The National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools (NCSSS) has released its 2023 Insight Survey that highlights comparative data among the organization’s high school members, many that are among the top-performing STEM schools in the United States.

The survey focused on four specific areas: student representation in STEM classes, school resources and offerings, graduates’ college majors and outcomes, and faculty recruitment and retention. The study was underwritten by the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, an NCSSS member institution.

NCSSS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that represents premier high schools focused on STEM education, affiliate universities, corporations and foundations. Its mission is to serve as a resource for these members by supporting collaboration and knowledge sharing while amplifying the importance of STEM education to policy makers, industry and education leaders across the nation and around the world.

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts recognized the winners of the 2024 West Central Regional Science Fair during an awards ceremony held on Feb. 23 in the Creativity and Innovation Complex on campus.

Aarohi Sonputri, a senior from Little Rock, won first overall for her project in the Cellular and Molecular Biology category. Nasya Choy, a senior from Conway, won second place for her Chemistry category project. Michelle Lin, a senior from Little Rock, took third place for her project in the Environmental Management category.

The three overall winners were awarded a trip to participate in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair to be held May 11-17 in Los Angeles, Calif. The event is the world’s largest pre-college STEM competition. More than 1,600 high school students from around the world are expected to compete for more than $9 million in awards, prizes and scholarships.

Melanie Holmes took up competitive swimming three months ago. Now the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts senior be swimming for a state championship.

Holmes will compete in the 100-meter breaststroke and 100-meter freestyle events at the Class 5A State Swim Meet to be held at the Russellville Aquatic Center on Feb. 24. She qualified for those events by recently finishing second in the breaststroke and fourth in freestyle at the 5A South Conference meet as a member of the Hot Springs High school team.

Seven Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts students have been selected as National Merit Scholarship Finalists.

The National Merit Scholarship Corp. announced the names the Finalists in the 69^th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. The students, who are all members of the Class of 2024, will have an opportunity to continue in the competition for 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered this spring and summer.

Public viewing for the annual West Central Regional Science Fair at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 am. on Friday, Feb. 23.

The West Central Regional Science Fair public viewing will be held in the ASMSA Creativity and Innovation Complex on the school’s campus at 200 Whittington Ave. An awards ceremony recognizing overall and individual category winners will be held at 2 p.m. on Feb. 23.

The West Central Regional Science Fair features research projects conducted by ASMSA students. It serves as a qualifier for both the Arkansas State Science and Engineering Fair in March and the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, which will be held in Los Angeles in May. The Regeneron ISEF is the world’s largest pre-college STEM competition featuring more than 1,800 high school students from around the world.

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts is now accepting applications for Summer@ASMSA camps.

Summer@ASMSA is free, one-week summer camps for current eighth- and ninth-grade students in all Arkansas schools as well as 7^th-graders participating in ASMSA-TIP. The camps will be held on ASMSA’s campus in Hot Springs on Sunday, June 9, through Friday, June 14. Application deadline is Wednesday, May 1.

Seven Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts student musicians earned recognition at recent All-State competitions.

Five members of ASMSA’s band program and two choir members received recognition at All-State Qualifications that were held February 3 in Russellville. Students who were recognized include:

• Alex Back, principal horn, All-State Symphony Orchestra;
• Shea Stabila, second flute, All-State Symphony Orchestra;
• Anna Le, second violin, ninth chair, All-State Symphony Orchestra;
• Grace Adams, string bass, second chair, All-State Symphonic Band;
• Landon Samples, tuba, fifth chair, All-State Symphonic Band;
• Grace Moody, soprano II, fourth chair, All-State SATB Choir; and
• Taraji Kiyumbi, tenor I, alternate (who was later chosen to participate),All-State TTBB Choir.

Three Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts students were named National STEM Challenge Finalists.

The 2024 National STEM Challenge is a competition for students in the sixth through 12^th grades presented by the U.S. Department of Education and EXPLR, an organization focused on providing middle and high school students virtual and hands-on learning resources. The National STEM Challenge encourages students to design a STEM project using scientific method or engineering design processes.

ASMSA students who were selected as Finalists included:

• Gisselle Ellington, a senior from North Little Rock;
• Shelby Norris, a junior from Alma; and
• Aarohi Sonputri, a senior from Little Rock.

Nasya Choy of Conway and Rene Ramirez of Pearcy, seniors at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, have been recognized as U.S. Presidential Scholar Candidates.

The U.S. Presidential Scholars program is considered one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students. It was established in 1964 by executive order of the president to recognize and honor some of the nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors.

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts will hold a free event to prepare the public for the upcoming total solar eclipse.

“The Path of Totality: Preparing for the 2024 Eclipse” is a free event open to the community that will provide information about total solar eclipse that will take place on April 8, 2024. The event will focus on the science behind eclipses as well as information on how to safely view it.

The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. on February 13 in the ASMSA Creativity and Innovation Complex at 200 Whittington Ave. Free parking is available next to the building.

Participants at the event will have an opportunity to build pinhole projectors for eclipse viewing, and each attendee will also receive a pair of eclipse-viewing glasses. For more information, email outreach@asmsa.org, call 501-622-5147 or visit https://asmsa.me/fbeclipseevent24.