Help me help us

So. . .I’m curious. . .if you all could redesign the MSMS website, what would you want it to look like? How could you make sure that the site’s content remains strong? Are there school websites that you think are exemplary?

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30 Responses to Help me help us

  1. Kamal Bhalla says:

    If I could redesign the MSMS website, there is not that much I would change. To be frank, I was amazed when I saw the website for the first time, because compared to my old school, it was aesthetically beautiful. But I do suppose having the search bar where one can see it quicker would help better, rather than having it all the way down….but besides that I think that our MSMS website is one of the best school websites I have personally ever seen.

  2. Devon M says:

    I think that the website looks great, but it would be cool to have a student life tab. In the student life, the website could show pictures of what students have taken (approved by faculty of course) to be displayed for prospective applicants. I know there was one “the life of an MSMS student” video that I watched before I applied, but it would be cool for that to be done again with different people to show the different types of lives that can be lived at MSMS.

  3. Landry Filce says:

    I believe that the replacement of the big “apply” button with a “donate” button was not a good decision. Now prospective students have to go hunting for the section on how to apply to MSMS, which I would say is the most common reason people visit our site. I think that, overall, the site is very easy to navigate and appealing to the eye as well. I also believe that the extracurriculars page should be updated. Some of the clubs that appear on this page no longer exist (Girl Scout Troop 20256, Yoga Club, etc.). In addition, some current clubs, such as Imma Baka Pi, do not appear on this page. I also agree with Devon that student life should be exemplified on the website, but, overall, this is one of the best, most easily navigable school websites I have ever seen.

  4. Brianna Ladnier says:

    I think that the presidents of the club should have the ability to update the information available on the website. I am co-presidents of FBLA with Dustin Dunnaway, and I thought it would be great to update the information about FBLA on the website, but when I look it doesn’t even show up. That’s because the clubs don’t even have their own pages. This would help us get references for applications on the clubs we are in, as well as give perspective students an idea of the extracurricular we offer. If I didn’t go here, I wouldn’t know what Wags and Whiskers or Grecian Urn Society or Blu Diamonds/Knights.

  5. Maggie Rennie says:

    Personally, I think the MSMS website is very aesthetically pleasing. I am a very organized person, so I’m impressed by the layout and flow of the website. However, one thing that I feel like might help is more use of drop boxes. For example, I come to the website frequently to get to the email or website of my teachers. In order to do this I have to click the directory and then scroll to find my teachers’ names. If the Directory tab had a drop box organized by departments, I think that might be helpful. It would just be a little bit easier to access. Other than that, I think the website is way more organized than most.

  6. Sara Kostmayer says:

    I also agree that the basic interface of the website is very nice for a high school. However, I do think that there need to be some picture updates as well as general information. When prospective applicants are looking at the website, I would assume that they want to find as much information as possible on the daily life of students. I think that a more personal and informative page that gives better insight into the lives of current students would be greatly beneficial to those applying. In combination with this, I think that more photos of school activities and clubs would be another great idea. The newspaper and archived blog section does offer some photos, but I personally did not find it to be enough when I was in the process of applying. Overall, I just think the largest changes to be made are ones which would introduce applicants into the personal lives of MSMS kids.

  7. Harlynn Robinson says:

    A student life section would be a nice addition, as well as an update on the extracurricular sections with more pictures. I believe that replacing the large Donate button with an Apply button would aid in ease of use for future applicants because let’s be honest the the Application tag is where they will be spending the majority of their time.

  8. Aurelia Caine says:

    The website looks pretty decent to me. My old school doesn’t have one so I don’t have much to compare it to. I personally think that it won’t hurt to add a section that is dedicated all of our extra curricular activities. Half of the clubs that I participate in (Blu Diamonds and FBLA) are not featured on the website. It would be great to have more things that do not focus directly on school work on the school’s website.

  9. Madalyn Coln says:

    Personally, I like the way that the page is set up. As others have stated, I would suggest that there is a page to introduce applicants into the personal lives of students at MSMS. When I was in the application process, I saw a video that Mr. Wade made about a student. It was somewhat insightful but also sub-par. (mostly because of its age) Regardless, I feel like the applicants need to see what life here truly looks like: homework, wellness hours, class time, meals at The Rot…

    • Angella Osinde says:

      Since 2015 – the site has gotten better. The mannequin challenge is a cool way for the school to appear relevant. However, the apply button needs to be made more accessible. It’s the main reason people visit the site. Keep what’s important upfront.

