Donald Cook is a 1990 graduate of the inaugural class of Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, and now he is headed back to his roots to take the helm as the new executive director.
“I was sort of the kid who couldn’t stay away,” Cook said. “I’m really excited at the prospect of going back and giving back to the school that’s meant so much to me.”
Cook was voted in Thursday by the Mississippi State Board of Education, as the Mississippi Department of Education was leading the search for a new executive director. The selection process included a committee representing MSMS leadership and stakeholders, according to MDE Director of Communication Jean Cook.
In January, the former executive director Germain McConnell left MSMS to become chief of staff for the Oxford School District, and Rick Smith took over as the interim executive director.
Cook is currently a chemistry instructor at Newnan High School in Newnan, Georgia, but he is originally from Houston, Mississippi. He says he is looking forward to returning home and letting his wife and three sons experience the true hospitality of Mississippi.
“My wife and I met on eHarmony, and we were in a commercial for them years ago,” Cook said. “She grew up in and around Kentucky mostly, so she’s the reason I moved away at first. … I’ve been wanting to come back (to Mississippi) for a while now. We’re planning to be in Columbus and really be a part of the community.”
Duties of the executive director include “overseeing all operations, functions and activities at MSMS, including coordinating long- and short-range planning, development and implementation of policies; and providing direction for financial, personnel, academic, admissions and student services matters,” according to the MDE.
In addition to chemistry instructor, Cook has worked as a resident adviser and assistant resident hall director at MSMS, as well as the department chair and associate professor of science and mathematics at Point University in West Point, Georgia, from 2011-2021.
“I’ve had some experience developing STEM programs, so we started the biology major at Point University when I got there,” Cook said. “We had several people going to professional schools, and we built that program around those few students that started off. We watched them grow and we began to offer the classes they needed. I taught physics, chemistry and organic chemistry and helped with biochemistry. We got to enjoy their success as they got accepted into their professional schools’ programs.”
MSMS shaped who Cook is by exposing him to new people from all over the state and pushing him out of his comfort zone. He is excited to bring those opportunities to Mississippi’s brightest young minds, Cook said.
Cook’s post-high school education includes a bachelor’s degree in psychology/pre-med from Mississippi State University, a master’s in science education from Mississippi College and a doctorate in education from Liberty University.
As an MSMS alumnus, Cook is aware of the consistent national rankings of MSMS, and he strives to not only maintain those rankings, but to push them higher. He also wants to highlight the accomplishments of students that may go unnoticed.
“I want to explore how we can improve on our ratings,” Cook said. “I want to look at where we rank in US News and World Report, things like that, that are a little more concrete and see what we can do to improve on those ratings. MSMS is a great school, and I think we’ve deserved that recognition. We want to continue that.”
In 2021, US News and World Report ranked MSMS 307 out of 17,857 public high schools, which places the school in the top two percent of public high schools in the nation.
“I want to continue the legacy the school has created and expand on that,” Cook said. “I want to reach out to alumni. I was at the alumni weekend a couple of weeks ago, and so many people feel like I do. They want to give back but they’re not sure how. I want to expand those opportunities for those people to do that.”
Cook begins at MSMS on June 1.
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