This is a companion piece to Pursuing Balance, Not Perfection written by Celidh, an IU High School 2020 graduate.
This piece is crossposted from Ceilidh’s Writing Place.
Information For IUHS Diploma Students Doing the Common Application
What is the Common App?
Common App is a non-profit college access organization that helps students apply to college every year. Common App’s free college application tool is designed to make applying to college faster and easier. With Common App you only need to use one system to apply to multiple colleges and universities. There are two main parts you fill out: a set of common questions and each college’s own specific questions. The best part is you only have to fill out the common questions one time. The Common App is a hub of information that can guide you through each step of the application journey. It’s also a resource that connects you with financial aid and scholarship opportunities.
The following are some key information points for IUHS diploma students:
Any questions you have should be submitted to Mr. Ritter at ritters@iu.edu.
On May 11, 2023, IU High School Online inducted 39 students to our first National Honor Society chapter! These IUHS students reside around the globe – from Bahrain to Bloomington – and exhibit excellence every day in Character, Scholarship, Leadership, and Service (NHS Pillars). (more…)
Did you know Indiana University has an online high school?Â
IU High School Online, SuccessfulStudent.org’s No. 1 online high school, is a program with open enrollment for courses over the summer months. Â
There’s multiple reasons to enroll in summer classes such as staying engaged with learning heading into the fall, fulfilling NCAA academic requirements, taking prerequisites for the upcoming academic year, and boosting your GPA!
IUHS’ summer program offers students eight weeks of targeted support while classes still operate under our standard six weeks to six months timeframe to complete the course. Students have the option to complete courses within the eight week timeframe while working on skills to complete courses independently.
Here are a few reasons to enroll in IUHS for the summer session:
Try out IUHS
Thinking about attending IUHS full-time? You can always test it out first with summer classes! Our flexible model of scheduling allows students to ease into coursework at their own pace while building time management skills.
Fun
Have an interest in U.S government? What about French language and culture? Learning is fun and the summer months offer students a relaxed, low pressure environment to keep up with and learn even more about their favorite subjects.
Keep engaged and in routine
It can be difficult for students to stay focused throughout the summer, with some preferring the structure and routine of schoolwork to stay grounded. Summer courses offer that stability while providing students with time and flexibility to complete coursework.
Flexible scheduling
Summer courses at IUHS provide students with the standard six week to six month timeframe to complete their coursework with the added benefit of an eight week period of targeted support to help students complete work independently.Â
Keep world language skills fresh
Want to make sure to keep up with foreign language skills heading into the next learning level? Taking a summer course helps students retain the knowledge they’ve already gained while giving them a head start for the school year.
Fulfill NCAA requirements
Looking to meet NCAA academic requirements to compete at the collegiate level? Most classes offered at IUHS qualify as NCAA core courses, and we have an advisor on staff to answer any and all NCAA-related questions.
Check off prerequisites
The summer provides ample time to complete prerequisite courses for any high-level courses students are planning to take during the academic year. Use free time over the summer and save a spot on your schedule.
Free up space or graduate early
Students can free up space on their academic year schedules by enrolling in summer courses and fulfilling requirements ahead of the fall. Enough of this will give students an opportunity to graduate early if they so choose.Â
Improve your GPA
Summer courses offer students the time and flexibility to boost their GPA ahead of the academic year. Students can work at their own pace with targeted support during an eight week period.
For International Women’s Day, we sat down with Indiana University High School principal Dr. Rebecca Itow to talk about her time with IUHS and women who have inspired her.
Q: Obviously you’re IUHS’ principal now, but how did you get your start in education?
Dr. Itow:Â Apparently, everyone in my life knew that I was going to be a teacher except for me! I have been teaching through choreography, theatre, music, and crafting since I was small, but I fell in love with teaching in the early 2000s. I was teaching 10 minute playwriting and dance at California State University Northridge (CSUN) and in local schools around Los Angeles. I am so grateful to the principal of Emmerson Middle School who encouraged me to earn my teaching license!
