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LIKE FATHER, LIKE SONTWO GENERATIONS OF MSMS ALUMNINext Generation: A Father and SonReflect on their MSMS ExperiencesBy Crystal Lauderdale(c/o 2000)It’s been nearly 25 years sincethe class of 1992 became thethird cohort to graduate from theMississippi School for Mathematicsand Science. Jonathan Barlow, 42,was among them. This past spring,Barlow watched his son, Nathan,17, cross the stage and become oneof MSMS’ newest alumni.for Architecture and Developmentat the National Strategic Planningand Analysis Research Center(NSPARC) at Mississippi StateUniversity. After graduating fromMSMS, he double-majored inphilosophy and political science at“The foresight of the people whostarted MSMS is now having asecond generation of effects forthe good of Mississippians,” wroteJonathan in an email interview.What was the biggest reasonyou decided to apply to andattend MSMS?JB (c/o ‘92): I happened to seethe documentary “AmericanDream at Groton” on PBS inabout 1990 . about the world ofelite, private boarding schools inthe northeast. I wanted the kindof educational opportunity that Isaw in the film. I went to the library and obtained addresses for allthose schools and wrote to them.The packets I received were allfor very expensive schools half aworld away and it seemed prettyimpossible. My mother then spottedthe advertisement for MSMS in theClarion Ledger and I couldn’t believethere was such a great opportunityright here in my home state.5“For most of Nathan’s life we livedin St. Louis,” said Jonathan, whoreturned to Mississippi with hisfamily when he was offered hiscurrent position. “It took me abouttwo minutes to realize, once I wasa Mississippian again, that Nathanshould consider MSMS.”Jonathan and Nathan, who beganhis freshman year at ColumbiaUniversity in New York this fall,together share a unique perspectiveof MSMS, experiencing the schoolas students in both its earliest yearsand its most recent. Jonathan nowknows the school from a parent’sperspective as well.Originally from Picayune, Jonathan,a software architect, mobiledeveloper and project manager forgovernment software initiatives,now lives in Starkville with hisfamily. He is the Associate DirectorIn an interview conducted via email,they share their MSMS memoriesand hopes for the school’s future.Mississippi State and went on toobtain a Master’s of Divinity fromCovenant Theological Seminaryin St. Louis, Missouri, and a Ph.D.in Historical Theology from SaintLouis University.NB (c/o ‘16): I really wanted togo to a school where my teachersdidn’t give me word searches asclasswork. I wanted a challenge.Also, the prospect of being aroundkids like me who were also reallypassionate about substantive thingssealed the deal.What do you think sets MSMSapart the most from other highschools?JB (c/o ‘92): When I went there Ifelt trusted. The teachers treatedus more like responsible learnersand not like children. The teacherswere also really experts in theirsubject areas and that was a greathelp to us. Finally, the learningcommunity was amazing - thefriendships and the learning withpeers. I remember one time thatmy friend Stuart Rubin becameinterested in the idea of makingholograms. The school helpedhim get a laser and photographicpaper to make it a reality. Also, atthe time I attended, MSMS hada computer network and a lot ofaccess to computers - somethingrare for public high schools in1990. I learned to program in the Cprogramming language, something Iused to create a cool “circuit solver”program for my physics final project.That was the foundation for mywhole career, though I didn’t know itat the time.NB (c/o ‘16): One thing a lot ofpeople don’t think of is how littleadministrative things get in theway of what matters. At my oldschool, it seemed like half of theday was dealing with having yourID badge and taking attendanceand intercoms. At MSMS, they don’tbog you down with that stuff. Theteachers, too, seem really focusedon learning and what really matters6

Very rarely did something feelextraneous or perfunctory (exceptfor the wellness grade) (To JB): How has the schoolchanged since you attended?JB (c/o ‘92): It seems a little moresheltering. We had a lot of freedomto do pretty much whatever whenwe signed out on the weekends.Maybe I’m remembering that wrong,but it did seem like Nathan wassubject to more rules The otherbig difference is mobile technologyand the Internet. I can’t imaginewhat it would be like to be a highschool student these days - accessto all the learning of humanity, abilityto find out any piece of missinginformation, etc.