The Executive Director of the Mississippi School for Math and Science told local Rotarians Tuesday that he expects the school to be one of the top ten high schools in the nation in coming years.
Dr. Germaine McConnell, former director of academic affairs for the school, has served as executive director since July 2013.
During his tenure with the public school, MSMS jumped from number 352 to number 57 in a poll conducted by The Daily Beast, an American news reporting and opinion website.
McConnell said he intends for the public high school to land in the top 10.
“For the last three years we have been named as one of the top high schools in America,” McConnell said. “We jumped approximately 300 spots this year…I made the statement when I first became executive director that we would be in the top 100 and I say that without blinking. And I’ll tell you this, within the next couple of years, we’ll break the top 10. I’m just that confident in our faculty, our staff but also our students.”
With 241, 11th and 12th graders from across Mississippi, McConnell said he was confident MSMS students could compete on a global scale.
“This proves that our students can compete with anybody in the world,” he said.
To back up his claim, McConnell told Rotarians that MSMS graduating seniors received almost $21 million in scholarships last year.
McConnell said MSMS students tells students, “It’s ok to be a nerd.” At MSMS, he said, “Superstar students are not athletes but winners of academic competitions and outstanding research.”
For students who may have previously felt ostracized for their ability, MSMS offers them a place to call home.
“It’s a home away from home,” McConnell said.
McConnell also touted the school’s offerings, which include numerous college prep courses, advanced math and science courses, as well as five languages. MSMS is the only school in the state that offers Russian, McConnell said.
While the students and faculty cultivate a relationship that encourages them to grow mentally, McConnell said students are also reaching out to younger students in the community, hoping to foster the same relationship.
“We’re teaching our young people to lead, not wait until they finish, we’re teaching them to take on leadership right now,” he said. “It’s not just smart kids that are being served. These are smart children who are also serving the state of Mississippi.”
Sarah Fowler covered crime, education and community related events for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.