April 2024 News
Dr. Olufowote and Academy Senior Daniel Yoo Present at MPSA Annual Conference
Friday, April 12, 2024
Last week, Academy senior Daniel Yoo and Dr. Olufowote, Director of Academic Affairs, presented research entitled, “No Study, No Job: The Stigmas Associated with South Korean Vocational Schooling” at the Midwest Political Science Association Annual Conference in Chicago, IL. This research attempts to investigate how South Korean school choice, among other intervening variables, impacts student mental health and well-being.” Of the two main variables found to hold the greatest explanatory power, the authors finds parental involvement tends to have a negative relationship with mental health-well-being among South Korean students, in general, and that vocational students, in particular, benefit from a stronger support among cohort classmates and peers, positively impacting their mental health and well-being.
Dr. Olufowote also served as a discussant for thee panels: Democratic Backslidings and Coercive Challenges, Mental Health and Sports Policies in Educational Contexts, Democratic Advances and Setbacks, and served as panel chair for Democratic Advances and Setbacks.
Explore Experiential Credit Bearing Opportunities at the Academy: Teaching Apprenticeships!
Friday, April 12, 2024
Last spring semester, we featured credit-bearing internships and research opportunities available to Academy students. Did you know Indiana Academy students can also earn academic credits as a teaching apprentice? The Teacher apprenticeship program is designed with mentorship and professional development in mind. Students have the unique opportunity to work alongside Academy faculty on a variety of activities related to classroom management, instruction, and student support. Read below to hear more on the experiences students have had this semester as part of the teaching apprenticeship program!
“This week, I felt much more confident in giving context to the class. I recognized that it was appreciated last time, so I was empowered to go to extra lengths to provide things I found interesting or relevant. I even included some items that weren’t immediately relevant, but provided an additional perspective on love that contrasted from that in the film. Mr. Haynes listened attentively to my suggestions early in the week, and he even took notes! He told me after I presented yesterday that my context was becoming an essential part of the class that he’s hoping to include more consistently in the future.”
-Theo Davis
“This week has mostly been individual work editing a video. We did a visual project last semester in our Korean Class, so I am editing the smaller videos into one large video to upload to YouTube. I’ve never been very techy, so this has been a great chance for me to exit my comfort zone. Over this past week, I have learned so much about editing and computer science. By editing the videos I’ve also been able to watch them again and learn more about my classmate’s experiences. The videos are in Korean, so it has helped my listening and reading skills as well.”
-Lorna Holman
“…that night I hosted another study session and some people came. I was able to help answer numerous questions in prep for the test that was the next day at the time. On Friday, I showed up to class again and did mostly the same but at the end I was assigned to collect quizzes. Ms. Buczek has asked me to double check future keys over the weekend…”
-Myranda Partaker
Contact Dr. Olufowote, Director of Academic Affairs, for more information on how to get connected to the teacher apprentice program!
One Ball State Day Recap
Thursday, April 4, 2024
One Ball State Day 2024 at the Indiana Academy is in the books. We had incredible support from faculty, staff, students, parents, alumni, and friends of the Academy, raising $57,414, a slight increase over 2023. This was across 365 gifts, a 41% increase over 2023! Several people donated multiple times. The Academy received gifts from 325 unique donors, a 33% increase over 2023!
In a few weeks, the Academy leadership team will review how these donations were distributed across the various funds and map out a plan on how to best use them to benefit current and future Indiana Academy students.
Thank you to everyone who helped make One Ball State Day at the Academy a huge success! This would not have been possible without your help spreading the word, donating, and voting for the Academy as the Fan Favorite in the Dash and Splash duck race challenge. Although I had a lot of fun with the duck race, I have decided to hang up my paddle and retire. Meg Wright, Assistant Director of Academic Advising and Guidance, has already agreed to take my place!
On behalf of everyone at the Indiana Academy, thank you!
Dain Kavars
Executive Director
Spring 2024 Midterm Director’s Lists
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Congratulations to the following students for their outstanding performance in the first half of Spring semester!
DECA State Career Development Conference Results
Friday, March 15, 2024
Ten Academy students represented the Indiana Academy at the DECA State Career Development Conference (SCDC) in Indianapolis from March 3-5, 2024, competing in the following series: Accounting Applications, Marketing Communications, Business Law and Ethics Team Decision-Making, Entrepreneurship Series, and Hotel and Lodging Management.
Ella Robertson, who represented the Academy in Marketing Communications, came out second after the finals. Anna Gu placed sixth in Accounting Applications with Carson Gull and Brody Chestnut placing fourth in Business Law and Ethics Team Decision-Making.
