Faculty

Dr. Thomas F. Arnold has taught history at the Academy since 2004. He received his B.A. with High Honors from Oberlin College in 1985, and earned his Ph.D. in early modern and military history at the Ohio State University in 1993. Following his Ph.D. work, from 1993 to 1994 he held a post-doctoral research position in International Security Studies at Yale University. From 1994 to 2001 he was an Assistant Professor of History at Yale University. In 2001 he became Program Manager for Teaching at the Alliance for Lifelong Learning in New York City, an online consortium of Oxford, Stanford, and Yale Universities. He is the author of several articles on aspects of early modern military history, and the book The Renaissance at War (2001 and later editions), currently published by HarperCollins/Smithsonian press.

He enjoys teaching at the Academy, and the chance to work with motivated, gifted and talented young people who are just realizing their opportunities. Most May Terms Dr. Arnold leads a small group of students on a “history and hiking” trip to Europe. Past destinations have included Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, Norway, Switzerland, and Germany.

Tom Arnold News

• Academy Instructors Receive Bell Education Grants
• Two Indiana Academy Teachers Awarded Grants
• Plato on Trial

Clara Chi received her B.A in Japanese and English from Wellesley College, and worked in Tokyo, Japan for over ten years as a translator in the Japanese banking industry. She received her M.Ed. in World Language Education from DePaul University in 2014, specializing in Japanese language education. Her thesis on interdisciplinary Japanese and English high school education was selected for presentation at the 2013 Central Association of Japanese Teachers’ conference at Eastern Michigan University. She is also a graduate of Illinois Math and Science Academy, Illinois’ sister consortium school to Indiana Academy. She is passionate about teaching Japanese language and culture, through which she hopes to further appreciation for all world languages and cultures.

Clara Chi News

• Team Places First in Japan Olympiad of Indiana for Third Straight Year
• Teacher Awarded Funding for Creative and Innovative Classroom Project
• Japanese Instructor at the Academy Named a Rising Star

Dr. Clifford began teaching at the Academy in the fall of 2018. She studied English as an undergraduate at the Virginia Military Institute, where she played soccer and ran track. She received her M.A. in English from Virginia Tech and her Ph.D. from West Virginia University. Her research and teaching interests include modern American poetry and drama, environmental literature, the city in literature, women writers, and trauma narratives. She is publishing a chapter on Marianne Moore’s “An Octopus” in the forthcoming ecocritical collection Modernism in the Green, from Routledge Press. Throughout her career, she has taught a range of English courses, including Modern American Poetry and Drama, Short Story and the Novel, American Literature, and Composition. At the Academy, she teaches English courses, including American Literature, Shakespeare, Introduction to Theater and Drama, and Junior Colloquium. In her free time, she enjoys playing the drums and guitar, listening to her highly-cultivated Pandora stations, watching soccer, going on road trips, and making sure her mini dachshund doesn’t eat chocolate.

Ms. Cunningham was appointed Instructor of Computer Science in 1996 at the Indiana Academy. Currently, she teaches AP Computer Science A/Java, Introduction to Programming/C++, Visual Programming/Python, Virtual Reality, Web Page Design and Personal Finance. Since the summer of 1997, Ms. Cunningham has also taught summer workshops for teachers and elementary through high school students. During the school year, she is also active in presenting computer technology Saturday programs for elementary through high school students. She is an AP Computer Science A Consultant for the College Board and AP Reader for AP Computer Science A tests.

Before coming to the Indiana Academy, she was Departmental Manager for various computer departments at Ontario Systems Corp. in Muncie, Indiana. She has experience as a Software Project Manager/Systems Analyst at Conseco, Inc. (Carmel, IN) and started as a Programmer Analyst at Ball Corporation in Muncie, Indiana. While attending Ball State University as an undergraduate, she was a programmer consultant for the Charles A. Beard School Corporation in Knightstown, Indiana and was instrumental in setting up their first computer labs. She has also taught night classes at Indiana Wesleyan University, Indianapolis, IN. Currently, she is an independent contractor for various programming projects.