Q: What initially brought you to IUHS?
Dr. Itow:Â In 2012, Senior Assistant Vice Provost Mike Beam called my PhD advisor Dan Hickey to help IUHS innovate its curricular structure to align with revised NCAA approval guidelines and new accreditation standards for online learning. Since my expertise and research focus on how teachers learn in online environments, working with IUHS was a perfect fit. six years later, I had facilitated teacher professional development for, designed courses with, and wrote my dissertation about IUHS. I just had to apply for the principal position!
Q: With International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month front of mind, who are some influential women in your life?
Dr. Itow: I was raised by and grew alongside a village of powerful, strong women who came up against massive hurdles and pushed boundaries and broke ceilings. The most influential of these women is my mother. It is my life goal to grow up one day to be as insightful, as loving, as persistent, as accomplished, as gorgeous, and as empowering of others as she is.  My mom used to dress up as influential women in history and visit classrooms to teach us about their accomplishments and inspire us to continue the work. In fact, she was so great at this that Astronaut Sally Ride sent my mom her flight suit! WITH the patches on it! The day that I got to wear that suit and play Sally Ride was joyous (and I still have that suit in my closet)!
Q: Have any students, now alumni, gone on to inspire you with their work after graduating from IUHS?
Dr. Itow: Oh, yes! Our IUHS students – current and former – inspire me every day! Here are just a few:
Ashley’s tenure at IUHS inspires me every day. She used the learning structures at IUHS to make space for her own healing from illness, and shared her story to help others coping with eating disorders know that the path toward wellness might not look the same for everyone.
Maria Amanda came to IUHS in search of a safe place to learn that would nurture her love of the environment and engineering. Her work is directly impacting the environment and our lives!
Bristyle overcame significant challenges to balance school, work, and life while attending IUHS. Working with Bristyle and her mother to support this student in achieving her goal still warms my heart!
Q: How do you hope to impact your students as a female educator and principal?
Dr. Itow: It is my daily work to ensure that the way I move through the world demonstrates for others that – no matter what internal or external challenges you face – you are strong, you are powerful, and you are not alone. The road ahead is long, and full of joys and stresses and challenges and successes. Shine! Shine because when we step into the spotlight rather than away from it, we empower others to do the same. And bonus! you make the world a brighter place to be!
Are you looking to discover your own voice as a writer in a cooperative setting with flexible pacing? Courtney Gaylord’s creative writing course, cited by her as most students’ favorite English class at IUHS, is exactly what you need.
“It’s a course kids tend to save until the end of their English career, for some reason, though I think you can take it anytime,” Gaylord said.
Some students’ natural voice as a writer may not develop as easily through more straight-line, academic style writing. Gaylord is constantly hearing from students that creative writing is the first time they feel as though they sound like themselves in their writing.
Assignments span multiple different types of writing such as poems and short stories though almost all of a student’s work will be sourced from their own personal experiences.
“We do like writing which is directly about you and everyone’s favorite topic is themselves,” Gaylord said. “It’s easy to write about yourself, much easier to write about yourself than it is to write about The Crucible or Shakespeare.”
The course’s requirements include plenty of reading and writing along with the bravery to write for an audience. As a collaborative course, students will work alongside one another to grow their skills and hone their voice.
“In creative writing we all write for each other,” Gaylord said. “We read each other’s work and respond thoughtfully to it.”
Discover your voice, register today.
IUHS social studies teacher Mr. Tony Young was named a 2022 Holocaust Educator in Action by CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center. “This award seeks to identify, support, and celebrate educators who live and teach in a way that honors the life and work of Terry Fear,” who served as an educator for 35 years and also as a docent and member of the board of directors of CANDLES. Congratulations to Mr. Young!
Mr. Young teaches AP U.S. History.
