April 2024 News
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!”
Senior Sky Wood Awarded Presidential Scholarship to Indiana State University
Monday, February 19, 2024
Academy Senior Sky Wood was surprised on Friday, February 16 with a Presidential Scholarship to Indiana State University and their Honors College. Dr. Gregory Bierly, Dean of the ISU Honors College, and Kelly Pierce, Associate Director of Scholarships, came to the Academy to present the award, and Sky’s parents were also in attendance to surprise Sky with some ISU swag. This scholarship covers tuition, housing, and meals for 4 years. Congratulations, Sky!
Junior Asia Genawi Receives Aspirations in Computing Award
Friday, February 9, 2024
The Indiana Academy is proud to announce that junior Asia Genawi was a recipient of the 2024 National Aspirations in Computing Award. The award recognizes high school students who show aptitude and aspirations in technology and computing, as demonstrated by their computing expertise, computing-related activities, tenacity in the face of barriers to access, leadership experience, and plans for post-secondary education. Asia is one of 40 national winners from a pool of 3,300 talented applicants. Congratulations, Asia!