(MS)2 , Phillips Academy’s math and science program for minority students, will soon be under new leadership. Associate Head of School Rebecca Sykes recently announced the appointment of Fernando Alonso as (MS)2’s next director. Mr. Alonso will also become a full-time Instructor in Mathematics at PA. Mr. Alonso graduated from the Baldwin School in Puerto Rico as Presidential Scholar and Valedictorian, and he went on to receive his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in material science engineering. Mr. Alonso was an instructor in mathematics, computer science, chemistry, and physics at the Baldwin School and also held the position of Computer Coordinator there. He later relocated to Westtown School in Pennsylvania, where he acted as Math Department Chair, Director of Student Activities, Computer Coordinator, dorm head, and lacrosse coach. Most recently, Mr. Alonso served as Co-Chair of the Mathematics Department and dorm head for an upperclassman boys’ dorm at the Hotchkiss School. Each year (MS)2 teaches approximately 110 students of color from disadvantaged backgrounds. It is open to African-American, Hispanic, and Latino students from public schools in Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; Boston and Lawrence, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; Cleveland and Dayton, Ohio; Fort Worth, Texas; Louisville, Kentucky; Memphis, Tennessee; New York City; and Washington, D.C. The program is also available to Native American students from all across the nation, regardless of their town, state, or origins. (MS)2 selects the outstanding students from these areas to enroll in its program, which takes place over five weeks each summer. Applicants must be in the ninth grade when they apply for the program, as it requires participants to attend the program for three consecutive summers. The (MS)2 students come to Phillips Academy over the summer to be taught in math and science by members of the PA faculty.