Ms. Cunningham is a former member and officer (serving 3 terms) on the Board of Directors for Heritage Place in Indianapolis, Indiana, former member of the Indianapolis Computer Society, former member of the Network of Business Women in Indianapolis, former member of Toastmasters, former member of Sigma Iota Epsilon (Ball State) and has served on the YMCA Programs and Activities Committee, Muncie, IN. In 1989, she was in the Who’s Who Among Women Executives.

Susie Cunningham News

• PhyxtGears Robotics Team Wins Bloomington Regional Competition
• Satellite Designed by Indiana Academy Students Set to Launch Aboard a NASA Rocket
• HOSA Leadership Conference

Jessica Edrington joined the faculty of the Indiana Academy in 2018 after teaching mathematics at Lowell Senior High School in Lowell, Indiana, for eleven years. Ms. Edrington earned her M.A. in Mathematics from Ball State University in 2016, B.A. in Mathematics from Olivet Nazarene University in 1998, and graduated from the Indiana Academy in 1994. She enjoys the opportunity to teach at her alma mater.

Jessica Edrington News

• 2020 Academic Super Bowl Results

Since beginning at the Academy in 1991, Ms. Foltz has enjoyed teaching courses in Algebra, Precalculus, Finite Mathematics, Statistics, Calculus, and AP Calculus. She believes that “mathematics is not a spectator sport,” and so she seeks to engage students in the course topics, encouraging them to think like mathematicians in the process. She is also the instructor for the AP Calculus courses that are available through the Indiana Academy Online. Ms. Foltz has led Outreach summer workshops and school in-service sessions on the use of technology in the secondary classroom. She also currently serves as a Faculty Consultant in AP Calculus for the College Board, leading one day and weeklong sessions, and has been a Reader and Table Leader for the College Board in AP Calculus.

Ms. Foltz was the chief developer of educational materials for the web-based Get-A-Five, an online provider of calculus video tutorials, diagnostic questions, and practice AP exams. She was part of the team that prepared materials for the training manual used by AP Calculus consultants. Previously, she was a contributing author for the Kaplan AP Calculus AB & BC study guide and was a member of a project team that completed a National Science Foundation calculus curriculum grant at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Ms. Foltz was the recipient of the Edyth May Sliffe Award for Distinguished High School Mathematics Teaching from the Mathematical Association of America, the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Outstanding High School Teacher Award, the Radio Shack National Teacher Award, the Sigma Xi (Ball State University Chapter) Teacher of the Year Award, the Siemens Award for Advanced Placement – Teacher Award for the State of Indiana, and the Dean Roy Weaver Indiana Academy Outstanding Contributor Award.

David Haynes has been an Instructor of English at the Academy since 2008. He has taught American and World Literature, Creative Writing, Junior and Senior Colloquium, and the Victorian novel. David received his Masters degree from Marquette University and did three years of doctoral work in literature at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He has taught composition at Marquette, Ball State, and UIUC, where he also served as a graduate assistant in several literature courses. He has authored an article on an Irish film, which appeared in the New Hibernia Review in 2002. His graduate work focused on British and Irish modernism and Victorian literature.

David Haynes News

• Academy Instructor’s Film Wins at Canadian Festival
• Ball State’s Teachers College Centennial Celebration
• Update on David Haynes Film
• Lilly Grant Makes Filmmaking Dream a Reality for David Haynes

Dr. Kallmeyer teaches many biology courses including Microbiology, Anatomy and Physiology, Zoology, and AP Biology, as well as General Chemistry. Before joining the Academy, she taught for several years in the Biology Department at Ball State.

Her research interests include aquatic biology with emphasis on macroinvertebrates, phytoplankton, zooplankton, fishes, and their association with limnological parameters. Early research has been on zebra mussel population dynamics in Lake Michigan and the Ohio River as well as studying the impact of tributaries on major river systems.

