Henry Class of 2023

Henry (Class of 2023) is from Muncie, IN and quickly found his passions at the Academy. As a non-residential student, athlete, and leader of two organizations, he has kept busy during his time and continues to be active in the community.

As a Muncie local, Henry knew of the Academy early. He longed for better academic opportunities, especially for higher math classes. His main academic interests include physics and calculus. Attending the Academy has allowed for him to take these higher-level classes with a college-style schedule while also participating in extracurricular activities and maintaining an off-campus job.

One of Henry’s main focuses, other than academics, is his participation in athletics. He is on the track and cross-country teams. Henry ran cross-country all four years of high school and participated in track for three. Henry won the award for Most Valuable Runner on his team. During his junior track season, his team won conference. He was also awarded Most Improved and the Leadership Award. Athletics allowed Henry to find balance in his life. “I think that I think if I just did academics, I would maybe push myself too hard but knowing that I have to also spend time doing athletics helps me to balance between the two,” said Henry.

Not only is Henry active on the track, but he is also active in student organizations. As a member of the National Honors Society, Henry is required to complete an individual project for credit. “I was already doing tutoring, but I wanted to do like something that I could call mine,” he said. He decided to take his passion for the environment and turn it into something all students can partake in. Henry and his friend, Charles Behrman, started the Green Cleaners club. This club spends their Saturdays and Sunday’s cleaning parks in Muncie. During their first meeting, the club cleaned Westside Park. The location was close enough to walk, allowing for all students to join, and was supervised by two teachers: Krista Hook and Donald Winslow.

Henry also started the Ultimate Frisbee club. Ultimate Frisbee started as a hobby for Henry, but he soon decided to introduce his friends and community to the game. The game is played in two teams and the goal is to get the frisbee to the end zone without it touching the ground. This team meets twice a week and is a time for students to blow off steam and do something fun outside.

During his time at the Academy, Henry felt he gained time management skills as well as maturity. Attending a school with like-minded students allowed him to grow as a person, academic, and athlete. Henry noted that students at the Academy are more mature, which helped him gain that maturity.

Henry had a busy two years at the Academy, but wishes he spent more time in Wagoner meeting people. As a non-residential student, Henry didn’t spend as much time in Wagoner as a junior. As a senior, he took the time to stay in Wagoner and found himself meeting more students. “I spent a lot more time at Wagoner, just like hanging out, doing homework, and I feel like that’s helped me to like have more faces that I know,” he said.

After graduation, Henry will attend Purdue University and participate in the first-year engineering program. This program allows Henry to earn the prerequisites he needs to then choose which engineering program he will enter after his first year. He is looking to go into mechanical, aerospace, or civil engineering. We look forward to seeing what Henry continues to accomplish post-graduation.