Parents and students interested in the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science are invited to a regional get-together on Saturday in Greenwood Leflore Hospital’s first-floor conference rooms.
Emily O’Bryant, MSMS parent adviser and regional representative, is hosting the event. She said it will be a chance for interested students to learn about the school, enter the application process and learn about summer enrichment camps the school offers each year for seventh- and eighth-graders.
Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science is a free, public, residential high school specifically designed to meet the needs of Mississippi’s most academically gifted and talented students. The 2017 graduating class was offered more than $28 million in college scholarships.
On hand at the get-together will be students from around the Delta, including Greenwood, who are currently attending the school, alumni and administrative representatives from the school.
MSMS is located on the campus of Mississippi University for Women. The school accommodates only 11th- and 12th-grade students, both boys and girls.
The Mississippi University for Women is a co-educational campus despite its name, and MSMS students live in two residence halls on the historic campus.
“I’m looking especially for ninth- and 10th-grade parents and students to come out and learn everything they can about MSMS,” O’Bryant said.
The event is for prospective, current and former students from the Delta region that comprises 10 counties, including Leflore.
“We’ll have alumni from different years who went on to Tougaloo, Mississippi State, Jackson State and the University of Southern Mississippi to explain how MSMS helped them and kept them focused on a career,” O’Bryant said.
“One of them is working on her Ph.D at MSU.”
Also on hand will be students who have been chosen as emissaries for the school, rising seniors who will help orient juniors and let them know what to expect when they arrive on campus.
The application for the competitive program is rigorous and takes place over three phases. O’Bryant has workshops starting in the fall each year, helping prospective students perfect their applications and walking families through the process.
In September, she hosts a “Super Night” in which someone from the school will come to help applicants with their applications.
Saturday’s event starts at 1 p.m., and avluncheon will be provided. O’Bryant said some 65 people came to last summer’s event and she’s hoping for more this year.
To learn more, call O’Bryant at 299-1742.
•Contact Kathryn Eastburn at 581-7235 or keastburn@gwcommonwealth.com.