Dr. Lobo began teaching at the Academy in the fall of 2019. He majored in English as an undergraduate at Tufts University, before going on to receive his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Southern California. His research interests include the modern novel, games, formal realism, and the part all three play in the production of identity and subjectivity. He has been published in journals such as Postmodern Culture, Game Studies, and Chiasma, on subjects ranging from ecocriticism to Japanese film. His teaching career includes Comparative Literature, Women Writers, World Culture and Writing Composition. At the Academy he teaches English courses, including American Literature, World Literature, Creative Writing, and Junior Colloquium. He maintains an interest in the way the literary and the ludic converge to create new possibilities, and how they might make room for new voices and new forms of self-expression.

Phillip Lobo News

• English Instructor Publishes Game Research Paper

Mr. Marsh has had a wide-ranging career, though teaching is his greatest passion. He joined the Academy faculty in 2006, and absolutely loves working with these amazing students. His previous teaching experience was with Ball State University and the University of Indianapolis. He has taught American History, Western and World Civilizations, Public History, Government, and Religious Studies. His History of World Religions course is a favorite at the Academy, and his May Term courses are creative, interactive projects such as the construction of ancient Egyptian tombs or famous prehistoric caves. Mr. Marsh was the recipient of the inaugural Robert P. Bell Creative Teaching Award in 2018. He was chosen by Academy students in 2016 to receive the Dean Roy Weaver Award, and he was also selected twice by Ball State students for a University Professorship Teaching Award.

Mr. Marsh and his wife won the national McLaren Comedy Festival Award in 2014 for a play they wrote. He also co-authored a musical play which was produced in Branson, Missouri, during which time he served as Vice-President of Marketing and Production for the theatre, and also performed as on-stage host.

From 1995-2006, Mr. Marsh was the Executive Director of the Grissom Air Museum. During his tenure, the historic aircraft collection, exhibits, educational programs, and funding grew substantially, while annual museum visitation more than tripled. Other endeavors include writing an op-ed column for the Indianapolis News and other papers, as well as authoring articles for history and general interest publications. Early in his career, Mr. Marsh founded a burglar and fire alarm company in Muncie which he operated for seven years. He has a business degree from Indiana University, and a Master’s degree in history from Ball State University.

John Marsh News

• Teaching During a Pandemic – a Century Ago by Mr. John Marsh
• Academy Instructors Receive Bell Education Grants
• John Marsh Named Recipient of Inaugural Robert P. Bell Creative Teaching Award
• Explore the “Cave of Time” at the Indiana Academy
• Indiana Academy Instructors Awarded Robert P. Bell Education Grants

Mr. Mayfield teaches Human Anatomy and Physiology, Ecology, Environmental Biology, Introduction to Microbiology, Introduction to Zoology, Botany, Humanity/Biotechnology, and Social Issues and Research. Additionally, he serves as the sponsor of the Environmental Club, Speech and Debate Team, and Envirothon Team. Mr. Mayfield is an evolutionary biologist who is doing his dissertation research on evolutionary relationships in orchids. He has published articles in the fields of systematic botany and entomology.

Mike Mayfield News

• Science Olympiad Team Advances to State
• Academy Instructor of Life Sciences Receives Prestigious Award
• Envirothon Teams Travel to Purdue
• HOSA Leadership Conference
• Indiana Academy Instructors Awarded Robert P. Bell Education Grants

Dr. Myers has been an instructor of history at the Academy since the Fall 2006 semester. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science from Bluefield State College in West Virginia, a Master’s Degree in U.S. History from East Tennessee State University, and a Ph.D. in Appalachian Regional History from West Virginia University, where he wrote a dissertation titled, “Deindustrialization and the Decline of Community in the Coalfields: McDowell County, West Virginia, 1950-2000.” From 2001 to 2006, Dr. Myers taught history part-time at West Virginia University while working on his doctorate. He has also taught history at East Tennessee State University, Fairmont State University (WV), Bluefield State College, Ball State University, and Ivy Tech Community College. Along with the Foundations and American History core classes, Dr. Myers also teaches advanced reading courses in Appalachian History, American Working Class History, Native American History, the History of Science and Technology, and US History from 1920-1945. Dr. Myers is the author of “Depression, Recovery, Instability: The NRA and the McDowell County, West Virginia, Coal Industry, 1920-1938,” published in Coal, Class, and Politics in Modern Appalachia: Essays in Honor of Ronald L. Lewis (Morgantown: West Virginia University Press, 2009), as well as numerous encyclopedia entries and book reviews. Dr. Myers is currently working on a project on Dr. Henry Hatfield, the Progressive era governor of West Virginia.

