March 2023 News

Spring 2023 Midterm Director’s List

Monday, March 20, 2023

Congratulations to the following students on their midterm academic performance at the Academy!

The Director’s List recognizes those students who are carrying at least three As and no Cs (or lower) in their Academy classes, as well as having no cases of academic misconduct reported.

Academy Students Attend DECA Conference

Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Academy students Anna Gu, Kennedy Horner, Betsy Rayle, Jaehun Kim, Hannah Q, and Elise Adams attended the DECA State Career Development Conference from March 5-7 in Indianapolis, IN, where they participated in competitive events. This was the Academy’s first year competing in DECA and the students followed up their stellar effort at district with additional recognition at State. Congratulations goes to Anna Gu, Academy junior, for being recognized with a competency medal for a stand out performance in the Accounting Applications competitive category!

Academy Senior to Present at Conference

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Congratulations to senior Academy student Charlie Behrman on his upcoming conference presentation, “Molecular Adsorption at the Liquid/Liquid Nanoemulsion Interface” at the Indiana Academy of Science annual conference this March on March 18 in Indianapolis! Charlie’s research with two BSU graduate students, under the supervision of BSU Chemistry professor Dr. Mahamud Subir, explores the effect of surfactant compositions, and thereby, the interfacial charges on the adsorption proclivity of different organic compounds using a surface selective laser-based technique. According to Dr. Dain Kavars, Executive Director, “Charlie is taking advantage of the opportunities available to Indiana Academy students to actively engage in cutting-edge research that has the potential to shape the world. We are proud of his many accomplishments and are very excited that he was selected to present at a professional conference!”

Please note: While similar in name to our school, the Indiana Academy of Science is a non-profit a professional membership organization of Indiana scientists and is not affiliated with the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities or Ball State University.

Academy Instructors Receive Lilly Endowment Fellowships

Friday, February 24, 2023

We are extremely proud to announce that Academy Instructors David Haynes, John Marsh, and Sean Scott have each been awarded a Lilly Endowment Teacher Creativity Fellowship! To have three teachers from a small school receive the fellowship in the same year is an incredible accomplishment. The credit, of course, goes to Mr. Haynes, Mr. Marsh, and Dr. Scott for the hard work they put into preparing their applications and the dedication they have to their Academy students.

David Haynes’ fellowship, “Made in Massachusetts and the Editing Room” expands cinematic education by creating an audio-visual memoir of his family’s origins and experiences in Massachusetts, creating a wholly personal film from inception to completion.

John Marsh’s fellowship, “Seeking Educational Theater and Classroom Inspiration in Britain” inspires the creation of youth educational theater scripts through a transformative journey across Great Britain.

Sean Scott’s fellowship, “A Hoosier Historian’s European Grand Tour” deepens historical knowledge through visiting some of the most iconic landmarks, museums and cathedrals of England and France and hiking portions of the Tour du Mont Blanc, Swiss Alps and Scottish Highlands.

Congratulations to all three on this wonderful news!

Academy Senior Earns Regents’ Scholarship

Thursday, February 16, 2023

The Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities would like to celebrate the incredible accomplishment of senior Abby Coffman. Abby has been selected as a recipient of the Regents’ Scholarship by the University of New Mexico. The Regents’ Scholarship is the most prestigious award given by UNM (valued at over $23,000 a year) and only 12 students are selected each year. As a part of the scholarship program, Abby would be assigned a faculty mentor and have access to innovative educational programming and experiences through the Honors College at UNM. “We are incredibly proud of Abby and the work she put in to receive this prestigious award!” Casey Schultz, Director of College and Career Counseling, continues, “Applying for colleges and scholarships, interviewing, and maintaining a consistent high standard of success in the classroom is no easy feat! I’m so excited Abby’s efforts are paying off in such big ways. I can’t wait to see what she does next!”