      Also – I agree with Briana that the club page needs to updated.

  10. AK Mynatt says:

    From what I can remember, the MSMS website was easily navigated when I applied; however, it left me with questions that had no apparent answers. If it weren’t for a grand senior who took me under her wing, I would have been left with these questions until arriving here on move-in day. If at all possible, it would be great if there was a more personal aspect from the website. Dorm life, the cafeteria, and a student’s view on the different courses taught at MSMS would have been extremely helpful.

  11. Meagan Pittman says:

    In my opinion, the website should be designed for prospective students and people wanting to learn more about our school. Prior to, and during the MSMS application, I scoured the school’s website for new information. I found particularly helpful the course descriptions and the course catalog. For parents and other adults wanting to learn more about what we’re all about, I would suggest updating the “news” section of the website more often, or making the link to “The Vision” more obvious. A description underneath each of the extracurriculars on the list would offer a detailed insight on the opportunities that we have to offer. Our website, if utilized correctly, can be a helpful tool in educating people on how our school is set apart from others.

  12. Kayla says:

    From what I remember, the website was easy to search and find what you are looking for. I would suggest a “side” of the website just for the students and have information that they would be more concerned about, and also have a “side” for the parents so that it would be easier to find what they would be searching for.

  13. Kendall Wells says:

    The MSMS website is very easy to navigate through, and very helpful to prospective students. One thing I would have loved to know about while applying, was The Vision. The link to our school newspaper is pretty hidden, and most people don’t know we have updated articles written by students for students. I think the club section should be updated, with some more DAY IN THE LIFE VIDEOS. The “Day in the Life” videos were my favorite to watch when applying. Last when I applied, the “Apply” button was circled. Now, the “donate” button is circled. Personally, it disgusts me every time I pull up the MSMS website, because it makes us look desperate. Other than that, the website it great!

  14. Leah Pettit says:

    The most important change, in my opinion, is exactly what Brianna said: Each of the clubs needs to have a page on the website and be responsible for keeping it updated with current projects and important information. This would not only give prospective students an accurate idea of what extracurriculars are offered and what these are like, but it would also give current students a more reliable way to get information on clubs they are interested in than hoping they see the thrown-together sign at the club fair at the beginning of the year. This would also allow any clubs that get created during the course of the year a way to communicate their goals to interested students. Letting the students control these pages shows the personalities and abilities of the students at MSMS.
    In other suggestions, I wish all the courses in the discover the classes section had some kind of description. Especially mentorship and research are not exactly self-explanatory. I also wish there was some kind of distinction made between the classes that are offered every year, and the classes that the teachers are capable of teaching. It is somewhat misleading to say Spanish I, II, and III if they haven’t had enough kids to have a Spanish III class for several years. Astronomy and Psychology are the same way.

  15. Yousef Abu-Salah says:

    While I do believe that the MSMS website at the moment is great and one of the best school websites that I have seen coming out of Mississippi, I do believe that it suffers from slow updates throughout the year. We should update it more often in order for it to mimic MSMS’s constantly changing landscape, and I also feel that we should rid the school’s website of the mannequin challenge video. It is absolutely atrocious and reminds me of the cancerous creation of “Cash me outside.” The meme landscape, in general, is continually changing, so I feel that MSMS should try to conform to these online virals but rather stick to being both informal and professional.
    I would also like to reiterate Brianna Ladnier sentiments of club pages being put on the website. Before applying here, I had glanced over the club pages and wanted more information. However, only a few clubs had their own personal page, and these clubs barely had any relevant information on theirs. I also would like to update this club page, because there are many clubs that are not currently listed (Forgotten Stories…). I also would like to change the big donate button with the apply button, but I do understand that budget cuts are hard and we need as much money as possible. Also, I do believe that there should be a student life section somewhere on this website, because it would really aid future applicants. I wondered heavily about student life while applying, and the videos that I found were both old and very uninformative. Maybe a student could start a youtube channel and show prospective students are the campus? That would honestly be both an honest and refreshing look for the school!

  16. Brent Styles says:

    The MSMS website is quite phenomenal compared to my old school’s bare-boned, 5 year outdated one. Just from digging around the website, I found Directory entries for Ms. Wagner (http://www.themsms.org/christinawagner/) and Mr. Leggett (http://www.themsms.org/jedleggett/). I understand that these two teachers do not show up on the directory homepage, but I still think these two pages should be removed unless they remain there for nostalgic purposes. I understand that Ms. Baquero just started teaching this year, but she still needs a directory entry. Other than those very small “issues,” I think the website is fine.