Stephanie Nagelkirk joined the Indiana Academy faculty in 2005, having taught previously in Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Ms. Nagelkirk’s masters degree – from East Stroudsburg University – is in Secondary Education, English, with an emphasis on teaching writing, and she is currently working on her dissertation for a Ph.D. in Literature. Her specialty area is Postcolonial theory and its application to African-American women’s literature. The 2011 recipient of the prestigious Battey National Educator Award, Ms. Nagelkirk is also a reader for the College Board in AP English Language and Composition. She presents widely on the Project-Based Learning method of teaching and continues to be involved in pedagogical developments on both the national and local levels. With an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice, Nagelkirk’s interests are quite varied. She is an avid distance runner, a lover of all things seafood, and the mother of two children, Jack and Ella. She is passionate about her family, her students, and her teaching, and her enthusiasm is immediately evident. Ms. Nagelkirk teaches the American and World Literature courses, African-American Literature, Utopian Literature, and AP English Language and Composition. She has also taught the colloquia series, Creative Writing, Writing Lab, and a May Term running course.

Stephanie Nagelkirk News

• Academy Instructors Receive Bell Education Grants
• Indiana Academic All-Star
• Two Indiana Academy Teachers Awarded Grants
• Envirothon Teams Travel to Purdue

Dr. Sazzad Nasir joined the Academy in the fall of 2019. He received his BS with Honors in physics from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Subsequently, he earned his Master of Advanced Study with Distinction and Ph.D. in theoretical particle physics from the University of Cambridge, England. His teaching and research career straddled multiple scientific disciplines. Before joining the Academy, he has been a faculty member at Northwestern University, where he taught and led research in neuroscience. His research in physics and neuroscience appeared in leading journals such as Communications in Mathematical Physics, Physics Letters, Nature Neuroscience, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Neuropsychologia. Currently, he has a research affiliation with Haskins Laboratories at Yale University.

He has deep passion for teaching. He takes great satisfaction in nurturing young talents and rekindling in them the passion for learning and making them curious about the world they live in.

ChristyAnn Norton joined the Academy in the fall of 2018 teaching General Chemistry and AP Chemistry. Her philosophy on education is that it is not a spectator sport; students must be engaged in what they are learning and be provided with opportunities to apply what they have learned in novel situations. She has over twenty years of teaching experience and continues to seek better and more engaging methods to the classroom. ChristyAnn received her Master’s in Science Education from Indiana Wesleyan and has begun work on her Master’s in Chemistry where she will continue her focus on Chemistry Education. She holds a BA from Indiana University in Sociology with a concentration in Psychology and a BS from Trine University in Chemistry Education and a concentration in Mathematics.

Mrs. Rogers has taught Russian language at the Indiana Academy since it opened its doors in the fall of 1990. Over the years she has also taught Russian literature at the Academy and German language both at the Academy and at Ball State University, as well as served as an English/Russian translator for Ball State University and around the community of Muncie. Mrs. Rogers holds a Masters Degree in Russian Language and Literature from Purdue University in West Lafayette and a Masters Degree in German from Indiana University in Bloomington, where the focus of her graduate work was on historical linguistics and old Germanic languages. In her free time, Mrs. Rogers is active with volunteer work for Muncie Community Schools and for First Presbyterian Church in Muncie and enjoys traveling with her husband, two daughters and her beagle.

