Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology

The Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology (GSMST) is a public special school in Lawrenceville, Georgia, United States, and a part of Gwinnett County Public Schools. Students are admitted through a county-wide lottery, whose participants, since the school dropped its charter status in 2016, must meet multiple requirements.[2] It features a heavy focus on project-based STEM education. Its rigorous course and high student graduation rate make it one of the most prestigious high schools in the state.[3][4]

The Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology
Location
970 McElvaney Lane
Lawrenceville, Georgia 30044
United States

United States
Coordinates33°57′11″N 84°03′37″W
Information
TypeSpecial public (formerly charter public)
MottoInfinite Possibilities
Established2006
School districtGwinnett County Public Schools
PrincipalIV Bray
Grades9-12
Enrollment1,098 (2018-19)[1]
Campus typeSuburban
Color(s)   Gray and blue
Websitegsmst.org

GSMST is notable for its focus on technology. Through a contract with Lenovo, every student is assigned a laptop with pre-installed software such as AutoCAD, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Premiere Pro. Teachers and students have access to school-wide SMART boards and overhead LCD projectors.

History

The school was chartered in March 2006 by the Gwinnett County Board of Education through SPLOST and opened in the fall of 2007. It was temporarily housed on the Duluth High School campus, but building 100 began in 2007 as a separate school from Duluth High School. Renovations updated and modernized 18 classrooms and offices, and GSMST moved to its permanent location in 2010 at the geographic center of Gwinnett County, near Sugarloaf Parkway and Old Norcross Road, the former site of Benefield Elementary School. The new building is designed for a maximum of 1,200 students. The school is adjacent to the Maxwell High School of Technology.

In 2016, GSMST was awarded the Blue Ribbon Award.[5]

Courses

The school offers high-level courses that challenge students, including numerous Advanced Placement courses. Freshman coursework includes Honors and Gifted Chemistry, Honors and Gifted Physics, Accelerated Integrated Algebra, Accelerated Integrated Geometry, Accelerated Integrated Precalculus, Honors and Gifted Language Arts, Fundamentals of Engineering I, Foreign Language (Chinese I, German I, Spanish I, and Spanish II), and one elective class. Some of these courses are taught on a block schedule, allowing students to earn up to nine Carnegie units in ninth grade. The main focus of the school is mathematics, science, and technology, but other subjects are also taught at the highest levels available. Each course is designed to integrate content from other courses into its own lessons to demonstrate the history and practical applications of each course. Notably, there are no Title 1 Sports at GSMST.

Extracurriculars

Updated August 27th, 2017 (Through verification with current club leaders)

Academic World Quest

GSMST Team "A" placed first in the Georgia Academic World Quest Competition, and placed in the top 10 out of 39 teams in the national competition in Washington D.C.

Chinese Club

GSMST Chinese Club explores Chinese culture through fun activities such as crafts and food. Members can also enjoy a variety of games on "Game Day" such as ping pong, Mahjong, and Chinese Checkers. Food meetings are widely loved as members can create his or her own portion. Everything, from scallion pancakes to tang yuan, can be made throughout the academic year. GSMST Chinese Club bubble tea sales are well-known as many students enjoy the many different tea flavors offered. This club is a good way to learn about other cultures and ethnicities. The profit from these sales go to organizations and charities in Taiwan and China.

Debate Team

 
The following is a list of awards received by members of the debate team.
2009-2010 school year
Debate format Ranking(s)/results Location
Lincoln Douglas 1st and 2nd Johns Creek Tournament
Lincoln Douglas 4th Chattahoochee Tournament
Lincoln Douglas 2nd alternate Qualifying tournament to the National Championship
Lincoln Douglas 1st varsity and 1st novice Fayetteville Classic

Infinity News Network

The Infinity News Network is a morning show which is created and managed by the GSMST Digital Media Club. The show announces upcoming events and notices, and contains occasional messages from the principal.

Math Team

GSMST placed first in the sophomore division, second in the junior division, third in the freshman division, and second overall in the GAME competition.

Five GSMST students made it to the semi-final round of the Georgia Tech Math Competition.

Model United Nations

GSMST won the overall conference award for Best Foreign Policy at the Southern US Model UN conference at Emory University. Three GSMST students received individual recognition as Best Delegates for their individual committees.

GSMST students won 12 of 28 possible awards at the UGA MUN competition.

At the 2013 KSUMUN[6] Conference, GSMST students won the Best Outstanding Delegate Award representing Qatar in the Economics and Social Council committee and a Best Position Paper award representing Qatar in the World Health Organization committee.

The GSMST Model United Nations team relies on their official website[7] to display announcements and achievements. The team also uses the website to educate fellow delegates and peers about international relations and foreign policy.

