Faculty

Mr. Marsh has had a wide-ranging career, as a teacher, writer, museum director, and business owner. Teaching has been his greatest passion for over 30 years. He joined the Academy faculty in 2006, and absolutely loves working with these amazing students. His previous teaching experience was at the college level, and he still teaches a night class for Ball State University. Over the years, he has taught American History, West in the World, History of World Religions, World Civilizations, Public History, Government, Economics and Religious Studies.

Mr. Marsh was the recipient of the inaugural Robert P. Bell Creative Teaching Award, the President’s Award for outstanding instructor at the Academy, and a Teacher Creativity Fellowship from Lilly Endowment. He was chosen by the Academy students to receive the Dean Roy Weaver Award, and was also selected twice by Ball State students for a University Professorship Teaching Award. His History of World Religions course is a favorite at the Academy, and his May Term courses are creative, interactive projects such as the construction of ancient Egyptian tombs, famous prehistoric caves, the Bayeux Tapestry, and an escape room.

Mr. Marsh and his wife, Jenni, write comedy plays together. In 2014, their play, Fixing Up, won the McLaren Comedy Playwriting Festival. Mr. Marsh has also written a book of comedic short stories titled The Comic Misadventures of Bitsy, and co-authored a musical play which was produced in Branson, Missouri, where he served as Vice-President of Marketing and Production for the theatre, and performed as on-stage host. Other writing endeavors include a stint as an op-ed columnist for the Indianapolis News, and writing articles for various history publications.

From 1995-2006, Mr. Marsh was the Executive Director of the Grissom Air Museum. During his tenure, the historic aircraft collection and educational programs grew substantially, while annual visitation tripled. Early in his career, Mr. Marsh founded a burglar and fire alarm company in Muncie which he operated for seven years. He has a business degree from Indiana University, and a master’s degree in history from Ball State University.

John Marsh News

• Fixing Up by Mr. Marsh at Muncie Civic Theatre
• Academy Instructors Receive Lilly Endowment Fellowships
• Academy Instructor Premieres New Play
• Teaching During a Pandemic – a Century Ago by Mr. John Marsh
• Academy Instructors Receive Bell Education Grants
• John Marsh Named Recipient of Inaugural Robert P. Bell Creative Teaching Award
• Explore the “Cave of Time” at the Indiana Academy
• Indiana Academy Instructors Awarded Robert P. Bell Education Grants

Dr. Lobo began teaching at the Academy in the fall of 2019. He majored in English as an undergraduate at Tufts University, before going on to receive his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Southern California. His research interests include the modern novel, games, formal realism, and the part all three play in the production of identity and subjectivity. He has been published in journals such as Postmodern Culture, Game Studies, and Chiasma, on subjects ranging from ecocriticism to Japanese film. His teaching career includes Comparative Literature, Women Writers, World Culture and Writing Composition. At the Academy he teaches English courses, including American Literature, World Literature, Creative Writing, and Junior Colloquium. He maintains an interest in the way the literary and the ludic converge to create new possibilities, and how they might make room for new voices and new forms of self-expression.

Phillip Lobo News

• Dr. Lobo Receives Bell Education Grant From Community Foundation
• Academy Faculty Receive Robert P. Bell Education Grant
• Dr. Phillip Lobo Publishes Research Paper
• Academy Instructors Awarded Bell Grant
• English Instructor Publishes Game Research Paper

