November 2014 - The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science

THE MISSISSIPPI SCHOOL FOR MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE
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2014 Fall
Preview Day
Volume One Issue Nine November 2014
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MDE RECOGNIZES MSMS
AS ONE OF AMERICA’S
BEST HIGH SCHOOLS
MSMS PROFS INDUCTED
TO THE MS HALL OF
MASTER TEACHERS
Veteran MSMS teachers Dr. Bill Odom (left) and Dr. Scott Curtis (right) will soon be inducted in to the Mississippi
Hall of Master Teachers.
Pictured above: MDE Chariman Dr. John Kelly, Assistant Director of Residential Llife LaToya Bledsoe, Executive Director Dr. Germain McConnell, MSMS Alumnus Brandon Bogel, State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carey
Wright, and former MSMS Executive Director Charles Brown.
O
n Friday, October 17, a special ceremony held by
the Mississippi Department of Education in Jackson formally recognized the accomplishment made
by the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science for being named one of the best high schools in America.
MSMS was represented by MSMS Executive Director Dr.
Germain McConnell, MSMS Alumnus Brandon Bogle (Class of
2014), Assistant Director for Residential Life LaToya Bledsoe,
MSMS faculty member Emma Richardson, and former Executive Director Charles Brown.
“This ranking is not the result of one individual alone,” said
Dr. McConnell. “Rather it is a testament of the work of our
students, our faculty members, our staff members, our constituents, our alumni, and everyone who is a part of the MSMS
family.”
Several dignitaries from MDE were also in attendance,
including Mississippi State Superintendent of Education Dr.
Carey Wright.
MSMS was recently singled out by the Daily Beast as one of
the top 100 high schools in America. The publication surveyed
more than 20000 high schools to make its list of the top 1000
American high schools. MSMS was ranked as number 57 in
the nation, and number 23 in the Southeast. MSMS has been
2
October 2014
ranked by the publication for the past three years, but jumped
nearly 300 spots this year.
The rankings are based upon a combination of standardized
test scores, college matriculation, and graduation rates. MSMS
currently has an average ACT score of 27, which is nearly seven
points higher than the national average.
Although jubilant over the attention and the recognition, Dr.
McConnell was quick to point out that no one had any intention
of resting on his or her laurels.
“Now that we have broken the top 100, our next focus is to
be named among the top ten high schools in the country,” he
said. “And we will get there in the next few years.”
The Daily Beast named MSMS as
the 57th best high school in America
and the 23rd best high school in the
American Southeast. MSMS rose in
the rankings this year more than 300
spots, and is the only Mississippi high
school to be included in the publication’s rankings.
M
SMS would like to congratulate two long-serving
professors who have recently found that they will
both be inducted into the Mississippi Hall of Master Teachers. Dr. Scott Curtis and Dr. Bill Odom
found out about the impending honor during their classes on
Nov. 3 of this year.
Dr. Curtis has been teaching at MSMS since 1994, he teaches
several literature, philosophy and history classes. He holds a
Ph.D. in English from the University of Alabama.
Dr. Bill Odom has been at the school since 1996 and teaches
several biology and ecology courses. Dr. Odom holds a Ph.D.
in plant physiology and photosyenthises from Lousinana State
University.
Congratulations to both Dr. Curtis and Dr. Odom as they
take their place among the very best Mississippi educators.
MEET KASSIE BROOKS
W
MSMS Foundation Director of Opperations, Kassie Brooks.
ithout the support of the
MSMS Foundation, MSMS
might not be able to survive. To help the organization flourish, the Foundation recently
hired as its new Director of Operations,
Mrs. Kassie Brooks.
Mrs. Brooks, who hails from Amory,
Mississippi, is excited to begin her work
at MSMS.
“I’ve only been here a short time and
I’m so pleased to be working to make
sure that all bright students in this state
can have this opportunity to look forward too,” she said.
Kassie comes to the school after
spending several years working for
Toyota.
Brooks will be responsible for raising
funds for the MSMS Foundation and
executing the wishes of the organization’s
board of directors.