Heather Rogers News

• Science Olympiad Team Advances to State
• Academy Students Take Home Gold and Silver at Russian Olympiad
• National German Exam
• ACTR Olympiada of Spoken Russian

Joshua Ruark earned his Bachelor’s degree in Math and Social Studies in Secondary Education from Cornerstone University in 1999. In 2011, he earned a Master’s in Discrete Mathematics from Michigan Technological University, where he stayed on for the 2011-12 year as an instructor before joining the faculty at the Indiana Academy in 2012.

In addition to teaching classes ranging from Pre-Calculus to Differential Equations, Mr. Ruark coaches both the Quiz Bowl and Academic Superbowl teams.

On a personal note, Joshua is an avid game player, with Scrabble, Dominion, and 7 Wonders among his favorites. He also is a fan of all things Star Trek, and although he doesn’t own a costume from any of the series, he can identify almost any episode of ST:TOS and ST:TNG by title.

Joshua Ruark News

• Science Olympiad Team Advances to State
• Indiana Academy Takes First Place in Academic Super Bowl State Finals
• Indiana Academy Recognized as a Top Dual Credit School

Mr. Sayers currently teaches General Physics and Electronics. Prior to coming to the Academy he taught physics and mathematics at Brazil and Northview High Schools. At Northview, Mr. Sayers started the AP Program and taught AP Physics B and C, Calculus AB, General Physics, and Algebra 2. He has also taught Introductory Astronomy at Indiana University and was Physics Teacher in Residence at in the Physics and Astronomy Department at Ball State University in 2004-2005.

Mr. Sayers has been active in science education, participating in many professional development programs at the state and national level. He has given numerous presentations and workshops at the local level, and at state and national science conferences.

For many years Mr. Sayers has been especially interested in the applications of technology in science education and how modern technology allows students to engage in real scientific research, particularly encouraging and helping students to conduct their own research in seismology, astronomy, and physics. He is currently a participant in several national projects in science education funded by the National Science Foundation. These include the Princeton Earth Physics Project (seismology), Teacher Leaders in Research Based Science Education (astronomy) and the Physics Teacher Education Coalition (physics education).

Special recognition includes Indiana High School Physics Teacher of the Year in 1997, Indiana Teacher Technology Fellow in 1997, Rose-Hulman Outstanding Teacher Award in 2000, Indiana Academy of Science Summer Research Fellow in 2002, and the Radio Shack National Teacher Award in 2003.

Mr. Sayers is currently working on completing his doctorate at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Mr. Schuh has been with us for over a decade, and teaches all levels of Physics for the school. He received three certificates of Distinguished Service during his education at Purdue University and was awarded the Top Graduate Teacher award in 1998. Since joining the Academy family, he has been awarded Meritorious distinction for both Service and Teaching, and has been listed several times with Who’s Who among American Teachers. Mr. Schuh regularly speaks across the country helping AP teachers improve their craft, and has logged over 2000 hours in front of distance-learning cameras for both national and international instruction.

Dr. Sean A. Scott joined the Academy history faculty in August 2015. He earned a Ph.D. in history from Purdue University in 2008. Since receiving his doctorate he taught history at Ouachita Baptist University and American studies at Christopher Newport University. He also served as an assistant editor with the Papers of Abraham Lincoln project, conducting research at the National Archives. A specialist in the study of religion during the Civil War era, he has authored A Visitation of God: Northern Civilians Interpret the Civil War (Oxford University Press, 2011) and several peer-reviewed articles in scholarly journals.

Dr. Slocum teaches French courses at the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and the Humanities at Ball State University. She has previously taught French at Colorado State University-Pueblo, Michigan Technological University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She earned her Ph.D. in French literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed her minor in the department of Theatre and Drama. Her research focuses on twentieth century French literature and theatre.