(To JB): In what ways is itthe same?JB (c/o ‘92): I notice that Nathanand his friends have a lot of insidejokes and that he really enjoyedthe camaraderie of the guys inthe dorm. That kind of sharedexperience generates a veryparticular kind of close friendship.It’s also the same in that Nathan’sfavorite part of the educationalaspect was the good teachers.(To JB): What were move-indays like from the parents’perspective?JB (c/o ‘92): Ha! Well, I’m notaccustomed to having teenagers7whom I don’t know handling ourluggage and clothing. Also, theelevators and facilities were a littlemore spartan than the dorm I livedin at MSMS.Any favorite memories youparticularly want to share?JB (c/o ‘92): I remember thecontest where we dropped eggsand one of my classmates, KarlRaffa, suspended the egg ina saline solution; somethingcompletely effective and moreelegant than any of the mechanicalapproaches. I remember makinga paper airplane caught by thewind that flew completely overPeyton dorm. I remember goingto YMCA Youth Legislature with ahuge MSMS contingent and ourreally dominating the competitiveaspects of it. I remember watchingJacob Bara-Scrowonek doingmathematical proofs on napkins inthe cafeteria and I remember hiskindness in staying up late with mein a bathroom in the boy’s dorm toexplain some mathematical conceptI was having trouble grasping fora test. I remember staying up latetalking about the meaning of life withGarret Comeaux, and I rememberwaking up early to watch a meteorshower with his twin brother JoelComeaux. I remember singing andplaying guitar with Stuart Rubin. Iremember hanging out with MikeChu and Brian Rubin De la Borbolla(seniors) listening to great music onMike’s beautiful stereo. I rememberskateboarding all over downtownColumbus with classmates on aSaturday in the cold weather. Iollied clean over a fire hydrant that Icleared even with my trucks; it wasa banner day. I remember dancingawkwardly in a circle with myclassmates at dances. I rememberthe time it snowed and the fun wehad. I remember all the laughingand the inside jokes. I rememberhow we’d all gather between supperand study hours in the lobby ofPeyton to watch the MTV Half-HourComedy Hour. I remember hangingout with the same circle of girls andguys all the time.NB (c/o ‘16): There are so manygreat memories, and in truth my twoyears of MSMS have been kind ofringing in my head lately, now thatit’s all over. I’m sure time will giveme clarity on what memories reallystick out. But I have a few that cometo mind at the moment. Both yearsI participated in an internationalmath modeling competition whereteams of four have 36 hours to makea mathematical model and write apaper - the perfect competition forMSMS. Especially the first year, Ifelt like we had kind of an underdogteam, but after 36 hours of laughingand being frustrated and eveninventing our own terms (“the lagcoefficient”), we ended up with apaper that ended up placing reallywell internationally. Early in my junioryear, a few guys in my class founded“Bagel Club,” which met after roomcheck once a week to eat bagels andsocialize. I remember that I wantedto get our name out there, so I editedthe Wikipedia article for “Bagel” tofeature a description of our MSMSBagel Club along with a dorky pictureof all of us in MSMS dress on thesteps of Hooper.Where did you REALLY go whenyou signed out to go off campus?JB (c/o ‘92): “Mall, movie, eaton 45” was always my standardentry on the sign-out card. Aboutas radical as I’d get was theoccasional trip over to Starkville tovisit the used CD store and listento speakers and tube amps at theaudiophile stereo store. I alwaystried to stay on the straight andnarrow because I just didn’t want toget kicked out; I loved the place.NB (c/o ‘16): For the most part, Iactually did go where I said I wasgoing. Lame, I know.Do you think a school like MSMS isimportant or even essential to thestate of Mississippi? If so, why?JB (c/o ‘92): Yes; it’s really anequalizer - helping kids in Mississippiwho have the aptitude to get aworld-class education. In my case, itexpanded my horizons, making meaware of a world of scholarship andacademic options that I didn’t evenknow existed. There are some brightkids in Mississippi who lack only theopportunity to stretch themselves Kids leave MSMS and spreadthe virtues of Mississippi all over thecountry [and] world, and many endup working and serving the people ofthe state who funded this opportunity.NB (c/o ‘16): I think an option forhigh school students like MSMS isimportant. I and a lot of my friendswould have been pretty bored—socially and academically—if MSMSweren’t what we’d spent the pasttwo years doing. There will alwaysbe some students in Mississippi whoare mature enough and ready for achallenge, and I hope that they havethe type of opportunity that I did.Do you think your education orexperience at MSMS has helped/will help you significantly