Ella, Carson, and Brody qualified to compete at the DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Anaheim, CA form April 27 – May 1, 2024.
The other Academy students competing at the conference were Jackson Bales, Andrew Carter, Kenny Gihozo, MaKaela Gist, Alesya Rathinasamy, and Arav Singh.
Academy Envirothon Team Advances to State Competition
Thursday, March 14, 2024
The East Central Envirothon Competition took place at the Ball State Environmental Education Center on Thursday, March 4. Participants saw 5 wonderful presentations by experts in environmental fields and were also treated to a magnificent thunderstorm. The Indiana Academy’s team won the regional competition and will advance to the State Competition at Purdue next month. Congratulations to Jackson Bales, Kylie Bernier, Delaney Blankenbuehler-Lee, AJ Carter, Cole McDermott, and Mallory Saldaña!
Quiz Bowl State Championship Tournament Results
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
On Saturday, March 2, the Academy’s quiz bowl team participated in the state quiz bowl championship tournament sponsored by the IASP (Indiana Association of School Principals). The Academy entered the competition seeded 11th of 18 teams and after posting a 4-5 record, finished the tournament in 10th place. Congrats to the Varsity quiz bowl team of Carson Gull, Brody Chestnut, Lily Ellis, and Lily Highbanks.
Next up for the team is the Small School National Championship Tournament in Chicago during the last weekend of April. Good luck!
Fixing Up by Mr. Marsh at Muncie Civic Theatre
Friday, March 1, 2024
Muncie Civic Theatre’s Casazza Family Studio Theatre will feature Fixing Up, a comedy written by Mr. John Marsh, Associate Lecturer of History, with his wife, Jenni on March 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, and 17. John and Jenni wrote this play several years ago and it won the 2014 MacLaren Comedy Playwriting Festival. In addition, they will be co-directing the production. A previous play they had written, Cat’s Pajamas was performed at the Muncie Civic Theatre last season. Dr. Dain Kavars, Executive Director of the Indiana Academy, said, “Having watched their previous play, I can attest that John and Jenni are excellent playwrights! This is a show you will not want to miss.” Tickets are on sale and can be purchased at munciecivic.org/fixing-up.
Dr. Olufowote Selected as Senior Administrator at Johns Hopkins Summer Program
Monday, February 26, 2024
Dr. Joel Olufowote, Director of Academic Affairs, has been selected to serve Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Center for Talented Youth (CTY) this June and July as a senior administrator for its flagship summer program on the Homewood campus of JHU in Baltimore, Maryland. As site director, Olufowote will provide administrative leadership for two, three-week intensive summer academic sessions that historically draws approximately six-hundred gifted and talented high schoolers from around the nation and world. In this role, Olufowote will also oversee the seventy-five staff members instructing and guiding students across the academic, residential, and operational functions of the program.
Founded in 1979 and recognized today as the premier world leader in gifted education, advocacy, and research, CTY is an academic center of JHU that delivers academic excellence, fosters intellectual growth, and provides transformational experiences to exceptional elementary, middle, and high schoolers from a range of diverse backgrounds, communities, and nationalities. This summer, CTY programs will provide a total of 70+ courses in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and humanities to just shy of 6,000 students at several sites located in California, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. Olufowote is one of ten site directors carefully drawn from a nationwide pool of candidates selected to oversee a CTY program this summer.
Congratulations to Dr. Olufowote on this esteemed accomplishment! Learn more about Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth and its academic programs at cty.jhu.edu.
Dr. Lobo Receives Bell Education Grant From Community Foundation
Thursday, February 22, 2024
Congratulations to Dr. Phillip Lobo for winning a Robert P. Bell Education Grant to fund his project: “Let’s Build a World! – Collaborative Game Setting Construction.” According to Dr. Lobo, “The [May Term] project is to collaboratively create a world-setting and then populate it with converted game mechanics. It will be split into two phases. The first week will be spent creating the world itself, using a variety of games to generate the setting; the second week will be dedicated to playing games in that setting, and compiling ‘source books,’ either producing a key component in a larger game or a smaller game within the larger setting. The end result will be a robust, interconnected set of collaborative creative works, united in a single brand new world.” The funds from the grant will go towards purchasing reusable maps and drafting materials, graph paper and journals, as well as dice and tokens and because of the generosity of the Community Foundation, according to Dr. Lobo, “…I should be able to run my May Term free of cost for our students!”