HOT SPRINGS — Anne Greenwood, the new humanities department chair at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, is looking forward to her endeavors with the school.
Greenwood is replacing Donna Hutchison, who will retire at the end of the school year.
Greenwood has been a teacher at ASMSA since 2006.
She currently teaches four courses at the school and will continue to do so as the chair of the department.
Greenwood said that in her new position, she will develop a vision for the humanities department and will serve as a liaison for the department with the central administration.
“We are hoping to implement a new humanities emphasis, in addition to the math and science emphasis,” Greenwood said. “[The emphasis] is really one of the things that’s one of my personal missions in taking this position.”
With this new emphasis, students interested in the humanities will be given the opportunity to take more elective classes in the area, such as drama and art classes.
Greenwood is looking to “beef up” the fine arts program at the school as the humanities department chair.
“Fine arts has always sort of been underdeveloped,” Greenwood said. “We need improved facilities for [fine arts.]”
Greenwood said she would look into facility improvements before developing further course offerings.
Another aspect of the humanities Greenwood is looking to develop is integrating technology into the classroom.
“I think some sort of literacy in the building of … digital documents and websites is important to [the students’] future,” Greenwood said.
Greenwood said the technological aspect of the humanities would focus on the writing and design of a website.
One thing Greenwood said people usually don’t realize about ASMSA is that the school is a public school.
“Students don’t pay tuition to go here,” Greenwood said. “It’s open to a lot of students who otherwise couldn’t go to a school like this.”
Students can graduate from ASMSA with college credits because most of the teachers were previously professors at the collegiate level, Greenwood said.
Greenwood said she admires the humanities staff she works with and looks forward to working with them as her time with the school continues.
Staff writer Lisa Burnett can be reached at (501)244-4307 or lburnett@arkansasonline.com.