Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science students have become an integral part of life on the Mississippi University for Women campus — so much so that when class dismisses each summer, faculty members miss the bright young scholars, said Dr. Jennifer Miles, vice president for student affairs at MUW.
Wednesday morning, around 350 people gathered at MUW’s Nissan Auditorium to commemorate the high schoolers’ return and the kickoff of a yearlong 25th anniversary celebration for MSMS.
Local leaders lavished praise on the school during the opening convocation, with Columbus Mayor Robert Smith calling the students “treasures” and “assets to the city.”
Founded in 1987 by the Mississippi Legislature, MSMS was created with two distinct purposes: Challenging gifted students and serving as an economic development recruitment tool by promising a quality education and a highly-trained workforce.
The symbiotic relationship between MSMS, MUW and the business community has remained strong throughout the years, MSMS Executive Director Charles Brown said Wednesday.
The success of the largely state-funded school lies in its ability to custom-tailor a curriculum to suit the needs of the most academically talented juniors and seniors from around the state. Students are pushed to excel through rigorous course requirements and high expectations from faculty.
Over the past quarter of a century, MSMS graduates have garnered a bevy of achievements. The average ACT score is 28 — well above the state average. Each year, the senior class rakes in around $12 million in scholarships, with many alumni advancing to Ivy League colleges and lucrative careers.
One of those alums, state Sen. Will Longwitz, R-Madison, was on-hand for Wednesday’s convocation, offering the keynote address and a bit of advice for the 235 students enrolled at MSMS this year.
“Set goals that stun and inspire,” he said, exhorting them to write down a place they’d like to go and something they’d like to achieve if there were no obstacles.
“One of the toughest things when you’re starting out is setting concrete goals,” Longwitz said. “One sure way to guarantee you won’t achieve them is to never write them down. Believe in yourself. When you’re tired in class, I hope you can look at that sentence, and I hope people around you will be stunned. When people tell you that you can’t do it, don’t listen to them.”
After the convocation, many students were plunged straight into academic life, with just enough time to rush to their first class of the semester.
Mariah Cole, a senior from Meridian, stopped in the Nissan Auditorium lobby, juggling her books and her cell phone as she checked her schedule.
She said she appreciates the broad range of subjects MSMS offers, along with the diversity of the student body and academic opportunities. She plans to attend the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, and she hopes the close ties she makes in high school will provide a sound networking base for the future.
“If you work hard and do your best, you can do anything you set your mind to,” she said.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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