April 2017 News
PLATO Essay Winner
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Academy Junior Keith Murray won first prize in the 2017 PLATO (Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization) High School Essay Contest. PLATO is devoted to introducing philosophy to students before graduating high school. Organizers believe that philosophy is a key resource for preparing students for the challenges of the 21st century. The contest itself was open to all high school students in the U.S. and the students participating in the essay contest were asked, “How do we define art or determine what things count as art objects?” Murray’s essay, “Art is More than Beauty: It’s a Whetstone” stood out in a strong field of submissions. Keith received a check for $250.00 from PLATO for his submission and his essay will be published in PLATO’s official journal.
National Merit Scholarship Competition
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Based on their 2016 PSAT results, twelve Academy students met requirements to enter the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program. These students (listed below) were one of 50,000 highest-scoring participants with a Selection Index score of 211 or above who will be recognized in the fall. From the 50,000 high scorers nationwide, about 16,000 will be named National Merit Program Semifinalists, representing the top scorers in each state, and approximately 34,000 others will be commended for their performance on the PSAT. Semifinalists and Commended Students will learn of their standing in September 2017. Semifinalists will be the only students who will have an opportunity to continue in the competition for about 7,400 Merit Scholarship awards to be offered in 2018. Academy students recognized are:
Anna Beach
Angela Cardwell
Ningmei Gong
Nils Hinniger
Michael Hu
Ryan Martinez
Dione Miles-Morillo
Keith Murray
Julia Newbold
Conner Partaker
John Tade
Stanley Zheng
Students Serve as House Pages
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Academy students had the opportunity to serve as House Pages on April 10th at the Indiana Statehouse. Students selected to serve as pages were: Sophia Arnold, Allison Balmer, Angela Cardwell, Taylor Chambers, Toby Holman, Katey Kaiser, and Jasmine Miller. As pages, the students toured the Statehouse including the chambers of the Indiana House and Senate and the Indiana Supreme Court. The pages also witnessed a floor session, met their representatives, and assisted representatives with tasks.
Students Place First in Coding Competition
Friday, March 24, 2017
Academy seniors, Steven O’Riley and Melanie Goldstone, won first place in the Blackford Coding Competition. Their winning score was 484 out of 500 total points with the second-place team only receiving a score of 200 out of the 500 points.
Teams consisted of no more than three students with 55 total students in the competition that was held on March 18 at Blackford County High School in Hartford City. There were three levels of questions with fifteen total questions to be programmed in a span of two hours. Only three teams were able to complete the programming for all of the questions. O’Riley and Goldstone each received a new laptop for their first-place finish.
National German Exam Results
Friday, March 24, 2017
Sixteen students recently received certificates and medals after taking the National German Exam. The exam is taken by students in their second year of German. The following students received certificates and medals:
| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|
| Harrison Hart | Alexa Madden | Rae Handy |
| Nicholas David | Jacob White | Katelyn Zachary |
| Jacob Barbour | Justin Rudecki | Nicholas Shaw |
| Madison Porter | Cameron Maxey | Frances Percell |
| Grace Meier | Tyler Miller | |
| Anke Rudloff | ||
| Nils Hinniger |
Academy Students Serve as Senate Pages
Thursday, March 23, 2017
On March 22, a group of Indiana Academy students served as Senate Pages at the Indiana Statehouse.
The students who served as pages, pictured above with Senator Lanane, are (L to R) Angela Cardwell, Isabelle Turner, Rachael Snow, Amy Gong, Toby Holman, Samantha Williams, Meagan Aldridge, Taylor Chambers, Minna Zheng, and Jarod Saxberg. (Not pictured above: Pauleina Brunnemer, Amy Lee, Grace Moore, and Conner Richmond)
In addition to touring the historical Statehouse which includes the House and Senate Chambers, the Supreme Court, and the Governor’s Office, pages had the opportunity to observe the legislative session directly from the Statehouse floor as well as meet and assist their senators with tasks.
Toby Holman with Senator Buck Samantha Williams with Senator Charbonneau Amy Gong with Senator Crane Amy Lee with Senator Eckerty Grace Moore with Senator Koch Rachael Snow with Senator Lanane Minna Zheng with Senator Lanane Pauleina Brunnemer with Senator Smith Conner Richmond with Senator Smith Taylor Chambers with Senator Walker Meagan Aldridge with Senator Zay
Japanese Speech Contest Results
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Congratulations to Mary Pennington for her work at the Japanese speech contest at the Chicago Japanese Consulate on March 25. She won second place out of the total ten high school students selected to participate from across the Midwest. This year, unlike past years, high school students were grouped into one category regardless of how many years of Japanese study. Therefore she was competing against students who studied Japanese all four years at high school. This is Indiana Academy’s first top ranking in some years, so it is an honor for the Academy and a testimony to Mary’s hard work.