“We are really excited about Kassie,”
said MSMS Foundation President Cindy
Henderson. “We strongly believe she will
help us take the Foundation to the next
level and thus better fulfill its mission of
supporting the mission and students of
MSMS.
October 2014
3
ights
S
&
S
ounds
of Mississippi
Band Geeks
Rockin’ the State
T
he birth of American
music, it could be argued, happened in the
state of Mississippi.
From blues, to rock, to country, all
the great musical stylings unique
to this America have their origin
The Blue Notes pay their respects at the grave of blues legend
stories in at the foothills of Appala- Robert Johnson in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
chia and in the Mississippi Delta.
The versatile and incredibly talented
members of the MSMS Blue Notes
discovered this history after traveling
across the state of Mississippi on the
school’s annual Sights and Sounds
of Mississippi tour. “Our students
come from all over Mississippi,” said
MSMS music instructor and Sights
MSMS music director, Dawn Barham being interviewed by WCBI
and Sounds organizer Dawn BarNews reporter Joey Barnes just before the band hits the road.
ham.
all over the Delta.
sissippi. This year, the tour
for a guitar signed by Sir
“We want our students to
become citizens of the entire
state, and that means gaining an understanding of what
has been accomplished here.
In Mississippi, the musical
tradition runs so strong that
we want to make sure our
students not only appreciate it,
but are intimately aware of it.”
With that in mind, over the
past six years, students who
are involved with the MSMS
music program are taken on
a tour of the state of Mis-
6
October 2014
focused on the Mississippi
Delta region.
Fifty-five students spent
four days running up and
down the basin of the Mississippi River. They went as far
north as Memphis, Tennessee
and as far south as Indianola.
“We got to see Graceland,”
said one student. “Not only
that, but we actually got to
play a show at Graceland!
That was a truly incredible
experience.”
The students played shows
“That’s the biggest difference between band here and
band at my old school,” said
another student. “At my old
school, the only band trips
you went on were to competitions. Here, we’re playing real
gigs at real venues.”
Sights and Sounds is not
a cheap trip to make, and to
help cover the cost, Barham
has been auctioning off musical memorabilia for the past
four years.
“This year we had a raffle
Elton John,” said Barham.
“We ended up raising nearly
$11,000!”
The trip culminated in
Greenwood, where the trip
was celebrated with a picnic
in an area park. The picnic
was organized by the MSMS
PLUS organization and
spearheaded by Greenwood
resident and MSMS supporter,
Mrs. Emily O’Bryant.
Thanks to everyone who
helped make this year’s Sights
and Sounds tour so succesful.
Popular Tunes, the Memphis Rock
and Roll museum welcomed MSMS.
Tori Pruett, of Southaven and the rest of the
Blue Notes look to Ms. Barham to lead.
Kimya Jambi, of Starkville, belts out an incredibly moving version of Hank
Williams’ classic, “Im So Lonesome I Could Cry.”
October 2014
7
haring
The
Future
Ted Blaney, Class of 1994
Originally from Starkville, went to Virginia Tech for a BS in aerospace engineering. While
there he workedwith Pratt & Whitney, developing the engine for the F-35 Joint Strike
Fighter. After graduating in 1999, he went to work blowing things up as part of the Lethality and Vulnerability Assessment branch for the Air Force Research Lab Munitions Directorate. After a brief detour to get an MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of
Florida, Mr. Blaney moved on to the Washington, DC, area as a contractor supporting the
Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) Hard Target Defeat branch, where he helped design weapons Currently, Mr. Blaney helps the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) understand
and defeat Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Mattie Clay, Class of 2004
Orignally from McLain, MS, Clay attended Greene County High School before MSMS.
She attended Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa and completed an undergraduate in physics in 2008. During undergrad, Mattie conducted research at the University of Chicago
in the Physics Research Experience for Undergraduates Program in the semiconductor
field. Mattie’s training with Dennis Reed at MSMS destined her to make history at Grinnell
College as one of the first African American women to earn a B.A. in physics at Grinnell College. She then taught high school math and physics and worked as a retail banker before
deciding to go to law school in 2010. Mattie returned to Iowa to earn her Juris Doctor at
the University of Iowa College of Law.