Sarah Bertekap’s research interests include Irish studies, LGBTQ+ literature, adaptation studies, queer theory, and writing center studies. She recently defended her dissertation, “Unsettling Adaptations: Migration, Ireland, and LGBTQ+ Literature,” at the University of Connecticut, where she taught courses in first-year writing, Irish literature, and LGBTQ+ literature while pursuing her M.A. and Ph.D. During her undergraduate degree in English at Mount Holyoke College, Sarah worked as a peer writing mentor, and at UConn’s Writing Center she served as a graduate writing tutor, an Assistant Director, and the Coordinator for Graduate Writing Support. Sarah has published in the Journal of Lesbian Studies on the 2019 BBC/HBO period drama, Gentleman Jack, and has presented at Irish studies, writing studies, and writing center studies conferences. Sarah is passionate about empowering her students develop the skills needed to mentor their own research and writing selves. When she’s not teaching, reading, or writing, Sarah is typically playing with her three cats, baking a sourdough loaf, out for a walk, doing yoga, or riding roller coasters with her partner, Thomas. She is thrilled to be joining the Indiana Academy’s community this fall.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Dr. Myers graduated from the Pennsylvania State University with a B.A. in journalism and worked in various reporting, writing, and editing positions. Dr. Myers then received his M.A. in English from Arcadia University, his Ph.D. in English from Louisiana State University, and he served as the faculty coordinator for the writing center at Kent State University’s Columbiana Campuses. His research interests involve a wide range of American and British literatures, from the colonial to the contemporary, though he most appreciates the American works that bracket the turn of the twentieth century. Dr. Myers is also a scholar of ecocriticism and the environmental humanities, especially attuned to the role of horror and Gothic in culture, and how those genres intersect with ruralness, regionalism, geography, and nature. Dr. Myers has presented at the International Conference on Virginia Woolf and has twice been accepted to the conference of the Modern Language Association (MLA). He serves as an ongoing editor and peer reviewer for various literary journals and university presses, and his scholarship has been published in New Delta Review, the Journal of Modern Literature, Ecocriticism and the Future of Southern Studies, Horror Studies, and Studies in American Fiction.

Stephanie Nagelkirk joined the Academy in the fall of 2005. She earned her undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice and worked in the law enforcement field for several years before returning to school for a master’s degree in English education. Currently ABD in literature, her doctoral research focuses on African-American and Postcolonial difference feminisms. In her tenure at the Academy, Ms. Nagelkirk has taught the following literature courses: American, World, African-American, Women’s, Utopian, and Holocaust, as well as Creative Writing, AP English Language and Composition, Writing Lab, and the Colloquia series. Additionally, she has developed an International Exchange Program with Sankt Afra School in Meissen, Germany into a bi-annual project and cultural collaboration that enables Academy students to travel to Germany during the spring semester for deep dive work into various content areas. In 2020, Ms. Nagelkirk moved to the newly-formed position of Inclusive Excellence Coordinator, which works to improve inclusivity and diversity at all levels of the Academy. As both the English department head and the Humanities Division Chair, Ms. Nagelkirk has a widely varied set of responsibilities, but she also prioritizes distance running, attending her children’s sporting events, international travel, and advocating for underrepresented groups of people, both within and outside of the Academy.

Stephanie Nagelkirk News

• Academy Instructors Receive Bell Education Grants
• Indiana Academic All-Star
• Two Indiana Academy Teachers Awarded Grants
• Envirothon Teams Travel to Purdue

Dr. Sean A. Scott joined the Academy history faculty in August 2015. He earned a Ph.D. in history from Purdue University in 2008. Since receiving his doctorate he taught history at Ouachita Baptist University and American studies at Christopher Newport University. He also served as an assistant editor with the Papers of Abraham Lincoln project, conducting research at the National Archives. A specialist in the study of religion during the Civil War era, he has authored A Visitation of God: Northern Civilians Interpret the Civil War (Oxford University Press, 2011) and several peer-reviewed articles in scholarly journals.

Sean Scott News

• Dr. Sean Scott Published in Lincoln Lore Journal
• Academy Instructors Receive Lilly Endowment Fellowships

Dr. Thomas F. Arnold has taught history at the Academy since 2004. He received his B.A. with High Honors from Oberlin College in 1985, and earned his Ph.D. in early modern and military history at the Ohio State University in 1993. Following his Ph.D. work, from 1993 to 1994 he held a post-doctoral research position in International Security Studies at Yale University. From 1994 to 2001 he was an Assistant Professor of History at Yale University. In 2001 he became Program Manager for Teaching at the Alliance for Lifelong Learning in New York City, an online consortium of Oxford, Stanford, and Yale Universities. He is the author of several articles on aspects of early modern military history, and the book The Renaissance at War (2001 and later editions), currently published by HarperCollins/Smithsonian press.

