September 2023 News
Indiana Academy Once Again Ranked #1 Public High School in Indiana
Monday, September 25, 2023
Niche.com released its 2024 high school rankings on Friday, September 22, and the Indiana Academy was once again listed as the #1 Best Public High School and #1 Best College Prep Public High School in the state of Indiana. The Academy also saw improvement in several areas over the 2023 rankings.
The complete Niche profile of the Academy is available here, but highlights include:
- #1 Best Public High School in Indiana
- #1 Best College Prep Public High School in Indiana
- #1 Best High School for STEM in Indiana
- #9 Best Public High School Teachers in the United States (up 6 spots over 2023 rankings)
- #13 Best Magnet School in the United States
- #21 Best Public High School in the United States (up 23 spots over 2023 rankings)
The Academy also received A+ grades in Academics, Teachers, College Prep, Administration, and Resources & Facilities, and received A grades in Diversity, Food, and Clubs/Activities.
According to Dr. Dain Kavars, Executive Director of the Indiana Academy, “The Indiana Academy is an incredible school changing the lives of our students. This is due to the hard work and dedication of every employee at the school! The deep care that each individual provides our students was evident on my first day at the Academy many years ago and is just as strong, if not stronger today!”
Academy Senior Daniel Yoo Selected for Washington and Lee University DIVE Program
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
Congratulations to Indiana Academy senior Daniel Yoo on being selected to participate in Washington and Lee’s Diversity and Inclusion Visit Experience (DIVE) program, held in Alexandria. Virginia September 24-26. DIVE at W&L is a competitive, all expense paid visit for academically exceptional high school seniors. Over three days, DIVErs will be immersed in college life and reside in the residence halls with a current W&L student, attend classes, and explore student clubs and campus activities. ’23 graduate and current Washington and Lee freshman Jaehun Kim will serve as Daniel’s campus partner. “What a fantastic opportunity for Daniel to experience life as a Washington and Lee student by reconnecting with Jaehun and experiencing campus through a close friend!” Dr. Olufowote, Director of Academic Affairs, goes on to say. “Daniel is a competitive applicant who is also considering Vanderbilt, the University of Chicago, Bowdoin, MIT, and a few other highly selective colleges and universities to attend so it does not surprise me that Washington and Lee also sees his potential. He’s worked very hard while at the Academy and I’m enjoying seeing the fruit of his labor unfold!”
You can read more about DIVE at W&L here: www.wlu.edu/admissions/visit/dive
Dr. Olufowote to Present Research at Indiana Academy of the Social Sciences Annual Meeting
Monday, September 18, 2023
Dr. Joel Olufowote’s research article, “Recruiting Diverse Candidates: Building Upon the Elusive Framework,” was accepted for presentation at this years’ Indiana Academy of the Social Sciences 94th annual meeting, to be held at Indiana University Kokomo on October 6th. “Up until now, there really isn’t a cohesive, generalizable approach to recruiting a diverse workforce, despite the growing recognition of its workplace benefits,” remarks Dr. Olufowote. “This study captures the varying recruitment strategies of over seventy institutions of higher education seeking diversity professionals and/or diverse educators. I then use this data to construct a best practice framework for talent acquisition and recruitment approaches other institutions seeking a diverse workplace can model and implement.”
U.S. News Recognizes Indiana Academy Among Best High Schools
Thursday, September 7, 2023
The 2023-2024 U.S. News public high school rankings have been released, and the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities is once again listed among the best high schools in the state and the nation. The Indiana Academy received an overall score of 98.88 out of 100, putting the school at #2 in the state out of 438 schools and #198 in the nation out of more than 18,000 ranked schools.
“These are strong rankings and consistent with rankings of the last several years,” says Dr. Dain Kavars, Executive Director of the Indiana Academy. “With a huge selection of dual credit courses, options for Ball State courses, research internships, classes that dive deep into the material, directed studies, etc., I’m very happy with the variety of options we offer our students that prepare them for life after high school.”
Established by the Indiana legislature in 1988, the Indiana Academy is located on the campus of Ball State University and operates under the Teachers College as a school devoted to the education of students who demonstrate extraordinary intellectual ability and a commitment to scholarship. The Academy’s collegiate level curriculum is taught by nationally ranked faculty who are professionals in their fields, and all faculty have a minimum of a master’s degree with about half also having their doctorates. All students attending the Academy are working toward earning a Core 40 with Honors diploma.
“It is always humbling to be acknowledged for the education we strive to offer our students,” remarks Dr. Joel Olufowote, Director of Academic Affairs. “Although this recognition is an institutional one, we’d be remiss not mentioning the many dedicated support personnel and staff that serve diligently each day partnering with administrators and educators as we pursue excellence both in and outside of the classroom. We are all excited to be known as a top 200 school in the nation, and we are even more so committed to serving the high-ability, gifted student through our curriculum and co-curriculum.”
The U.S. News rankings include data on nearly 25,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to traditional high schools, the rankings encompass charter; magnet; and science, technology, engineering and math-focused schools. The full U.S. News ranking for the Indiana Academy can be found here: www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/indiana/districts/indiana-academy-for-sci-math-hmn/the-indiana-academy-7106
National Merit Scholarship Qualifiers
Tuesday, August 22, 2023
We are excited to announce three Academy students qualified for the National Merit Scholarship Program with their PSAT scores from last fall. Theo Davis, Anna Gu, and Carson Gull qualified among the top 50,000 students out of 1.3 million test takers. Theo, Anna, and Carson will find out in September if they have reached Semifinalist status, but being recognized by the program is an outstanding achievement! Congratulations!