Robotics Club

VEX

Year Team(s) Award(s)
2018-2019 675A Design Award

Georgia State Championship Tournament Semifinalist

675B Design Award (2)

Judges Award

Georgia State Championship Design Award

Georgia State Championship Tournament Semifinalist

675C
675D
675E
675F
2013-2014 675A
675B
675C
675D Georgia State Championship Tournament Semifinalist
675E Georgia State Championship Tournament Robot Skills Winner, Semifinalist
5th Annual GSMST VRC Qualifier Tournament Champion
2011-2012 ? World Championship Judges Award

World Championship Team Educational Award Winner

Tournament Champion (3)

Judges Award (2)

Excellence Award (3)

Design Award

Robot Skills Challenge Winners (2)

Programming Skills Challenge Winner

World Championship Energy Award

FTC

Year Team(s) Award(s)
2012-2013 3819 Georgia State Finalist Alliance
2011-2012 ? Qualifying Tournament Winning Alliance

Think Award

Inspire Award

GA Championship Winning Alliance Award

2010-2011 2993 Georgia State Championship - Winning Alliance
? Think Award (2)

Innovate Award

GA Championship Motivate Award

GA Championship FTC Design Award

Attended 2011 FIRST World Championship

2009-2010 ? GA State Championship Tournament Think Award
2008-2009 ? GA Championship Tournament Winning Alliance Award

Tennessee Championship Tournament Think Award

2007-2008 ? Georgia State Championship Winning Alliance

FRC (Disbanded)

Year Team(s) Award(s) Notes
2013-2014 3318 Peachtree Regional Finalist
Attended 2014 FIRST World Championship Worlds

Record: 7-3

Seed: 24th

Attended GRITS (Georgia Robotics Invitational and Technology Showcase) Seed: 1st
2010-2011 3318 Rookie All Star Award The most prestigious award a rookie team can receive.
Attended 2010 FIRST World Competition

ROV (Disbanded)

Year Team(s) Award(s)
2012-2013 ? Most Innovative Design
2011-2012 ? Most Innovative Design

Science Olympiad

GSMST has finished in first place at their regional tournament every year since 2011, and finished second at the State Tournament (thus qualifying for the National Tournament) every year from 2011 through 2014.[8]

Press
The GSMST building in July, 2011

The school was featured in the Atlanta Journal Constitution on October 2, 2007.[9] Six years after their debut in the AJC, the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology students and administration brought the school to a remarkable position as one of the top three best high schools in the United States, reported by US News,[10] along with the School for the Talented and Gifted in Dallas, Texas, and BASIS Tucson in Tucson, Arizona. Aside from an outstanding national ranking, GSMST is also recognized as the top high school in Georgia. The US News article was also referenced in an article on the Huffington Post webpage.[11]

In U.S. News & World Report's 2014 Best High Schools in the US, GSMST maintained its 3rd-place position for the second consecutive year.[12] The school also rose from its #198 position in the top STEM schools of America to #20. The school is still recognized as the top high school in Georgia, with a college-readiness index of 100, as reported by US News. Shortly before US News' annual high school ranking publication, the Washington Post listed GSMST as the 17th most challenging high school in the US.[13]

U.S. News & World Report ranked GSMST as the fourth best public high school in the United States in 2015.[14]

U.S. News & World Report ranked GSMST as the thirty-fifth best public high school in the United States in 2017.

U.S. News & World Report ranked GSMST as the thirty-third best public high school in the United States in 2018.

U.S. News & World Report ranked GSMST as the sixth best public high school in the United States in 2019.

GSMST has been the most highly regarded and ranked school in Georgia for several years now. During the year of 2016, the ranking officials, by accident, left out GSMST in top Georgia School Rankings.

Although GSMST would still be regarded as the best school in Georgia, the ranking officials refused to move down the ranking chart, so they were tied in first place with Columbus High School.

In 2016, GSMST was also rewarded with a Blue Ribbon Award.

References
  1. "Gwinnett School of Mathematics- Science and Technology". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  2. http://getschooled.blog.myajc.com/2016/01/12/no-longer-a-charter-gwinnett-school-of-mathematics-science-and-technology-will-require-algebra-for-admission/
  3. http://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/these-are-georgia-top-public-schools-according-new-ranking/0W1mVgvxuC0XeqOXMUdNLM/
  4. https://k12.niche.com/rankings/public-high-schools/best-overall/
  5. http://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/
  6. KSUMUN
  7. https://sites.google.com/site/gsmstmun/
  8. https://scioly.org/wiki/index.php/Gwinnett_School_of_Mathematics,_Science,_and_Technology
  9. Diamond, Laura (2007-10-07). "Challenging charter; Students pile up credits quickly in new math-science-tech school". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Government Innovators Network. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  10. "Best High Schools for 2013". US News & World Report. Kerry F. Dyer. 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  11. Sheehy, Kelsey (2007-10-07). "The Best Public High Schools: 2013 U.S. News Ranking". The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  12. "Best High Schools for 2014". US News & World Report. Kerry F. Dyer. 2014-04-22. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
  13. "America's Most Challenging High Schools". The Washington Post. Katharine Graham. 2014-04-22. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
  14. "Best High Schools for 2015". U.S. News & World Report. Kerry F. Dyer. 2015-04-22. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
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