November 2025 News
Indiana Academy Student Government
Monday, November 24, 2025
The Indiana Academy’s Student Government (IASG) was developed for the 2025-2026 academic year with the help of funding by the Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County.
The IASG was designed to allow consistent feedback from student representatives.
“The IASG will serve as influential, key collaborators on institution-wide matters and provide insight on important decision-making,” said Dr. Joel Olufowote, Director of Academic Affairs, who spearheaded this development.
A proposal titled “The Blueprint for Leadership Project” awarded the IASG a $2500 grant through the Community Foundation. This proposal focused on immersive activities for leadership after receiving student feedback.
IASG allows students to better understand and respond to student needs, better understand high ability education, and participate in the administration decision making process.
Twenty-five students applied for IASG positions and ten were accepted. Members of the inaugural group will engage the student body in celebrating student success.
Global Scholar Program Receives Community Grant
Friday, November 21, 2025
The Indiana Academy’s Global Scholar Certificate Program received the Indiana Language Roadmap Community Grant this year from the U.S. Department of Defense’s National Security Education Program to continue to promote international education at the Academy.
The Indiana Language Roadmap provides world language instruction and training in global skills for Indiana residents and is housed in the Center for the Study for Global Change at Indiana University in Bloomington.
The grant was used in the International Fest project where Global Scholar Certificate participants are paired with an international student to showcase their country and culture. The project’s objective was to provide a hands-on learning experience for students who are interested in learning about the world and to allow Global Scholar Certificate participants to execute their country projects more effectively. The grant also funded t-shirts to help our international program promote international cultures and the Global Scholar Certificate Program.
The Global Scholar Certificate Program is a non-academic program that is offered to students to engage beyond the classroom. Forty-five students currently participate in the Global Scholar Certificate Program at the Academy. Students presented a country and culture of their choice at the International Festival on November 18 as a part of International Education Week.
The International Fest was designed to celebrate different global cultures and is hosted by Academy students.
Academic Spell Bowl Champions
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
On Monday, November 3, six Academy students traveled to Hamilton Southeastern High School to compete at the regional Academic Spell Bowl competition. The Indiana Academy was the only school in Class 4 participating, so despite being four students short of a full team, they earned first place with 36 points! (Each round is worth 9 points.)
The Class 1 and 2 schools competing included Yorktown, Delta, Noblesville, Fishers, New Castle, Carmel, Pendleton Heights, and Hamilton Southeastern.
Led by sponsor Jessica Edrington, the Academy team consisted of Brooklyn Grey, Avi Kambham, Savannah Scott, Danyal Syed, and co-captains Sarah Glunt and Malachi Smith. Co-captains Sarah and Malachi both had perfect rounds, and will be invited to participate in an individual state competition online later this month. There were only 3 or 4 perfect rounds the entire competition.
Congratulations to the Spell Bowl team!
Dr. Jo Tuite – IAG Proposal Accepted
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Congratulations to Associate Director of Admissions, Dr. Jo Tuite, for being accepted to present at the upcoming Indiana Association for the Gifted conference in December. She will be presenting on a very relevant topic titled “AI Fluency in Gifted Education: Building a Culture of Innovation and Ethics.” She will be presenting at the conference in downtown Indianapolis on Tuesday, December 16.
Dr. Sean Scott Published
Monday, September 29, 2025
Congratulations to faculty member Dr. Sean Scott for having two articles recently published: “James Lynch and the Merging of Religious and Political Reconstruction in Mississippi” in the Fall/Winter issue of The Journal of Mississippi History, and “Episcopalians in Civil War Washington: loyalty, prayer, and the struggle over religious authority within the Diocese of Maryland” in American Nineteenth Century History.
The scholarly accomplishments of our faculty are a testament to the Indiana Academy’s success in cultivating academic excellence.
Indiana Academy Alum Named NASA Astronaut Candidate
Friday, September 26, 2025
Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities alum Yuri Kubo (Class of 2004) was named one of NASA’s 10 new astronaut candidates on September 22, 2025.
“We’re incredibly proud of Yuri and his achievement. His selection as a NASA astronaut candidate exemplifies the kind of excellence and scientific curiosity we strive to nurture at the Indiana Academy,” said Dr. Dain Kavars, Executive Director of the Indiana Academy.
After graduating from the Indiana Academy, Kubo went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 2008 and a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering in 2015, all from Purdue University. He has worked at SpaceX, Vandenberg Space Force Base, and most recently as the senior vice president of Engineering at Electric Hydrogen.
More about Yuri from NASA’s website: Astronaut Candidate Yuri Kubo
This is not the Indiana Academy’s first connection to a NASA astronaut. Retired astronaut David Wolf, the uncle of a Class of 2010 Academy graduate, carried an Indiana Academy pennant to the International Space Station in 2009 as part of the STS-127 mission.
Walk to End Alzheimer’s Recap
Monday, September 22, 2025
Saturday, September 20, Indiana Academy students helped with the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in downtown Muncie. Students raised $4,320.70 to support the cause, an increase of over 30% compared to last year! This outstanding effort reflects the heart of our school community—students who not only excel academically but also step forward to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. Through initiatives like this, our students demonstrate that authentic leadership means using their talents and energy to serve causes greater than themselves.
National Merit Scholarship Program
Friday, September 19, 2025
We are excited to announce this year’s Indiana Academy students who were selected for the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program (NMSP). The National Merit Scholarship Corporation chooses senior students based on their PSAT/NMSQT exam scores taken the prior year. Of the over 1.3 million eligible students, only a small percentage are chosen. This year’s Indiana Academy NMSP participants are:
Finn Almandmoss (Commended)
Isaac Fischer (Commended)
Sarah Glunt (Commended)
Ayesha Khan (Commended)
Alex Overmars (Commended)
Rachel Ward (Commended)
Maria DeLong (Semifinalist)
Jason McGrew (Semifinalist)
Yohan Shin (Semifinalist)
As Semifinalists, Maria DeLong, Jason McGrew, and Yohan Shin are in a select group of approximately 1% of eligible high school students nationwide who will continue to compete for one of the prestigious National Merit Scholarships. Please join us in congratulating all of this year’s Indiana Academy NMSP participants!
Robert P. Bell Education Grant Award
Thursday, September 18, 2025
Earlier this week, the Indiana Academy was awarded a Robert P. Bell Education Grant by The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County. The grant, spearheaded by Dr. Joel Olufowote, provides $2,500 in funds to support the Indiana Academy Student Government (IASG) in its first year. Funds will be used to purchase start-up items and provide professional development to this year’s IASG students.
Dr. Beineke – Who Published Maus?
Friday, August 29, 2025
Dr. Colin Beineke, Assistant Teaching Professor of English, has an essay titled “Who Published Maus?” included in the book Artful Breakdowns: The Comics of Art Spiegelman. This book was recently awarded the Comics Studies Society Edited Book Prize. Congratulations, Dr. Beineke!