Five Seniors Celebrated as National Merit Finalists

Monday, February 13, 2023

The Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities celebrates seniors and former National Merit Semi-Finalists Karisten Poole, Charles Behrman, Henry Cooper, Paul Huynh, and Lauren Couch for being named finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program. “This academic year alone, we’ve had thirteen of our senior students recognized by the National Merit Scholars Program and our community is ecstatic to see these five students progress in their journey.” With this good news, Dr. Olufowote, Director of Academic Affairs continues, “I celebrate the continued grit and resilience of our student body to persist and thrive in competitive environments, am reminded of the tremendous faculty we recruit to cultivate curiosity and challenge in the classroom, and remain inspired by the Academy mission of educational equity and access.”

Senior Sadie Berg Named Whitinger Scholar

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Academy senior Sadie Berg has been named a Ball State University Whitinger Scholar for the 2023-2024 academic year.

The Whitinger Scholarship is the signature scholarship of the Honors College and the most prestigious scholarship awarded by Ball State. It supplements Ball State’s Presidential Scholarship to provide full tuition and required fees plus on-campus room and board. Eight new Honors College students are selected to receive the award each year based on their academic ability, character, creativity, and potential for leadership.

Congratulations Sadie!

Ethics Bowl Team Runners-Up

Monday, February 6, 2023

Saturday, February 4, the Indiana Academy Ethics bowl team, consisting of seniors Kayra Karamanli and Kody Coyne and junior Aidan Tomlin, competed in the Indiana Regional Ethics Bowl competition at DePauw University in Greencastle. Mr. Josh Ruark and Dr. Dain Kavars took them down for what was a very long, but very rewarding day. The team left about 5:45 a.m. and returned around 10 p.m. The students had never participated in Ethics Bowl before and were competing against teams who had students with 2-3 years of experience. The students and sponsors weren’t sure what to expect but the team did a phenomenal job.

The competition consisted of 16 teams that competed in 3 rounds in the morning. The Academy was 2-1 in the morning rounds, and that was good enough to advance them into the top 8 for knockout rounds in the afternoon. They won their quarterfinal match and then faced Herron High School in the semifinals. This was the 9th year of the high school Ethics Bowl competition and Herron was the Indiana winner in 6 of the 8 years, including last year. Herron beat us in the morning rounds, but the Academy had an amazing semi-final round to knock out Herron. They faced off against Culver Academy in the final, whom they beat in a very close match in the morning rounds. Both teams did phenomenally in the final round. The judges’ decision was split 2-1, but Culver came out just on top.

Congratulations to Kayra, Kody, and Aidan on their hard work and great accomplishment. This team was formed after most teams had been practicing for 2-3 months. They walked in very inexperienced but surprised many schools with their performance.

Academy Quiz Bowl Team Qualifies for State and National Tournaments

Monday, January 30, 2023

On January 21, the Academy Quiz Bowl team participated in the IASP Regional Quiz Bowl tournament. Members of the team that competed that day were Xavier Alarie (captain), Lila Beghtel, Carson Gull, Caleb Martin, and Joseph Ciceu. The team finished second at the tournament, and in doing so qualified not only for the state tournament in February but also for the Small School National Championship Tournament (SSNCT). This is the fourth consecutive year the Academy has qualified for the SSNCT. This year, the SSNCT will be held in Rosemont, IL from April 28-30, 2023, and the team is looking to improve on its 4-6 performance in last year’s competition.

Academy Senior Selected as Presidential Scholar Candidate

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Charles Behrman, senior at the Indiana Academy, has been selected as a candidate for the United State Presidential Scholars Program! Students are chosen by their academic achievements, leadership, community and school service, and accomplishments in the arts or technical fields. Only 161 graduating students across the nation will be awarded the Presidential Scholars Medallion during the National Recognition Program later this year in June. “What Charles has accomplished at the Academy actually exceeds and far outweighs the recognition he is receiving from the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars and U.S. Department of Education by being named a candidate for this prestigious award,” says Dr. Olufowote, Director of Academic Affairs at the Indiana Academy. “Charles is the type of student that makes the Academy a better place. He has stewarded and leveraged well the academic opportunities our institution has to offer and, as one of our several non-residential students that commute daily, impressively cultivates a sense of belonging among his peers when on campus. We are certainly proud of Charles’ academic accomplishments to point but more so recognize, and boast of, the tremendous impact he’s had on our community of learners while at the Academy.”