Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science Students Scores Big
Four students from a local high school have qualified for the U.S. Presidential Scholar Award, one of the most prestigious awards for academic achievement in the nation.
Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science students Dauttatreyo (Wrishi) Bandyopadhyay of Starkville; Nathan Barlow, of Starkville; Jason Necaise of Ridgeland; and Meilun Zhou of Oak Grove have been selected as candidates for the U.S. Presidential Scholar Award. Photo by: Courtesy photo
Who wouldda thunk it? The Golden Triangle of Mississippi, which is well-known throughout the Southeast for a booming industrial sector, sprawling farmlands, and tough-as-nails football players, is also home to one of the finest specialized high schools in the country. The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science (MSMS) is located on the picturesque campus of the Mississippi University for Women (MUW) in the heart of historic downtown Columbus.
Four MSMS students were selected for the Dauttatreyo (Wrishi) Bandyopadhyay of Starkville; Nathan Barlow of Starkville; Jason Necaise of Ridgeland; and Meilun Zhou of Oak Grove have been selected as candidates for the U.S. Presidential Scholar Award, which is given to up to 161 students each year. It recognizes the most distinguished graduating seniors in the nation. Factors such as high ACT and SAT test scores, academic achievement, and related considerations are taken into account.
“We celebrate this success with the home schools of (the students),” MSMS Executive Director Dr. Germain McConnell said. “Realizing we are an extension of those schools, and that they have played a significant role in the development of these students.”
MSMS itself keeps a small footprint on campus, with about 250 total students passing through its doors each year, and competition to get in is fierce. The average student ACT score is 28, and the average SAT score is 1857. Students in both grades (Junior and Senior) are work hard for their grades, taking mostly college-level courses. They are also expected to study for and re-take their ACT and SAT tests in order to improve their scores over time. The school itself has been honored, being named one of the top 25 high schools in the nation by Newsweek and the Daily Beast (#55 out of 1000), as well as one of the top 25 in the US South.
Click here for more information about MSMS: MSMS Website
Read more about the national award competition, courtesy of the Commercial Dispatch: Click here