Mr. Robert Smith joined the Academy in 2014. He received his B.A. in Spanish grammar and conversation from the University of Massachusetts at Boston in 1991. He earned his Master’s degree in Teaching Languages in 2008 from the University of Southern Mississippi campuses in Madrid and Mexico. Before coming to The Academy, he taught Spanish most recently at Danville High School in Danville, IN. Before that, he taught at a college preparatory school called Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, MA. He also taught at Boston College High School in Dorchester, MA. As part of his graduate and undergraduate studies, he spent almost 2 years in Spain and three months in Mexico. He also spent a year in Ecuador working with the poor and underprivileged. He has also travelled extensively in Latin America. His professional work includes serving as a Spanish/English interpreter in courtrooms, hospitals and for private businesses. He was an Adjunct Faculty member at Indiana University for 8 years before coming to The Academy. He is married to his wife Christina and they have two kids: Elizabeth and Bobby. When he is not teaching, Mr. Smith enjoys many outdoor sports like running, biking and hiking. He also practices basketball, golf and his new passion: Muay Thai; which is a martial art from Thailand. Mr. Smith has been practicing Muay Thai since 2009 and he has fought in a few competitions. He considers it a great skill to know and a great way to keep in condition. Mr. Smith is looking forward to working with the talented people here at The Academy as teaching Spanish is his passion and he loves sharing it with people.

Daniel Vandersommers is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Indiana Academy at Ball State University. Previously, he has served as an NEH Postdoctoral Fellow at the Consortium for History of Science, Technology, and Medicine (CHSTM); an SSHRC-funded Postdoctoral Fellow in Animal History at McMaster University, and a Visiting Assistant Professor in Modern U.S. History at both the University of Mississippi and Kenyon College. Dan earned his Ph.D. in 2014 from The Ohio State University in Early American History.

Dan has published widely, including a coedited volume (with Tracy McDonald) in animal studies titled Zoo Studies: A New Humanities (Montreal, Chicago, London: McGill-Queens University Press, 2019) and an important 2017 article in the Journal of American Studies titled “Narrating Animal History from the Crags: A Turn-of-the-Century Tale about Mountain Sheep, Resistance, and a Nation.”

He is currently finishing a manuscript titled Humanism Encaged: Popular Zoology and the American Zoo, 1887-1917 that will be complete in early 2020. His next book-length research project is tentatively titled Still Lights, Changing Waters: Lighthouses, Environmental Thought, and the Shifting Border Ecologies of Industrializing Lake Erie, 1820-1939.

Dan teaches courses across American, World, Environmental, and Animal History, the History of Science and Medicine, the Posthumanities, as well as in Western Political Theory. When he is not teaching, researching, and writing, Dan can be found playing basketball, traveling, and hiking.

Daniel Vandersommers News

• History Professor Publishes and Speaks

Though a native of Fountain City, IN, Evan comes to the Academy from Phoenix, AZ, where he spent three years teaching Latin and Classics to upper-level secondary school students. Prior to that he attended Xavier University as an undergraduate in the Honors Bachelor of Arts program where he studied Latin, Ancient Greek, and Philosophy. Evan also holds a MA degree from Vanderbilt University in Classics, after which he spent two years at Cornell University studying Classics and Ancient Philosophy. During this time he was able to study abroad at the American Academy in Rome and at one of the Goethe Institut locations in Berlin. He has been a linguaphile since high school and, though he is most comfortable and fluent in Latin and Ancient Greek, enjoys speaking and reading to varying extents Spanish, German, French, and Italian. Evan is looking forward to finishing his PhD and focusing on linguistic issues like second-language acquisition as it applies to learning languages no longer spoken such as Latin and Ancient Greek. When not teaching he spends a lot of his time on the road playing the banjo and singing in a bluegrass band, which makes him probably the only banjo player who can read and understand Plato in the original language.

Evan Ward News

• 2020 National Latin Exam Results
• Academy Instructors Receive Bell Education Grants
• National Latin Exam

In 2011 Mrs. Wright moved to Muncie and began teaching at the Academy. She studied mathematics and education as an undergraduate at Assumption College in Worcester, MA while she played on the basketball team for four years. She completed her graduate work in mathematics at the University of Maine. Before she came to the Academy she taught at a community college in Maine. She believes Academy students are challenging but lots of fun. She is an instructor of Statistics, and Precalculus, among other math courses.