HOT SPRINGS (ASMSA) — It may not be the cherry tree of President George Washington yore, but a tulip poplar on the campus of the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts can claim a presidential lineage.

On March 21, 1994, the Hot Springs Parks and Recreation Department planted a two-year old tulip poplar tree in recognition of Arbor Day on the lawn in front of ASMSA’s Administration Building. The tree is a descendant of a tulip poplar planted in 1785 by Washington himself at Mount Vernon, Washington’s estate in Virginia.

ASMSA’s tree was one of 60 seedlings sent to Washington namesake locations and other presidential sites from 1983 to 1998. ASMSA’s campus is known as Clinton Presidential Park. Of those seedlings, only 12 have survived.

MAGNOLIA, Ark. (SAU) – Megan Maye, Southern Arkansas University’s Mulerider, is loading up her esteemed mule, Molly Ann, to go on the road across Arkansas in celebration of SAU’s record-setting enrollment this fall.

Maye, a senior at SAU’s College of Business, is ready to ride out of her senior year with a bang. She and Molly Ann are scheduled to hit Hot Springs and Little Rock on November 13 and 14. Running alongside the Mulerider will be the award-winning video production crew at SAU, who will be filming the mascot at some of the most beautiful and recognizable locations in all of Arkansas.

SAU has one of the most unique mascots in the United States, and the Mulerider’s upcoming tour of Arkansas is representative of SAU’s broadening reach across our Natural State. In fact, SAU students represent 64 out of the state’s 75 counties. 

HOT SPRINGS — In a year where state and national ACT scores dropped across the board, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts students improved their scores.

In 2013, ASMSA students received an average composite score of 28.6, according to a report released Wednesday. The average composite score for the state was 20.2, and the national average was 20.9. Both the state and national scores dipped from the previous year. ASMSA’s score rose by almost 2 points.

The ACT is scored on a scale of 1 to 36, with 36 being the highest possible score. Students also receive scores in four individual testing areas, which are combined for the composite score. The individual testing areas are English, mathematics, reading and science.