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Dr. Tom Arnold, Candy Manship, and Sharon Johnson Celebrated for Combined 70 Years of Service
Friday, April 12, 2024
Congratulations to Dr. Tom Arnold, Associate Teaching Professor of History, Mrs. Candy Manship, Administrative Coordinator – Academic Affairs, and Sharon Johnson, Night Office Manager, for their respective length of service at Ball State and The Indiana Academy, totaling 70 years!
According to Dr. Olufowote, Director of Academic Affairs, “It is rare to see employees diligently serve day-in-and-out for the amount of time Tom and Candy have graced the Academy. Candy’s thirty years at the helm of state reporting and managing the affairs of all things academic at the Academy is incredible and a testament to the excellence and resilience of our community. Tom has been a gem for the Academy over the last two decades and is still operating with a youth-like enthusiasm and spirit for teaching, mentorship, and research. Those of us newer to the Academy stand on the shoulders of giants like Tom and Candy whom have clearly contributed towards earning our status as a premier institution of higher learning for the exceptional student.”
Paul Douglas, Director of Residential and Student Affairs, says, “Sharon has worked faithfully for the Academy for 20+ years and does an incredible job at a critical position. Few see her because she works from 11:30 p.m.-7:30 a.m. but many rely on the information she compiles and shares each day. Whether it is travel forms, overnight lists, rounds throughout the building, keeping our students and building safe, or being ready to respond to student needs and emergencies, Sharon handles all of it and allows all of us including our live-in staff, to rest well and be ready for the next day. Sharon is a wonderful example of dedication and care for this school we all love, and I am so grateful to have her as part of our team.”
Dr. Jeongsoo Pyo Invited to Present at AATK Annual Meeting
Friday, April 12, 2024
Congratulations to Dr. Jeongsoo Pyo, Assistant Teaching Professor of World Languages, for having her Learning Scenario (LS), My Special Birthday, accepted to be included in the revised World Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Korean) and to be presented during the 29th American Association of Teachers of Korean (AATK) annual meeting at Indiana university, June 20-22, 2024. The AATK is the most prestigious conference in the Korean language and has invited members to participate in an important initiative to update the World Readiness Standards for learning Korean. Fifteen new learning scenarios (lesson plans) were selected out of a host of submissions to reach this initiative. According to Dr. Kang, Professor/Director of the School of Korean at Middlebury College, “The selection of Learning Scenarios was a challenging and difficult task… Thank you [Dr. Pyo] very much for contributing to AATK’s National Standards Revision project.”
Dr. Olufowote and Academy Senior Daniel Yoo Present at MPSA Annual Conference
Friday, April 12, 2024
Last week, Academy senior Daniel Yoo and Dr. Olufowote, Director of Academic Affairs, presented research entitled, “No Study, No Job: The Stigmas Associated with South Korean Vocational Schooling” at the Midwest Political Science Association Annual Conference in Chicago, IL. This research attempts to investigate how South Korean school choice, among other intervening variables, impacts student mental health and well-being.” Of the two main variables found to hold the greatest explanatory power, the authors finds parental involvement tends to have a negative relationship with mental health-well-being among South Korean students, in general, and that vocational students, in particular, benefit from a stronger support among cohort classmates and peers, positively impacting their mental health and well-being.
Dr. Olufowote also served as a discussant for thee panels: Democratic Backslidings and Coercive Challenges, Mental Health and Sports Policies in Educational Contexts, Democratic Advances and Setbacks, and served as panel chair for Democratic Advances and Setbacks.
Explore Experiential Credit Bearing Opportunities at the Academy: Teaching Apprenticeships!
Friday, April 12, 2024
Last spring semester, we featured credit-bearing internships and research opportunities available to Academy students. Did you know Indiana Academy students can also earn academic credits as a teaching apprentice? The Teacher apprenticeship program is designed with mentorship and professional development in mind. Students have the unique opportunity to work alongside Academy faculty on a variety of activities related to classroom management, instruction, and student support. Read below to hear more on the experiences students have had this semester as part of the teaching apprenticeship program!
“This week, I felt much more confident in giving context to the class. I recognized that it was appreciated last time, so I was empowered to go to extra lengths to provide things I found interesting or relevant. I even included some items that weren’t immediately relevant, but provided an additional perspective on love that contrasted from that in the film. Mr. Haynes listened attentively to my suggestions early in the week, and he even took notes! He told me after I presented yesterday that my context was becoming an essential part of the class that he’s hoping to include more consistently in the future.”
-Theo Davis
“This week has mostly been individual work editing a video. We did a visual project last semester in our Korean Class, so I am editing the smaller videos into one large video to upload to YouTube. I’ve never been very techy, so this has been a great chance for me to exit my comfort zone. Over this past week, I have learned so much about editing and computer science. By editing the videos I’ve also been able to watch them again and learn more about my classmate’s experiences. The videos are in Korean, so it has helped my listening and reading skills as well.”
-Lorna Holman
“…that night I hosted another study session and some people came. I was able to help answer numerous questions in prep for the test that was the next day at the time. On Friday, I showed up to class again and did mostly the same but at the end I was assigned to collect quizzes. Ms. Buczek has asked me to double check future keys over the weekend…”
-Myranda Partaker
Contact Dr. Olufowote, Director of Academic Affairs, for more information on how to get connected to the teacher apprentice program!
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.