He enjoys teaching at the Academy, and the chance to work with motivated, gifted and talented young people who are just realizing their opportunities. Most May Terms Dr. Arnold leads a small group of students on a “history and hiking” trip to Europe. Past destinations have included Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, Norway, Switzerland, and Germany.

Tom Arnold News

• Dr. Tom Arnold, Candy Manship, and Sharon Johnson Celebrated for Combined 70 Years of Service
• Dr. Tom Arnold Receives Lilly Grant
• Academy Faculty Recognized by Alumni’s Colleges
• Dr. Tom Arnold Selected as University of Chicago Outstanding Educator
• Dr. Tom Arnold Awarded Robert P. Bell Creative Teaching Award
• Academy Instructors Receive Bell Education Grants
• Two Indiana Academy Teachers Awarded Grants
• Plato on Trial

Dr. Myers has been an instructor of history at the Academy since the Fall 2006 semester. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science from Bluefield State College in West Virginia, a Master’s Degree in U.S. History from East Tennessee State University, and a Ph.D. in Appalachian Regional History from West Virginia University, where he wrote a dissertation titled, “Deindustrialization and the Decline of Community in the Coalfields: McDowell County, West Virginia, 1950-2000.” From 2001 to 2006, Dr. Myers taught history part-time at West Virginia University while working on his doctorate. He has also taught history at East Tennessee State University, Fairmont State University (WV), Bluefield State College, Ball State University, and Ivy Tech Community College. Along with the Foundations and American History core classes, Dr. Myers also teaches advanced reading courses in Appalachian History, American Working Class History, Native American History, the History of Science and Technology, and US History from 1920-1945. Dr. Myers is the author of “Depression, Recovery, Instability: The NRA and the McDowell County, West Virginia, Coal Industry, 1920-1938,” published in Coal, Class, and Politics in Modern Appalachia: Essays in Honor of Ronald L. Lewis (Morgantown: West Virginia University Press, 2009), as well as numerous encyclopedia entries and book reviews. Dr. Myers is currently working on a project on Dr. Henry Hatfield, the Progressive era governor of West Virginia.

Mrs. Rogers has taught Russian language at the Indiana Academy since it opened its doors in the fall of 1990. Over the years she has also taught Russian literature at the Academy and German language both at the Academy and at Ball State University, as well as served as an English/Russian translator for Ball State University and around the community of Muncie. Mrs. Rogers holds a Masters Degree in Russian Language and Literature from Purdue University in West Lafayette and a Masters Degree in German from Indiana University in Bloomington, where the focus of her graduate work was on historical linguistics and old Germanic languages. In her free time, Mrs. Rogers is active with volunteer work for Muncie Community Schools and for First Presbyterian Church in Muncie and enjoys traveling with her husband, two daughters and her beagle.

Heather Rogers News

• Academy Teacher Named Ball Brothers Foundation Excellence in Teaching Finalist
• Academic Super Bowl State Finals
• Science Olympiad Team Advances to State
• Academy Students Take Home Gold and Silver at Russian Olympiad
• National German Exam
• ACTR Olympiada of Spoken Russian

Jason Fetters graduated from Illinois State University, earning a Bachelor of Science in International Business and Spanish and a Master of Arts in Transatlantic Cultural Studies in Spanish. Before joining the Academy, Mr. Fetters spent nearly 20 years in higher education teaching all levels of Spanish while also coordinating Spanish language programs, first at Purdue University and then later at Indiana Wesleyan University. His affection for the Spanish language and its many people groups around the world began in high school. That affection has only grown through the years, with him taking advantage of every opportunity to speak the language as possible. Some of his personal, immersive language experiences include study abroad in both Mexico and Spain, humanitarian trips to Mexico, and teaching alongside Spanish speakers from all over the world. Some of his most memorable courses taught include Cuba: From Colony to Castro, The Religious World of Latin America, Spanish in Medical Contexts, Women Writers of Spain through the Centuries, Culture & Civilization of Spain, and Culture & Civilization of Latin America.