Nick Cotton, Class of 1999
Nick Cotton explains what it takes to be an engineer at Disney World to a group of MSMS students.
O
ne of the most remarkable,
yet misunderstood, benefits
of attending the Mississippi
School for Mathematics and
Science is the vast network of successful
professionals a student becomes a part of
upon graduating from the school. MSMS
has been around for more than 25 years,
after all, and in that time many of her
graduates have gone on to forge impressive careers in all fields imaginable.
However, because MSMS is only a
two-year program, the living memory of
the school relatively brief, and connecting
alumni with current students has always
been a challenge, until this year.
During the first ever Reunion Weekend, during which the reunions for the
MSMS Classes of 1994, 1999, and 2004
were held, a series of Alumni Seminars
8
October 2014
were planned for the current MSMS
students.
“When we came up with the idea for
the seminars, we didn’t have any idea
what kind of response we could expect,”
said Reunion Coordinator Wade Leonard. “But we quickly found that the
interest in the alumni to engage with the
students was huge. Moreover, the interest
the students had in engaging with the
alumni was equally powerful.”
Eight alumni from the four classes
represented were chosen to speak about
their lives post-MSMS. The topics of the
seminars ranged from medicine to video
game creation to patent law to applied
mathematics.
Students were allowed to choose
which seminars they were most interested
in, and all the seminars were very well
attended.
“This was really fun,” said seminar
speaker and MSMS grad Nick Cotton
after the seminars ended. “I haven’t been
back to campus in more than ten years,
and it feels really good to be able to share
some of the stuff I would have liked to
know with this group.”
Cotton is a former Disney engineer
and currently owns the fastest growing
seller of Disney vacations in the world.
“I can’t get over the response we had
from the alumni,” said Leonard. “Folks
from all over the world attended this
event, and we actually found ourselves
having to turn away some people.”
We would like to thank all those who
helped make this reunion event a success.
Mr. Cotton is the owner and founder of DVC Resale Market, which is the fastest growing reseller of Disney Vacation Clubs in the world. From 2004-2008, Mr. Cotton was an
engineer for Disney. He worked on projects for Disney World, Disney Paris, and the Disney
Land Cruise Line. Mr. Cotton spoke to students about his time as an engineer for Disney and
how that led him toward becoming a successful real estate entrepreneur. Mr. Cotton is
originally from Columbus, Mississippi. He attended Mississippi State University after MSMS
where he earned a degree in Industrial Engineering.
Dr. Woods Curry, Class of 2004
Dr. Woods is a flight physician for the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. His job
is to be dispatched via helicopter to medical emergencies and save lives in the skies. Dr.
Curry spoke about what it ish like to be a doctor in a helicopter. Originally from Woodville,
Mississippi, Dr. Woods attended Millsaps College after MSMS where he earned degrees in
Chemistry and Religious Studies. He later attended the University of Mississippi Medical
Center where he received his MD.
October 2014
9
Dr. Atif Haque, Class of 1994
Dr. Atif Haque is a neurosurgeon and partner at the Fort Worth Brain and Spine Institute
in Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Haque will talk about how he made the decision to enter medicine
and eventually neurosurgery and how he got to where he is today. He also plans to talk a
bit about neurosurgery itself and answer any questions you might have. Originally from
Vicksburg, Dr. Haque attended Duke University upon graduating from MSMS where he
earned a degree in Biomedical Engineering. He later attended the University of Mississippi
Medical Center where he received his MD. Dr. Haque received his surgical training and neurosurgery specialization in Texas at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Dr. Aziz Khanfiar, Class of 1994
Dr. Aziz Khanifar, an ophthalmologist, spoke about retinal causes of blindness, the training involved in becoming a retina surgeon, and current and future treatment of retinal
disease. Dr. Khanifar, grew up in Clinton, Mississippi, and attended Clinton High School
prior to coming to MSMS. After graduating with the Class of 1994, he received a Bachelor of Engineering degree with Honors in Biomedical Engineering and a minor in Spanish
from Vanderbilt University in 1998. He then attended the Keck School of Medicine of the
University of Southern California and graduated with a Doctor of Medicine degree in 2002.
