 26: Pea Ridge High School, Lake Hamilton High School, Newport High School and Trumann High School.

The tournament will be held in the Creativity and Innovation Complex at ASMSA at 200 Whittington Ave. Semifinals for the playoffs will begin at 10 a.m. The tournament is open to the public, and there is an $8 admission fee. Tickets may be purchased on on-site on the day of the tournament, but all they must be purchased electronically. No cash or checks will be accepted.

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts Quiz Bowl team will compete for the Arkansas Governor’s Quiz Bowl Association Class 7A state title on Saturday, April 25.

ASMSA will play Fort Smith Southside High School in the championship game, which will be held at 1:30 p.m. at the ArkansasTV studios in Conway. The match will be televised live on ArkansasTV, formerly Arkansas PBS, as well as streamed live on arkansastv.gov/live. The Class 7A game is one of seven championship games set for Saturday.

ASMSA is the defending Class 7A champion, winning the 2025 title game against Bryant High School. It was the second Quiz Bowl title in the school’s history, and it was the first time since 2013 that an ASMSA team had played for the state title.

Several Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts students received recognition at the 2026 Arkansas Foreign Language Teacher Association World Languages Competition.

The state foreign language competition included more than 250 students from across the state in several categories that tested their knowledge of French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Turkish, Latin and Chinese. Competition categories include Poetry Recitation, Vocabulary Bee, Extemporaneous Speaking, Extemporaneous Reading, Culture Bowl, Art and Live Sketch, and Drama, Music and Dance. Various levels were included to accommodate multiple levels of language learners. The competition was held March 7 at Harding University in Searcy.

The Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas today approved the selection of Derek McDowell, Ph.D., director of secondary academics for the Amarillo (Texas) Independent School District, as the next executive director of the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts.

The UA Board approved University of Arkansas System President Jay B. Silveria’s recommendation of McDowell during a specially called meeting today held virtually and in-person at the UA System – Cammack Campus.

“Dr. McDowell’s background is a unique mix of Ph.D.-level research and executive K-12 leadership — both of which will serve him well among some of the brightest high school students our state has to offer,” Silveria said. “But most importantly, he will be a great fit to lead ASMSA’s efforts on campus, in the community, and throughout the state as our only residential high school. That says a lot considering how impressive the talent was among candidates and especially the other finalists. I want to give a special thanks to Dr. Michael Moore and the advisory search committee for completing a successful search process.”

Several Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts students earned recognition at the 2026 Arkansas High School Model Arab League Conference.

Model Arab League is the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations’ flagship youth leadership development program. It is similar to the Model United Nations program. This year’s Arkansas high school conference was held March 6-7 at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

Eleven ASMSA students earned recognition for their participation, including:

• Daniel Leslie, a sophomore from Jonesboro, Honorable Mention Delegate, Sudan, Council on Economic Affairs;
• Graydon Anderson, a senior from Little Rock, Distinguished Delegation Award, Sudan, Council on Social Affairs;
• Max Monroe, a senior from Hot Springs, Distinguished Delegation Award, Lebanon, Council on Social Affairs;
• Jack Ghotra, a senior from Little Rock, Outstanding Delegation Award, Libya, Council on Political Affairs;
• Sophia Lee, a senior from Russellville, Outstanding Delegation Award, Libya , Council on Political Affairs;
• Aarush Goyal, a senior from Bentonville, Outstanding Delegation Award, Lebanon, Council on Political Affairs;
• Luis Vidal, a senior from Fort Smith, Outstanding Delegation Award, Lebanon, Council on Political Affairs;
• Drake Smith, a junior from Mayflower, Distinguished Delegation Award, Libya, Joint Defense Council;
• Nathan Harbut, a senior from Hot Springs, Distinguished Delegation Awad, Lebanon, Arab Heads of State;
• Tristan Henson, a senior from Maumelle, Distinguished Delegation Award, Lebanon, Arab Heads of State; and
• Paris Goodman, a junior from Black Rock, Honorable Mention Award, Sudan, Arab Heads of State.

Five Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts students earned recognition at the 2026 HOSA State Leadership Conference.

HOSA is an international organization for future health professionals. Formerly known as the Health Occupations Students of America, HOSA encourages its members to explore the medical field through service, professional development and collaboration.

Students who earned recognition at this year’s state conference included:

• Pilar Johnson, a junior from Hensley, first place, Clinical Laboratory Science;
• Kemdi Ekeanyanwu, a junior from Little Rock, first place, Prepared Speaking;
• Anna Le, a senior from Fort Smith, second place, Healthcare Administration;
• Paola Sustaita, a senior from Sheridan, second place, Health Informatics; and
• Bella Guzman, a senior from Benton, third place, Dental Science.

Dr. Patrycja Krakowiak, a Life Sciences Instructor of Excellence and chair of ASMSA’s Science Department, was recognized as the “New Advisor of the Year,” an award given to a teacher based on nomination essays written by their students. The state competition was held Feb 23-24 in Hot Springs.

This was the first year ASMSA students have competed in the HOSA competition. The school previously had a Young Medical Professionals Club before converting to a HOSA club. Krakowiak credited the students’ opportunity to successfully compete at the state contest to the leadership of club co-presidents Kaitleen Toh and Luis Vidal who led the efforts to transform the previous club to its current affiliation.

Fourteen ASMSA students attended and competed at the state event, where they had the opportunity to network with peers from other schools, participate in breakout sessions about medical professions and have a first-hand opportunity to use an Anatomage Table, which is an interactive 3D touchscreen platform used for virtual human and animal dissection.

Students who placed in the state competition earned the opportunity to compete in the 2026 HOSA International Conference, which will be held June 17-20 at the Indianapolis Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind.

Five students at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts have been named 2026 National Merit Scholarship Finalists.

The National Merit Scholarship Corp. recently announced the names of the Finalists in the 71^st annual National Merit Scholarship Program this spring. The students, all members of the Class of 2026, will have an opportunity to continue in the competition for 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring.

The ASMSA seniors named Finalists are:

• Aarush Goyal of Bentonville;
• Tristan Henson of Maumelle;
• Anna Le of Fort Smith;
• Catherine Van Dorple of Cabot; and
• Kaiyan Yu of Benton.

To be considered for the National Merit Scholarship Program, students take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test as a junior.

Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The National Merit Scholarship Corp. is a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance. It was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced in four batches in the spring and summer of 2026. Winners will receive scholarships sponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Program, national corporations and businesses, and colleges and universities across the nation.