  17. Sarah Swiderski says:

    The website, as is, is very easy to navigate.
    However
    A large percentage of people visiting the page are prospective students.
    When I was applying, the biggest argument I heard against going was the school’s “lack of extracurricular activities”. Of course, now that I attend here, I’ve found this claim to be entirely false. If the page had more on the club activities and other oppurtunities offered at MSMS, I think that the applicant pool may increase slightly (from my own school, at least two qualified students decided against applying due to the “lack of extracurriculars”).

  18. Mary Owings says:

    I feel as if stronger descriptions of the classes would be a great addition to the website. Each teacher should have a fairly detailed explanation of what a course entails and some idea of the expectations of the class. There could be some videos to give an actual representation of the course. This would have definitely assisted me in choosing the classes I wanted to take. Prior to that, I think it would help students decide if they wanted to apply or not and if the school is a sufficient preparation for whatever career they are interested in.

  19. John Bowlin says:

    There would not be much needed to be changed. As Kamal said, a search bar would be nice. More information on extracurricular activities and clubs offered here would help too. Also, maybe a bit personal tab like a day in the life at MSMS with different students to see the many different stories that are being told here.

  20. Shuchi Patel says:

    I would say the school website is fine the way it is besides the donate button. There should be an apply folder at all times showing future students what to expect, so they can get a head start. My home school’s website is not the best; the colors of maroon and gray are not appealing to begin with.

  21. Samuel Patterson III says:

    For once I agree with Yousef. The school’s website should be updated more often to keep prospective students up to date with the happenings around MSMS. There should be more pictures of the residence halls and rooms. I remember when I was applying and not being able to see the residence halls until interview day. The addition of more pictures would benefit everything, mainly because pictures tell so much more than words.

  22. L. Terces says:

    In my opinion, our website is fantastic as it is. However, one thing I would like to change would be changing the donate button to ‘apply’.

  23. Leigh Motes says:

    I like the school website. The only thing that I would change would be the school calendar. I would combine the school calendar with the activities calendar, or I would keep both of theme separate and add a combination of both calendars as a third calendar to the website. I would add more recent pictures of res life to the website too. However, I believe that the website has all it needs.

  24. Lilah Denton says:

    I would update things about the students here and make The Vision more prominent on the site. I know when I was applying, I wanted to learn more about the student life.

  25. Mariana Strawn says:

    In terms of redesigning the MSMS school website, there isn’t much that I would do aside from making it more visibly appealing. The URL code is very easy to remember, “themsms.org”, and the webpage is very easy to read format-wise. I suppose that the pictures are good rotating, however, personally I would use more of the video-style head screens that have been used more recently. In addition, I would try to make the directory more visible as to allow parents and future applicants a more easy accessible list of contacts. In terms of websites that I find are exemplary, the only websites I am familiar with is the Ocean Springs website and the Dripping Springs website (school-wise). I would find that the Dripping Springs, TX, one is very functional–and I would not recommend the Ocean Springs style one.

  26. Mariat Thankachan says:

    I would say that our school website is one of the best I have ever seen. From our creative logo to the uncomplicated web address, there is not much we can change to make it any better. The first element that is eye-catching to me is the animated top bar that is always updated. I remember the interactive GIF of the Emissaries waving in front of the MSMS sign on the first day of school. I remember the Mannequin Challenge video that was presented on the front page of the website. These details make our website unique and make the students feel as though they contributed in some way. Like several of the comments have previously stated, I think it would be a good idea to add both a donate button and an Apply button though.

  27. Darby Meadows says:

    I think our website is very informative for what our school offers, but I think it should show more about what our lives are like. It should show more pictures and interviews of the students. They should also have real pictures of the dorm, because i didn’t know what to expect. Other than that our website is great.

  28. Liam McDougal says:

    Our school’s website is exceptional compared to others that I’ve had to deal with. It is intuitive and easily accessible. I would just add a search feature to the page, as well as making the teacher websites more accessible. It’s sort of a pain to have to go through all the tabs and then the teachers’ individual tabs just to access their websites. Or, better yet, find a way to implement the teachers’ websites into the MSMS website so it doesn’t have to redirect to the current Google sites or whatever.

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