April 2017 News

Regional Super Bowl Finalists

Friday, April 21, 2017

Academy Super Bowl Team

Academy students competed in the regional Academic Super Bowl that is sponsored by the Indiana Association of School Principals. The topic for this year’s Academic Super Bowl was the French Revolution, and the Academy competed in Division 4 with 67 other schools competing in the same division. The top six teams from each category qualified for the state championship, and the Academy finished 1st in the Math, Science, Fine Arts, and English categories. The Academy placed 2nd in Interdisciplinary and 3rd in Social Studies. The Fine Arts and English teams (students listed below) qualified for the state competition that will be held at Purdue University on May 6.

Fine Arts
Taryn Coyle
Isabelle Turner
Allison Johnson
Leah Turner
Amy Gong

English
Samantha Williams
Rose Winter
Victoria Smith


Robotic Surgery Demonstration

Thursday, April 20, 2017

The Indiana Academy hosted a robotic surgery demonstration on April 19 in Burris Laboratory School. Two local surgeons, Dr. Damer and Dr. Graybill brought the technology and robot they use for hip and knee replacement surgeries to campus, and our students got a hands-on demonstration to experience for themselves how it all works. Over 80 students attended the demonstration that was open to Academy students, faculty, and staff as well as Burris science students and teachers. In addition to the robotic demonstration, both doctors presented on orthopedic topics followed by a Q&A session.

See more pictures in our Facebook gallery of the event.


Academy Students Attend HOSA State Leadership Conference

Monday, April 17, 2017

The Academy had 19 students attend the HOSA State Leadership Conference from April 10-12. HOSA is an international student organization that promotes career opportunities in the health care industry and seeks to enhance the delivery of quality health care to all people. HOSA’s Competitive Events Program is designed to motivate students to improve their knowledge and skills in terms of health care. The Academy students were very successful with placing in their competitions and many qualified for Nationals in the summer. The results of the Academy students are as follows:

CategoryStudents (Results)
Medical MathJared Saxberg (Finalist)
Sammy Cheng (Finalist)
Hannah Komanapali (Finalist)
Human Growth and DevelopmentSakhi Shah (Finalist)
Medical Law and EthicsMinna Zheng (2nd Place)
Nitika Jacob (Finalist)
NutritionZach Swoboda (Finalist)
PathophysiologyGrace Meier (Finalist)
Karthik Gannamanei (1st Place)
Biomedical Laboratory ScienceJared Saxberg (Finalist)
Sammy Cheng (Finalist)
Physical TherapyNikita Kumar (Finalist)
Sports MedicineGrace Meier (2nd Place)
EpidemiologyTaryn Coyle (1st Place)
Extemporaneous Health PostersLauren Stewart (Finalist)
Healthy LifestyleVictor Ramirez (2nd Place)
Forensic ScienceJared Saxberg & Minna Zheng (1st Place)
Medical Innovations OriginalRitika Mehta & Sakhi Shah (Finalist)
Nisha Jacob & Shreeram Thirunavukkarasu (1st Place)

PLATO Essay Winner

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Academy Junior Keith Murray won first prize in the 2017 PLATO (Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization) High School Essay Contest. PLATO is devoted to introducing philosophy to students before graduating high school. Organizers believe that philosophy is a key resource for preparing students for the challenges of the 21st century. The contest itself was open to all high school students in the U.S. and the students participating in the essay contest were asked, “How do we define art or determine what things count as art objects?” Murray’s essay, “Art is More than Beauty: It’s a Whetstone” stood out in a strong field of submissions. Keith received a check for $250.00 from PLATO for his submission and his essay will be published in PLATO’s official journal.


National Merit Scholarship Competition

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Based on their 2016 PSAT results, twelve Academy students met requirements to enter the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program. These students (listed below) were one of 50,000 highest-scoring participants with a Selection Index score of 211 or above who will be recognized in the fall. From the 50,000 high scorers nationwide, about 16,000 will be named National Merit Program Semifinalists, representing the top scorers in each state, and approximately 34,000 others will be commended for their performance on the PSAT. Semifinalists and Commended Students will learn of their standing in September 2017. Semifinalists will be the only students who will have an opportunity to continue in the competition for about 7,400 Merit Scholarship awards to be offered in 2018. Academy students recognized are:

Anna Beach
Angela Cardwell
Ningmei Gong
Nils Hinniger
Michael Hu
Ryan Martinez
Dione Miles-Morillo
Keith Murray
Julia Newbold
Conner Partaker
John Tade
Stanley Zheng


Students Serve as House Pages

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Academy students in the House Chamber
Indiana Academy students listen in the House Chamber at the Indiana Statehouse.

Academy students had the opportunity to serve as House Pages on April 10th at the Indiana Statehouse. Students selected to serve as pages were: Sophia Arnold, Allison Balmer, Angela Cardwell, Taylor Chambers, Toby Holman, Katey Kaiser, and Jasmine Miller. As pages, the students toured the Statehouse including the chambers of the Indiana House and Senate and the Indiana Supreme Court. The pages also witnessed a floor session, met their representatives, and assisted representatives with tasks.