Senior Sylvia Rodriquez Honored by College Board National Hispanic Recognition Program
Friday, August 18, 2023
Congratulations to Academy senior Sylvia Rodriquez on being honored for ‘Outstanding Academic Achievement’ in the National Hispanic Recognition Program sponsored by the College Board. Currently, Sylvia is one of 5,000 Hispanic/Latino seniors recognized nationwide out of approximately 400,000 juniors who took the PSAT last academic year. “We’re all so proud of Sylvia for earning this well-deserved recognition from the College Board,” remarks Dr. Olufowote, Director of Academic Affairs. “I also learned that Sylvia participated in CampMedic, sponsored by the College of Health at Ball State University over the summer and will be interning at a local animal clinic this Fall. Clearly Sylvia is a student poised to make a difference in the communities she serves and we look forward to benefitting from her presence and learning from her example for another academic year!”
Dr. Tom Arnold Selected as University of Chicago Outstanding Educator
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
Karisten Poole ’23 was recently accepted to the University of Chicago and recommended Dr. Tom Arnold to be selected as a University of Chicago Outstanding Educator.
According to Peter Wilson, Dean of College Admissions, “Each year, newly admitted students have the opportunity to select educators who go beyond everyday teaching and leave an impression that is carried over a lifetime. An Outstanding Educator thinks carefully about their instruction, shares an infectious love for learning, and cares for their students both inside and outside of the classroom. […] The University of Chicago is honored to recognize [Dr. Arnold’s] excellence as an educator who makes a positive impact every day.”
Dr. Arnold says, “Karisten was a fantastic student and very rewarding to teach while here at the Academy — I was very flattered that she took the time this summer to nominate me for this recognition from the University of Chicago.”
“We are all so proud of this additional accomplishment of Dr. Arnold’s,” says Dr. Joel Olufowote, Director of Academic Affairs. “Through project-based and immersive pedagogical techniques, Tom has routinely captured the imagination of his students at the Academy for nearly two decades. It is a tremendous honor for Karisten to nominate Tom for this award; we are a better institution because of her and Dr. Arnold.”
Congratulations to Dr. Arnold!
Spring 2023 DIrector’s Lists
Friday, June 9, 2023
Congratulations to the following students who earned recognition this Spring semester by showcasing their academic prowess in the Indiana Academy classroom! As we wind down from celebrating our graduating seniors, many of whom you’ll see named below, I brim with excitement and anticipation of the continued impact all graduates and returning students will have in the classroom and in community, as driving forces of innovation and agents of change.
– Dr. Olufowote, Director of Academic Affairs
Students earned As in classes taught at the Academy during spring semester.
Students earned As, B+s, or Bs (no B- or below) in classes taught at the Academy during spring semester.
New Assistant Director of Academic Advising and Guidance
Monday, June 5, 2023
After a thorough job search, we are pleased to announce that Ms. Megan Wright has accepted our offer to be the Academy’s next Assistant Director of Academic Advising and Guidance! Meg stepped up this semester to help out in an ‘interim’ role and has done a wonderful job. The work she has done identifying seniors missing credits, proposing plans for those seniors, and being proactive in identifying returning sophomores/juniors needing support is stellar. The search committee is confident that Meg is the right person for this job and we all look forward to what she will bring to this position next year.
Thanks go out to the search committee of Dr. Joel Olufowote, Ms. Casey Schultz, Ms. Kim Foltz, Ms. Kim Hall, and Ms. Candy Manship for the hard work they put in the past few weeks.
This leaves open a current math position. An attempt will be made to fill the position before August and Kim Foltz has already worked with the math department to begin the initial steps. In the event a quality candidate is not found in this search, a backup plan will be in place for August.
Indiana Academy Commencement Ceremony Saturday, May 27
Monday, May 22, 2023
The Indiana Academy commencement ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 27th, 2023, starting at 11:30 a.m., in the Emens Auditorium on the campus of Ball State University. Our commencement speaker this year will be Emery Jordon, Class of 1997. A native of Gary, Mr. Jordan is is an award-winning leader, trainer, Project Manager, and author of three books.
Please note there will be some construction on campus, so plan ahead and allow for an early arrival. Parking for the Commencement Ceremony is available in the McKinley parking garage (south of Emens Auditorium), the New York Avenue parking garage (northeast of Emens Auditorium and Puris Hall), or the Student Center parking garage (south of Pittenger Student Center.) You can also refer to the campus map for building and parking locations.
The graduation events of the Indiana Academy are joyous but formal celebrations. Please do not bring air horns, cowbells, or other “noise” generating materials. Also, flash photography is a distraction to those seated nearby and a disturbance to the speaker. As a courtesy to all commencement ceremony participants, individuals who wish to videotape or take flash photographs may do so only from the balcony of Emens Auditorium.
Crabtree Photography will be taking handshake photographs as graduate receives their diploma, a poised picture with the diploma. They will be taking the senior group photo in front of Beneficence. Graduation pictures can be ordered at crabtree-photography.hhimagehost.com/IA. Pictures will then be mailed directly from Crabtree Photography to the home address.
We believe the 2023 graduation ceremony will be a memorable and joyous occasion, and you are free to attend with as many family and friends as you would like as seating for the graduation ceremony on Saturday is unlimited. If you are unable to join us in -person, the ceremony will be live-streamed at this link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRAMfc6x54Y.