By Benita Ntihinyurwa, current IUHS Online student:
Mind over matter. You can be so powerful. I realized throughout my time in online school I really thought quantity over quality was the way to it. I was trying to plan out doing my assignments and finishing them in one day every day including weekends because I thought if I finished all my assignments efficiently and competitively I would finish school and have weeks to spare before winter break. This is a bad way to approach things as I needed that spare time to put quality into my assignments and submit my best work. I learned not to give in to quantity. I can’t turn in assignments or papers as quickly as possible and turn my head and move on to the next. That will never be healthy. Our brains are complex and powerful but when your brain consumes too much information or material it starts to crumble like a piece of paper and when you go to use it it will be so tiring to the point of burnout. I learned that the hard way. It is also essential to take care of your mental and spiritual mind. By that I mean to take of your soul. Take breaks, watch or listen to whatever you want, eat the foods you love, try something new or don’t. Do what makes your soul happy! All the individual experiences you are going to face will be different and unique. As we go through school, high school to be more exact, we should not be so hard on ourselves. If we are, when high school ends we will forget all the great lessons we’ve learned and have nothing but stressful negative memories. It is like a race where you can go as slow or as fast as you want just don’t worry because eventually, we’ll all cross the finish line. Don’t look back and regret not doing it your way.Â
Synchronous learning? Asynchronous learning? Semi-Synchronous learning??
Just as in any other learning setting, there are appropriate virtual learning modes for different types of learning goals, needs, and settings. Check out the slides below to learn about three different modes of virtual learning, and choose the mode that best fits your goals, needs, and setting.
  It’s always nice to have options in life. In my case, Indiana University was the perfect option to meet my needs and lifestyle. Back when I was approaching tenth grade, my life was changing. I had started to pursue my passion as a professional magician. Due to my career choice, my daily “hours of operation” were a little different than most 9-5 institutions. Oftentimes, my life couldn’t fit the standard school schedule due to events and bookings, causing me to rack up absences and miss classes. I still wanted to complete my schooling but needed a different way to do it. After doing some research, Indiana University was found! It was nice to know that there was a place that was able to help meet those needs for me.
   When I started, I was very surprised to find out that although the program I was involved with was online, it was NOT easy! It was actually very challenging. I remember most of the courses I took challenged me far beyond what I was used to during the in-person classes I had been taking at the previous high school I was attending. I’m sure that the challenging nature of the classes helped me with my own pursuits as it made me more accustomed to facing and tackling life’s complex hurdles that were thrown my way. One of my favorite classes that I could remember taking was Mass Media. There are certain specifics from that class that I still remember and recall to this day. It was actually one of the more realistic courses I remember taking that truly connected to the real world, peeling back the layers of storytelling and how things are worded vs how they are said. Subtle nuanced things that most people wouldn’t think about.
   I’m thankful that I had an alternative option for high school and I’m thankful for the challenging classes that I took. It allowed me to maintain the rhythm of traditional schooling in a “non-traditional way”. It definitely kept me on my toes and helped steer me in the right direction. To this day, I’m still involved in creative endeavors both through my work as a professional magician, 3D designer, and creativity podcast host. I hope that my non-traditional upbringing and approach that I was encouraged by my mother to take for high school can help and inspire other young creative entrepreneurs. It can inspire them to not only be ok with doing things that are different than the norm, but to create the life that is most authentic and meaningful for them
(SEE UNDERLINED BLUE TEXT FOR WEBSITE LINKS)
Main Site: https://shaunjaymagic.com
Design Site: https://utilitygaffs.com
Video Podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRNzAWYLU_NC-tUIlbTa_TJnCQehJpkCC
Audio Only: http://bit.ly/makingmagiconapple
Welcome to College GO! Week at IU High School Online! College GO! Week is the final week of September in Indiana and endeavors to provide Indiana students with information and resources designed to help them plan for education beyond high school.  Please enjoy this video of IUHS faculty and staff sharing their college experiences!