Dr. Pyo teaches Korean courses and ESL academic composition courses at the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities at Ball State University. She has previously taught Korean at the Korean American Community School of Central Ohio and online Amazing Talker company and ESL courses at Urbana University and Asian American Community Services. She holds her M.A. in French linguistics from Ewha Womans University in Korea and her M.A. in TESOL from New York University. She earned her Ph.D. in TESOL from the Ohio State University. Her research focuses on multiliteracies in foreign and second language learning.

Jeongsoo Pyo News

• Dr. Jeongsoo Pyo Invited to Present at AATK Annual Meeting

Dr. Slocum teaches French courses at the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and the Humanities at Ball State University. She has previously taught French at Colorado State University-Pueblo, Michigan Technological University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She earned her Ph.D. in French literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed her minor in the department of Theatre and Drama. Her research focuses on twentieth century French literature and theatre.

Stephen Schuh has been with the Academy since the 2000-2001 school year, and has been selected for local and regional meritorious teaching awards over 20 times. He is a consultant for the College Board and has facilitated 60+ summer workshops for national and international AP Physics instructors. Mr. Schuh has taught for Ball State University, Indiana University, and Purdue University, and has extended experience with 600-level courses in Physics, Mathematics, Biophysics, Education, and Psychology. Having logged over 3000 hours of studio time, Mr Schuh has taught students across the state, country, and beyond. In 2012, he was one of 12 consultants across the globe invited to participate in the first year of the College Board’s new Physics curriculum, and has taught all levels of physics, research, and colloquium for the Indiana Academy.

Chris Buczek joined the Academy in the fall of 2018 teaching General Chemistry and AP Chemistry. Her philosophy on education is that it is not a spectator sport; students must be engaged in what they are learning and be provided with opportunities to apply what they have learned in novel situations. She has over twenty years of teaching experience and continues to seek better and more engaging methods to the classroom. Chris received her Master’s in Science Education from Indiana Wesleyan and has begun work on her Master’s in Chemistry where she will continue her focus on Chemistry Education. She holds a BA from Indiana University in Sociology with a concentration in Psychology and a BS from Trine University in Chemistry Education and a concentration in Mathematics.

Justin Crowder joined the Academy in 2024 teaching AP Biology, Introduction to Microbiology, and Genetics. Mr. Crowder grew up in Muncie and has studied at Ball State and Indiana University. He has served as an instructor for multiple life science and physical science courses at both the high school and university levels and has conducted biomedical research in various academic laboratories.

Mr. Crowder’s graduate thesis project investigated the protein quality control mechanisms of endoplasmic reticulum localized ubiquitin ligase enzymes in genetically modified yeast. He then spent eight years researching the cellular process of diabetes pathogenesis in various tissues of genetically modified mice and immortalized cell lines. Mr. Crowder has published articles in scientific journals including the Journal of Biological Chemistry and Diabetologia.

Mr. Crowder lives in Muncie with his wife, daughter, two cats, and bearded dragon. In his free time he enjoys hiking, gaming, attending concerts, and exploring new culinary delights.

Ms. Cunningham was appointed Instructor of Computer Science in 1996 at the Indiana Academy. Currently, she teaches AP Computer Science A/Java, Introduction to Programming/C++, Visual Programming/Python, Virtual Reality, Web Page Design and Personal Finance. Since the summer of 1997, Ms. Cunningham has also taught summer workshops for teachers and elementary through high school students. During the school year, she is also active in presenting computer technology Saturday programs for elementary through high school students. She is an AP Computer Science A Consultant for the College Board and AP Reader for AP Computer Science A tests.

Before coming to the Indiana Academy, she was Departmental Manager for various computer departments at Ontario Systems Corp. in Muncie, Indiana. She has experience as a Software Project Manager/Systems Analyst at Conseco, Inc. (Carmel, IN) and started as a Programmer Analyst at Ball Corporation in Muncie, Indiana. While attending Ball State University as an undergraduate, she was a programmer consultant for the Charles A. Beard School Corporation in Knightstown, Indiana and was instrumental in setting up their first computer labs. She has also taught night classes at Indiana Wesleyan University, Indianapolis, IN. Currently, she is an independent contractor for various programming projects.