His post-graduate training consisted of a residency in Ophthalmology at the Vanderbilt Eye
Institute, a fellowship in Medical Retina and Research at the Duke Eye Center, and a fellowship in Vitreoretinal Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College.
fall
preview day
Corey Rogers, Class of 1999
For the past six years, Mr. Corey Rogers has worked as a software engineer for Microsoft’s Xbox Division. He has worked on projects that include Viva Pinata, Forza 2, Netflix,
Twitch and game DVR. After graduating from MSMS, Mr. Rogers received degrees in
Computer Science and Game Design from Jackson State University and Full Sail University
respectively. He worked as a lab instructor for C++ and Windows Programing at Full Sail
before contracting on what would become known as Bing for Microsoft.
More than 300 people traveled to Columbus, Mississippi for Fall
Preview Day.
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Sam Watson, Class of 2004
am Watson grew up in Oxford and went to North Delta School in Batesville prior to attending MSMS. He majored in Mathematics, Physics, and Classics at Ole Miss, and in 2009
he received a Gates Cambridge scholarship to go to the University of Cambridge for a master’s in math. Since 2010 he has been working toward a PhD in mathematical probability at
MIT. He will graduate in December of 2014 and begin a postdoctoral research position at
Brown University in February 2015.
Preview Day attendees tour Hooper for the first time.
10
October 2014
Current students share MSMS stories.
October 2014
11
Student Spotlight
Alumni Spotlight
Mattie Clay
M
attie Clay is
a registered
patent attorney
and class of
2004 alum. Her hometown is
McLain, MS, and she attended
Greene County High School
before coming to MSMS.
Mattie spent a year at Millsaps
College in Jackson, MS before
going to Grinnell College in
Grinnell, Iowa to complete
an undergraduate in physics
in 2008. During undergrad,
Mattie conducted research at
the University of Chicago in
the Physics Research Experience for Undergraduates
Program in the semiconductor
field. Mattie’s training with
Dennis Reed at MSMS destined her to make history at
Grinnell College as one of the
first African American women
to earn a B.A. in physics at
Grinnell College. She then
taught high school math and
physics and worked as a retail
banker before deciding to go
to law school in 2010. Mattie
returned to Iowa to earn her
Juris Doctor at the University
of Iowa College of Law.
While in law school, Mattie interned in the Office of
General Counsel at Rockwell
Collins Inc., examined patent applications through the
Patent Examiner Externship
12
October 2014
Program at the United States
Patent and Trademark Office,
and assessed new ventures for
patentability and marketability
as an intern at the University
of Iowa Research Foundation. Mattie also conducted
patent searches, analysis,
and application drafting in
the medical device field as a
member of the Iowa Medical
Innovation Group. During
her law school tenure, Mattie
also served on the executive
boards for the University of
Iowa Moot Court and the
Black Law Students Association.
Mattie now works as a
patent attorney at Foley &
Lardner LLP in Milwaukee,
WI. As a patent attorney,
Mattie has drafted utility
patent applications for technological innovations in a variety
of areas, including financial
systems, software applications, engine systems, in-flight
entertainment systems, and
vehicle components. Mattie
also has experience drafting appeal and reply briefs to
the Patent Trial and Appeal
Board, responding to Office
Actions, and conducting IP
due diligence for clearance
projects, patent sales, and IP
acquisition projects.
Emoree Heiselt
M
Name: Mattie Clay
Grad Year: Class of 2004
Hometown: McClain, Mississippi
Home School: Greene County High
School
College: Grinnell College
Current Job: Patent Attorney
SMS senior
Emoree Heiselt,
of Starkville, has
had one dream
since she was a little girl and
that is to become a Disney
Imagineer.
