MSMS Launches Ambitious Distance Learning Project

PRESS RELEASE

COLUMBUS, Mississippi — The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, as part of an ever-expanding focus on outreach, has been awarded a nearly $500,000 grant which will allow for the creation of a distance learning network within the state of Mississippi.

For nearly 30 years, MSMS has been both a state and national leader in the education of gifted and talented students. Now, the school is working to expand the “opportunity for excellence,” for which it is famous, beyond the confines of its Columbus, Mississippi campus.

MSMS has recently been awarded a $498,961 grant from the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The grant will allow for the creation of a new distance education network with MSMS at the helm.

“Our mission goes beyond offering the brilliant young minds who attend MSMS incredible educational opportunities,” said MSMS Executive Director Dr. Germain McConnell. “Our mission is to enhance the future of the state of Mississippi, in part, through aggressive outreach programs. This grant will allow us to extend our impact on other high-achieving students in Mississippi by offering advanced STEM courses. The MSMS family is excited about the impact this initiative will have on STEM education in Mississippi.”

MSMS has initially partnered with Canton High School and Ninth Grade Academy, Leake County High School, Leake Central High School, Leake Central Junior High School, Noxubee County High School, and Choctaw Central High School and Choctaw Middle School, but plans to add additional schools to the program in the coming years.

“We know there are lots of gifted kids across Mississippi who could benefit from our classes,” said MSMS Director for Admissions and School Advancement Rick Smith. “We met with the superintendents of these districts and talked about the courses they would like to see us provide. We know we can fill that niche.”

The grant is not a cash award. Rather, the money will take the form of equipment like monitors, cameras, microphones, and computers. The equipment will be mobile, meaning the learning modules can easily be moved from one location to another, and MSMS will act as a hub and primary content provider for the project.

Kelly Brown, the MSMS Director for Academic Affairs, is heading up the curriculum side of the project. She envisions that MSMS will soon be offering advanced science and math classes for high school students and advanced math classes (Algebra I) for middle school students.

“Many school districts in Mississippi have a hard time recruiting and holding onto teachers who have the expertise to teach many advanced topics,” said Brown. “We believe we can fill that gap.”

Students at partner schools who enroll in MSMS classes will work with MSMS faculty in real time via specialized teleconferencing equipment provided by the RUS grant. Teachers and students will be able to see and talk to one another, and partner school students will have the benefit of the experience and expertise of the world-renowned MSMS faculty. Students will also have free tutoring help available from current MSMS students.

“Teaching bright kids from all over Mississippi is what we do,” said MSMS Director for Academic Affairs Kelly Brown. “We don’t have to start from scratch. We already have the faculty and expertise here on our campus.”

While Brown is still ironing out the curriculum with help from the MSMS faculty, she said that in the fall of 2016 MSMS will offer its partner schools one math class and a science class which will either be a computer science class or an integrated science class. The school plans to add two additional classes to the curriculum each year.

“We think we can reach about 120 students at first, but the eventual reach could be in the thousands,” said Brown.

The grant will last for three years, at which time other funding sources must be found, however, MSMS is committed to seeing this project succeed and thrive.

“We exist not only for the students who choose to attend this school,” said Dr. McConnell. “But for the entire state of Mississippi. Similar to other school for mathematics and Science such as those in North Carolina and South Carolina, we are uniquiely situated to help other schools in the state provide challenging academic opportunities for high achieving students. In order to maximize the unmber of students we serve, we are working with the Mississippi Department of Education to secure funds to hire additional faculty.”

For the past several years, MSMS has focused strongly upon outreach. MSMS hosts several statewide academic competitions like the Mu Alpha Theta Math Tournament and the Middle School Science Bowl. The school also offers teacher training programs, school partnership programs, civic partnership programs, and programs like its annual Science Carnival, which are designed to get students excited about science and mathematics. During the current school year, MSMS will reach approximately 3,100 students through various outreach activities.

The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science is Mississippi’s only public, residential high school specifically designed to meet the needs of the state’s most academically gifted and talented students. Located in Columbus, Mississippi on the campus of the Mississippi University for Women, MSMS has been a national leader in STEM education since its 1987 founding. The school serves Mississippi high school juniors and seniors, and is a member of the National Consortium of Specialized STEM Schools. Regularly recognized as one of nation’s best high schools, the graduating class of 2015 alone was offered more than $21 million in academic scholarship dollars from universities all over America. MSMS has recently been singled out for its work by national publications like the Atlantic and National Public Radio. For more information about MSMS, please visit www.themsms.org.