Ms. Cunningham is a former member and officer (serving 3 terms) on the Board of Directors for Heritage Place in Indianapolis, Indiana, former member of the Indianapolis Computer Society, former member of the Network of Business Women in Indianapolis, former member of Toastmasters, former member of Sigma Iota Epsilon (Ball State) and has served on the YMCA Programs and Activities Committee, Muncie, IN. In 1989, she was in the Who’s Who Among Women Executives.

Susie Cunningham News

• Academy Faculty Recognized by Alumni’s Colleges
• Ms. Susie Cunningham, Students Receive Awards from NCWIT
• PhyxtGears Robotics Team Wins Bloomington Regional Competition
• Satellite Designed by Indiana Academy Students Set to Launch Aboard a NASA Rocket
• HOSA Leadership Conference

Dr. Hook teaches General Physics, AP Physics 1, Solar System Astronomy, and Galactic Astronomy classes at the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities. She received her B.S. degree in 2010 from Ball State University in Physics with minors in Astronomy and Geology. She completed her M.S. degree, also at Ball State University, in 2017 in Physics with a concentration in Astrophysics. Her master’s thesis focused on the use of an Echelle spectrograph, describing and conducting data analysis on the accretion disc of the binary star system X Persei. Prior to arriving at the Indiana Academy in the Fall of 2022, she taught physics classes at Ball State University and Purdue University in the capacity of a teaching assistant for almost all of the years she was a graduate student at those universities.

Recently, in the summer of 2023, she completed her Ph.D. degree in Curriculum and Instruction: Physics Education from Purdue University. Her dissertation concerned the post-secondary realm of educators and their beliefs about teaching problem-solving which revealed a caring and student-centered perception of education.

Dr. Hook has been published several times throughout her career thus far, aside from her thesis and dissertation, including in journals such as Planetary and Space Science Journal, the Journal of the Southern Association for Research in Astronomy, and paper sessions of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). She has also attended and presented at several conferences. She has presented research at the 39th Annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in 2007 and participated in poster sessions of her research at the American Astronomical Society (AAS): Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting in 2008 and the American Astronomical Society / American Association of Physics Teachers Joint Meeting in 2006. She also regularly attends the Hoosier Association for Science Teachers Conference.

In her free time, Dr. Hook enjoys spending time with her husband, fur-children (4 dogs and 1 cat), and her mom who now lives with her due to health. She enjoys reading/watching mystery, science fiction, and fantasy genre content and hopes to someday contribute to the art with her own books someday. She also likes to paint, solve mystery case games (such as her Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective – The Thames Murders & Other Cases Board Game), and game on her play station (her favorite being the entire Assassin’s Creed Series, first to latest).

Mr. Mayfield teaches Human Anatomy and Physiology, Ecology, Environmental Biology, Introduction to Microbiology, Introduction to Zoology, Botany, Humanity/Biotechnology, and Social Issues and Research. Additionally, he serves as the sponsor of the Environmental Club, Speech and Debate Team, and Envirothon Team. Mr. Mayfield is an evolutionary biologist who is doing his dissertation research on evolutionary relationships in orchids. He has published articles in the fields of systematic botany and entomology.

Michael Mayfield News

• Science Olympiad Team Advances to State
• Academy Instructor of Life Sciences Receives Prestigious Award
• Envirothon Teams Travel to Purdue
• HOSA Leadership Conference
• Indiana Academy Instructors Awarded Robert P. Bell Education Grants

Dr. Godfrey Walwema is thrilled to join The Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities as a Physics Instructor. Godfrey has taught physics for over 15 years at the International Baccalaureate and Advanced levels as well as high school. Prior to joining Ball State University, Godfrey taught physical science to preservice teachers at the University of Wyoming. He has also taught physics in Uganda, Kenya, Eswatini, and Botswana.

Godfrey believes that students should find the learning of physics interesting and exciting because the application of physics principles is evident all around them in real-life situations. He contends that naturally, students are likely to be interested in exploring and learning about what happens around them. For instance, they would want to know how the microwave oven functions, the principle behind the GPS, the most efficient way to conserve energy, and the technology involved in computers and cellphones. To this end, Godfrey’s research interest is to investigate teaching strategies that would make the learning of physics interesting and exciting to students.

