January 10, 2022
Welcome Back!
Dear ASMS Community,

Happy New Year, and welcome back! I know I speak for all the faculty and staff when I say that being back with our students is the best way we could start 2022. I am looking forward to all that is ahead, and I know we will make the most of our last few months in this school year.

Before the start of the 2021 - 2022 school year, the Leadership Team and I spent time at a planning retreat together. Some of you may remember me sharing that one of the things we talked about was the concept of "Deep Optimism." I shared a quote by Winston Churchill: "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

I first want to thank each of you for how you exhibited Deep Optimism from August to December. Our world is facing many challenges right now, but I saw the ASMS community remain resilient and committed to one another as well as the education of our students. I also want to invite us all to do the same in the coming months. Although we do not know what lies ahead, may we remain deeply optimistic and try to find the opportunities in whatever we face. It is an honor to serve you as ASMS President, and I will be here to support each of you however I can.

I wish you all an outstanding rest of winter term!

John Hoyle, Ph.D.
ASMS President
Announcements
Just One Bite
Tomorrow's assembly on Tuesday, January 11 will feature ASMS alumnus Dr. Titus Barik (ASMS Class of 2000) who is a Research Scientist with Apple and member of Apple's Machine Intelligence Team.
Something Special
Here on the ASMS website you will find the 2022 Special Projects course listings. Special Projects Week will begin on Monday, February 14, 2022 through Friday, February 18, 2022. Sign-up for seniors will be on Wednesday, January 12.
Student Updates and Opportunities
What's Going On?
Students - You can now see a calendar of "what's happening" each week on the All School Team. It's located in the tabs at the top of the Team. It's also linked here: Student Events Calendar                  
Polar Bear Plunge
Polar Bear Plunge is an annual event held by the SGA where students jump into or swim in the pool one day in January. Students -- if you will be participating in SGA's Polar Bear Plunge, be sure to have your parent or guardian fill out the permission slip on the dashboard.
Around the ASMS Community
ASMS Students Place 3rd In AL Gold Tier Open Category Of The CyberPatriots XIV State Round!
Congratulations to the ASMS CyberPatriot's team, CyberDragons2 - Adam Amissah, Ajay Wallack, Christian McKinnon, James Weaver, and Taryn Faris - who placed 3rd in the Alabama Gold Tier Open Category and will proceed to the CyberPatriot XIV semifinal competition!

This year, three ASMS teams qualified to compete in the top two tiers of CyberPatriot's XIV State Round:
CyberDragons: Liz Womble, Oscar Presnall, Asher McMillan, Kevin Chen, and Abigail Burnett. Platinum tier

CyberDragons2: Adam Amissah, Ajay Wallack, Christian McKinnon, James Weaver, and Taryn Faris. Gold tier

CyberDragons3: Quinn Dolbeare, Lilac Herman, Zach Desmond, Patrick Decker, Tuyako Khristofarova, Abigail Saalwaechter. Gold tier
ASMS Alumna, Dr. Amber Gordon, featured in Mobile Bay Magazine's Class of 40 Under 40!
Congratulations to Dr. Amber Gordon (Class of 2000) on being named to Mobile Bay's 2022 Class of 40 Under 40! Dr. Gordon is a Neurosurgeon and the Director of the Infirmary Health Neuroscience Center of Excellence, Infirmary Neurosurgery. She will also be serving as the chairwoman of the ASMS capital campaign to raise funds for the Dr. Edward O. Wilson Science Research Center. Click below to read her full 40 Under 40 feature!

*Photo Credit: Mobile Bay Magazine
Progress!

We spy progress on the ASMS Outdoor Classrooms! The yellow campus bricks came in this week and are being installed.

Check out our ASMS Instagram or Facebook page for more photos!
Stop Motion Mitosis
Check out this stop motion video modeling cellular reproduction for mitosis! It was made by students in Dr. Domangue's Winter Term Honors Bio class!
Get Outside
Mr. Dolbeare’s AP Environmental Science class took their last field trip of the year in Dec. to Medal of Honor park in West Mobile. Students collected soil samples for later use and learned first hand the importance of urban parks.They then tested the samples for types of matter and several chemical properties.
ASMS Senior Sam Graham featured in Dumas Wesley Newsletter
Bio Holiday Cheer
The bio department and Felix the turtle wrapped up the holiday season with festivity!
Practice Makes Perfect
Anatomy and Physiology Students practice suturing!
Resources
ASMS Directory: View it here.
Organizational Chart: View it here.
ASMS School Calendar: View it here.
IT or Maintenance Help Ticket: Submit a ticket.
To have your dates featured in Dragon News, e-mail amcmaken@asms.net