in yourlife and/or career? If so, how?JB (c/o ‘92): Certainly. Just evengetting the opportunity to haveaccess to scholarships as anundergraduate allowed me tograduate from college debt-free.And even though I had goodscholarships, the C programminglanguage, that I learned at MSMS,allowed me to get a great job as anundergraduate researcher doingwork in computer graphics at whatwas then called the EngineeringResearch Center at MississippiState. I also met people from allover the state with a lot moreexperience and knowledge than Ihad about academic options.NB (c/o ‘16): I think the waysthat MSMS taught me to balanceeverything will make the transitionto college easier than it would beotherwise. Also, I’m pretty good atliving in dorms now.(To NB): If you plan on leavingMississippi for college, do youthink you’ll return at any point?Or perhaps I should say, wheredo you see yourself living andworking in 5 years? 10 years?NB (c/o ‘16): I think there’s a reallyhigh chance I’ll end up living andworking in the South, long term. Iwould like to come back.(To NB): If you have children ofyour own, would you encouragethem to attend MSMS?NB (c/o ‘16): I would, definitely.MSMS was exactly what I neededas a junior in high school, and I’msure my children will hear all thegood things I have to say aboutthe school.What are your hopes for thefuture of the school?JB (c/o ‘92): I hope that MSMScan eventually build up a goodendowment and not have the kindof uncertainty about funding thatit seems to have. As great as my8

to classmates from all three of myrelated MSMS classes - a lot of youmade impressions on me you neverknew you made.son’s experience was at MSMS, Ifeel like the residence facilities werea little more conducive to communitywhen I was there with Peyton andFant as the boys’ and girls’ dormsand being on that more attractivepart of the campus. I have so manymemories of sitting in the grass infront of Peyton, of hanging out onthe porch, and of just being proud ofhow good that dorm looked when Imoved in as a junior NB (c/o ‘16): I think there’s a lot ofpromise in the alumni association.9As the number of alumni expand,maybe MSMS could get a significantendowment going. I’d like to seewhat MSMS could do with theindependence of private money.Anything else you would liketo share?NB (c/o ‘16): A friend and I joked atMSMS that “to peak in high school”is generally not a good thing, butthat if MSMS were the peak of ourlives then that’d be acceptable. I’dlike to say thanks to the faculty andJB (c/o ‘92): One of the mostgratifying things about attendingMSMS is everything that happensafterward as you watch yourclassmates go out into theworld and do amazing things.I have classmates who designand program medical devicesembedded into human bodies those who are professors inmany different disciplines, whostarted microbreweries, who workfor companies like Oculus andlive all around the world. I alsoget to meet, in my daily work inMississippi government, othergraduates who are here in thestate, and there is an instantconnection. It’s amazing to methat something that represents anincreasingly smaller percentage ofmy life (4.8% - 2 years out of 42at this point) continues to be suchan important aspect of my life it now has a second generation ofeffects, allowing my own son to getaccess to the kind of educationalpreparation that has him going to aprestigious college . And so I justwant to say that I’m grateful to twogroups especially - the taxpayersof Mississippi who gave me andNathan this opportunity and thatsomething as bold as starting anew school on a fairly untestedmodel actually happened and haslasted this long. The second groupfor whom I’m thankful includesthe first class of students and thesecond class (my seniors); I thinkof them as these kind of pioneerswho did something really bold inconcert with a new faculty andadministration. Really “new” thingsdon’t happen that often, especiallythe creation of institutions, andso I’m grateful to the people whofunded the idea and who actuallyanswered the call to get it going.FromLab Reportsto Book Coversa Profile ofJAIMEJOHNSONClass of 2006By Owen McGuire (c/o 2005)10