Godfrey earned a B.S. in physics and mathematics from Makerere University, an M.S. in Physics from Western Illinois University, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on Science Education from The University of Wyoming. In his spare time, he reads about the latest innovations in the field of science and technology.

Dr. Godfrey Walwema News

• Dr. Godfrey Walwema Joins Academy as Physics Instructor

Donald Winslow grew up in Indianapolis and studied at Indiana University and Michigan State. His dissertation project addressed the effects of forest management practices on breeding birds in southern Indiana. He has also studied birds in the field in Michigan, Saskatchewan, California, Wyoming, and Oklahoma. Dr. Winslow has taught biology and environmental science at Indiana University, Michigan State University, St. Gregory’s University and Rose State College in Oklahoma, Ivy Tech, and the Indiana Academy. He lives with his wife, two sons, and three cats in Hagerstown.

Donald Winslow News

• Dr. Donald Winslow Published in The Hoosier Science Teacher

Since beginning at the Academy in 1991, Ms. Foltz has enjoyed teaching courses in Algebra, Precalculus, Finite Mathematics, Statistics, Calculus, and AP Calculus. She believes that “mathematics is not a spectator sport,” and so she seeks to engage students in the course topics, encouraging them to think like mathematicians in the process. She is also the instructor for the AP Calculus courses that are available through the Indiana Academy Online. Ms. Foltz has led Outreach summer workshops and school in-service sessions on the use of technology in the secondary classroom. She also currently serves as a Faculty Consultant in AP Calculus for the College Board, leading one day and weeklong sessions, and has been a Reader and Table Leader for the College Board in AP Calculus.

Ms. Foltz was the chief developer of educational materials for the web-based Get-A-Five, an online provider of calculus video tutorials, diagnostic questions, and practice AP exams. She was part of the team that prepared materials for the training manual used by AP Calculus consultants. Previously, she was a contributing author for the Kaplan AP Calculus AB & BC study guide and was a member of a project team that completed a National Science Foundation calculus curriculum grant at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Ms. Foltz was the recipient of the Edyth May Sliffe Award for Distinguished High School Mathematics Teaching from the Mathematical Association of America, the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Outstanding High School Teacher Award, the Radio Shack National Teacher Award, the Sigma Xi (Ball State University Chapter) Teacher of the Year Award, the Siemens Award for Advanced Placement – Teacher Award for the State of Indiana, and the Dean Roy Weaver Indiana Academy Outstanding Contributor Award.

Jessica Edrington joined the faculty of the Indiana Academy in 2018 and has been teaching high school mathematics since 2006. She has served as an AP Reader for AP Calculus and is a College Board consultant for AP Precalculus. Ms. Edrington earned her M.A. in Mathematics from Ball State University, B.A. in Mathematics from Olivet Nazarene University, and graduated from the Indiana Academy in 1994. She also is the sponsor for the Academic Super Bowl team and enjoys spending time with her two rescue dogs, Ezri and Hana.

Jessica Edrington News

• Academic Super Bowl State Competition Results
• Academic Super Bowl Results
• Academic Super Bowl Teams Qualify for State
• Academic Super Bowl State Finals
• Academic Super Bowl Results
• 2020 Academic Super Bowl Results

Joshua Ruark earned his Bachelor’s degree in Math and Social Studies in Secondary Education from Cornerstone University in 1999. In 2011, he earned a Master’s in Discrete Mathematics from Michigan Technological University, where he stayed on for the 2011-12 year as an instructor before joining the faculty at the Indiana Academy in 2012.

In addition to teaching classes ranging from Pre-Calculus to Differential Equations, Mr. Ruark coaches both the Quiz Bowl and Academic Superbowl teams.

On a personal note, Joshua is an avid game player, with Scrabble, Dominion, and 7 Wonders among his favorites. He also is a fan of all things Star Trek, and although he doesn’t own a costume from any of the series, he can identify almost any episode of ST:TOS and ST:TNG by title.

Joshua Ruark News

• Quiz Bowl National Tournament Results
• Science Olympiad Team Advances to State
• Indiana Academy Takes First Place in Academic Super Bowl State Finals
• Indiana Academy Recognized as a Top Dual Credit School