Mary Pennington was selected as one of ten high school students across the Midwest to speak at Chicago’s Japanese Consulate-sponsored speech contest. Mary Pennnington and Van Vandergriff were our entrants this year, and this year more applicants than usual were screened. It is a remarkable achievement with only 2 years of Japanese study, as they were up against students with four years of Japanese study. Mary will be going to Chicago on March 25 to give her speech at the Japanese Consulate.
Van Vandergriff successfully passed Level 4 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test in Dec. 2016. The JLPT is an overall Japanese proficiency exam taken for admission to colleges and companies, with JLPT Level 1 being the highest (native speaker). This test is extremely difficult, and although Level 1 is the highest level, Level 4 is approximate to 4 years of Japanese high school study.
On Saturday, Feb. 25, Japanese students also went to DePauw University to participate in the Japan Olympiad of Indiana, a trivial quiz bowl competition on Japanese language and cultural knowledge. This was the Indiana Academy’s first appearance in several years. They faced close to 30 teams from 9 different schools. The teams were divided by level (years) of Japanese study. We had two Level II teams (2nd year students) and one Level III team (Directed Studies students). All of our teams placed into finals, which consisted of the top 3 teams in each level. In an unusual turn of events, our two Level II teams both tied for the finals, and had to face off each other. As a result, our Level II team achieved 2nd place and our Level III team achieved 3rd place.
Level II: Finals runner up
Jenny Thach (team captain)
Emma Elmore
Luke Swartz
Level II: Finals contestants, Second Place
Anthony Phan (team captain)
Gretchen Andreasen
Jack Cook
Level III: Finals contestants, Third Place
Van Vandergriff (team captain)
Mary Pennington
Taylor Hunt
Students Attend BPA Leadership Conference
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
The Indiana Academy had 10 students attend the 50th Indiana Business Professionals of America State Leadership Conference on Sunday March 12th. Our students competed against schools from across the state in various business oriented events. The results for our students are as follows:
| Event | Team Members | Placement |
|---|---|---|
| Financial Analyst | Angela Cardwell Ben Hiatt | 1st |
| Global Marketing | Hannah Komanapalli Ritika Mehta | 3rd |
| Economic Research | Juliana Qin Kole McGinn Isaac Taylor | 3rd |
| Web Site Design | Ritika Mehta Nicholas Shaw Zackary Swoboda | 3rd |
| Extemporaneous Speech | Zachary Swoboda | 5th |
| Word Processing | Katherine Klamer | 8th |
Envirothon Team Heading to State Tournament
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
The Academy’s Envirothon teams finished in first and second place at the Regional competition held Wednesday, March 15 at Hayes Arboretum, and both teams have qualified to proceed to the State Tournament being held on April 26th in Southern Indiana.
Students Selected for Prestigious Science Camp
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Hannah Komanapalli and Isabelle Turner, Academy seniors, were recently selected to represent Indiana at this year’s National Youth Science Camp (NYSC). NYSC is a residential science education program for young STEM enthusiasts the summer after they graduate from high school. Applicants had to demonstrate exceptional academic achievement, leadership in school and community activities, and a genuine interest in the sciences. Two students from each state and Washington, D.C. were chosen to attend the camp at no cost this summer in West Virginia. Students will be challenged academically in exciting lectures and hands-on studies, and they will also have voluntary opportunities to participate in an outdoor adventure program.
The National Youth Science Camp is made possible through the planning and fundraising of the National Youth Science Foundation, a nonprofit organization with a mission to honor, sustain, and encourage youth interest and excellence in science by conducting comprehensive informal science education programs that provide opportunity for constructive interaction with others and emphasize the social value of thoughtful scientific careers.
“Growing our students’ passion for subjects such as science, technology, engineering, and math is so vital to the future success of the students and our state,” said Dr. Jennifer McCormick, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction. “I congratulate Hannah and Isabelle and am grateful for their opportunity to join such an amazing group of talented students to share ideas and learn.”
Read more here.