“I am a Disney kid,” she
said. “ I was born in California and until we moved to
Mississippi six years ago, I
went to Disneyland and everything Disney all the time.
I wanted to know where the
magic came from, and that’s
when I found out about Disney Imagineers, and I knew
from then that that is what I
wanted to be.”
Emoree is the daughter of
Eric and April Heiselt. Before
coming to MSMS, Emoree
was a student at Starkville
High School.
Outside of her regular
classes, Emoree is involved
with several MSMS clubs
and organizations, including:
Robotics, Physics Club, Do
Something Club, Social Justice Club, Spanish club, Soccer, Model Security Council,
Junior Class Officers (Advisor), and band.
“Band here is interesting,” she said. “It’s not like
your usual bands at high
school, because the instru-
ments change every year. Ms.
Barham does an amazing job
organizing it fresh every year.
I’m a bassoonist, and I’ve
never gotten the chance to
play much rock or jazz, but I
did this year.”
Emoree recently returned
with the rest of the MSMS
Blue Notes on their Sights and
Sounds tour of Mississippi.
“That’s another way MSMS
band is different,” she said.
“Most band trips are to football games or competitions,
but we actually booked and
played gigs in towns all over
the state. And Ms. Barham really wants us to learn, too. We
went to the Blues Museum in
Clarksdale and the Rock-andRoll Museum in Memphis.”
While Emoree is certainly
involved in several extracurricular activites, she does
focus on her academics. She
says her favorite class she’s
been able to take at MSMS
has been AP Biology with Ms.
Wagner.
“I was never super interested in Biology, but I feel
like after taking Ms. Wagner’s
class, I’ve learned nearly
everything about the subject,”
she said. “We even got to do
one cool experiment where
we used Gatorade to isolate
and take samples of our own
DNA. It’s that kind of thing
that really makes me love this
school.”
Focusing on her dream of
making cool stuff for Disney,
Emoree has been heavily involved in the MSMS research
program. During her junior
and senior years, she worked
in a lab at Mississippi State
University researching new
methods of creating biofuels.
Upon graduation, Emoree
wants to attend either the
University of Omaha, Nebraska or Renesselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New
York. Both programs, she
says, are noted for their civil
and architectural engineering
programs. Either of which
would put Emoree in a great
position to attain her Imagineering goal.
More importantly, at least
right now, she says MSMS
has wprepared her beyond
anything she ever thought
possible.
“I’ve learned here that even
though I’m just a high school
student, I have so much more
potential than I ever thought,”
she said. “I have so much
access to opportunity here.
Even the networking opportunities with all the alumni
who have come through this
place make MSMS a great
place to go. If you really want
to learn and expand your academic horizions, you should
come to this school.”
October 2014
13
Selection Committee
Application Available
T
he Mississippi
School for Mathematics and Science
is currently recruiting people to be a part of our
next student selection process.
If you or someone you know
is interested in being a part of
this important process, please
visit www.themsms.org and
click on the Selection Committees box at the bottom of
the homepage.
We are looking for individuals who wish to serve on
the Application Review Com-
mittee and the Interview Day
Committtee.
We are looking for people
from all walks of life to serve
on these committees. While
we do need several educators, no experience is required
to be a part of the selection
process. Alumni, parents of
students, and anyone who has
any interest in MSMS at all is
encouraged to apply to serve.
For more information, visit
the website, or contact Spike
Harris at sharris@themsms.
org.
Happy
Thanksgiving
from MSMS!
W
e at MSMS, hope you have a safe and happy
Thanksgiving holiday! As the holiday season
gets in full swing, don’t forget that the application for admission to the Class of 2017 is due on
February 14, 2015. That might seem like a long way off, but the
deadline will be here before you know it! If you are a sophomore, don’t waste time! Use the tme you have off from school
to spend some time working on and polishing up your application.
Even though the holidays are upon us, the Admissions Office will continue checking our email and answering any and all
of your questions about MSMS. You can shoot us an email at
apply@themsms.org if you need any help!
www.themsms.org
14
October 2014