From Lab Reports to Book CoversA Profile of Jaime Johnson, Class of 2006By Owen McGuire“Coming to MSMS was my first time ever leavinghome,” Jaime said about departing from her hometownof Poplarville. Jaime is a 2006 graduate of MSMS, anachievement that runs in the family. Her twin brotherJeremy was her classmate at the school, and their sisterJenny graduated in 2004.It was during the two years at MSMS that Jaime discoveredher talent for art, specifically photography. At that time, thenow-accomplished photographer was armed with a simplepoint-and-shoot camera. “I used it to document everythingaround me,” she said.Jaime acknowledges art teacher Angie Jones as a majorinfluence during her time at school. She also fondlyrecounted her love and appreciation for English teacherEmma Richardson. A project in Mrs. Richardson’s classhelped Jaime use her enthusiasm for visual arts to supporther passion for literature.While courses focusing on art and literature may seem likeappropriate sources of inspiration for visual arts, Jaimecredits the genesis of her newfound passion to an entirelydifferent department at the school.“I loved taking photos for lab reports,” she explained,referencing the step of documenting the process andresults after a science project. Jaime includes scienceteachers Dr. Bill Odom and Dr. Gil Katzenstein among herartistic inspirations. “In my classes with Dr. Odom and Dr.Katz my favorite thing to do was put together the reports,the visual stuff.”At MSMS, Jaime enjoyed the opportunity to do amentorship at a local animal clinic, which also influencedher artistic touch. “I was fascinated by the X-rays of theanimals,” she recounted. “Looking back, I’m not surprisedby the presence of animal bones in my work.”Jaime has always known she wanted to stay in Mississippi.“Mrs. Richardson asked us to interpret a piece of literature She enrolled at Ole Miss in the fall of 2006 in the artand respond to it however we wanted,” Jaime remembered. department. Jaime originally intended to pursue graphicdesign, assuming that the career options might be better. “I“I really enjoyed responding with something visual.”never stopped making photographs, but I also did not know11you could do it as a career,” she said. For the first two yearsof the program, art students work in foundational classesbefore declaring a focus. These foundations classesare where Jaime discovered her talents. “I was going todrawing class and taking my camera,” she laughed. Jaimedeclared a focus in imaging arts, and graduated from theart department in 2011.After leaving Ole Miss, Jaime pursued her Master of FineArts degree in photography at Louisiana Tech University.She developed her style over the next three years andgraduated with her MFA in 2014. “All the work I’ve madeis from that three year time, and most of it was shot inMississippi,” Jaime said. “I would go back to Poplarville,to my parents house, and take photos in the back yard.”Growing up in the country, spending time in the outdoors,has inspired most of Jaime’s work. Because of this, shesays she “thrives in a place like Mississippi.”Jaime has been busy since finishing the MFA programat Louisiana Tech. She returned to Ole Miss, where sheis an adjunct instructor in the art department, teachingthe foundations classes. Despite being a self-proclaimedhomebody, Jaime has spent the past three summers teachinghigh school students at the Maine Media Workshops.In 2014, Jaime was contacted by a publishing house inIreland that was interested in using one of her images for abook cover. Her photograph Spine is now the cover imageof a republished version of the 1870 Austrian novel Venusin Furs. “It is really neat to be associated with another worklike that,” Jaime said, reaffirming her appreciation for herformer art and literature teachers at MSMS. In spring of2017, her self-portrait She Rests in Flowers will be usedas the cover of a book of poetry titled The Virginia StateColony for Epileptics and Feebleminded by Molly McCullyBrown, a current MFA student at Ole Miss.MSMS was more preparation for life as an artist than justart classes, literature projects, mentorships and lab reports.“People think of art as fun, but it’s also a lot of work andlate hours,” Jaime said. “The rigorous academic culture atMSMS helped prepare me for a rigorous art career.”“Engineers stay up late, but artists do, too,” she laughed.A collection of Jaime’s work will be featured as part of the Mississippi Invitational. Theexhibition opens December 2016 at the Mississippi Museum of Art. You can see moreof Jaime's work at: http://www.jaimejphotography.com/12

ARE YOU A NERD mdove/The cyanotype process shifts focus from potentially colorful landscapes and figuresto patterns, textures and the relationships of forms within the images. Tea-staining theprints dulls the blue and adds warmth. Printing on Japanese Kitakata paper, whichis prone to ripping, tearing and wrinkling, reflects the deterioration of nature andgives the prints a feeling of fragil

The MSMS Foundation's Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Mississippi Secretary of State 12/10/1990 - The MSMS Foundation was recognized by the IRS as a 501c3 nonprofit. 9/25/1996 - The MSMS Foundation Board was reinvigorated. 8/20/1998 - The Foundation held assets of 4/23/2008 - HB 513 was signed into law requiring MSMS .