MOMMA_STEWART

NO EXCUSES Zach my son clearly got beat hands down, and cost his team the dual. You don't need to say anything else. Trust me if anyone is making excuses it isn't coming from my house. Congrats to all the Cathedral kids who stepped up and did their part!

I wasn't going to respond but I almost feel obligated to educate those who have never heard about ISI because it is truly such a unique school and amazing opportunity for those fortunate to be accepted. Since it is hard for some to comprehend how a straight A 8th grade student coming from a public school could be placed into 8th grade at ISI I will try to explain the uniqueness of the school. Unlike public schools their classes are taught in languages other than English(total immersion). When u set up your schedule you choose a language track, for example Ben chose Spanish as his primary language, French as his secondary and then English as his third. This means Ben's language & humanities classes are taught in Spanish(that is the language the teacher uses to teach the class, she/he will speak NO English or any other language during class. It's not that Ben could not have comprehended the material taught at grade level 9, it's the fact he has to comprehend it in a foreign language! He has chose to predominately focus this school year on becoming multilingual. But in addition to all the language courses he takes there he is studying physics, chemistry, microbiology, geometry, trigonometry, drama, religion, & world history(none of which he had previously taken). The classes consist on average of 6 to 10 students depending on the subject and within each class the students work at their own pace. There is not a "honors" program there because all students are gifted however the students still work to their potential which means they do not always work on the same thing. A state regimented curriculum is not in place as I stated before they follow the IB. 8th-12th graders are all together in the upper school. 8th-10th graders work within the MYP or middle years program while 11th and 12th graders work on IB. The school functions like a college with complete freedom given to the students. For example if I need to take Ben to the doctor I text him and tell him what time ill be there. I do not have to call the school and sign him out. Trust is given to the students. He is expected to make all arrangements with his teachers if he misses something just like in college. It is a " paperless" school all grades are required to have a Mac and all homework and teacher correspondence is done through their Mac's. During their lunch time they are free to leave or go outside on the campus and play football etc. rules are not strictly placed upon them as they are in public schools. At ISI there are no "bad apples" to spoil the bunch. Everyone is there with the same goals, they all seem to share the same core values and morals. They are all there for a better education. the school focuses on critical thinking and application of knowledge, unlike regular schools that just teach based on memorization. It's really quite an unreal atmosphere that no matter how much I try and explain it most will not understand without actually seeing it first hand. Please if you have time just go to their website and take a look yourself...ISIND.ORG And to Indy Star who has lived here 52 years ISI was founded in 1994...

I would love for him to attend ISI through high school and it was a consideration, however I also have 3 other children to consider in this picture. ISI costs about $20k a year not to mention I spend 2 hours a day transporting Ben to and from school. I certainly can't afford to put 4 children through ISI and there aren't enough hours in a day to continue all the driving between schools and practices, school functions etc. My kids don't even have their school breaks at the same time! I am a parent who has always been very involved in my kids activities and with them being separated now its a struggle. You are right I could petition the IHSAA for him to stay there and play football and wrestle elsewhere, but if he did that he would still miss most of the practice because by the time I get him home from school, high school practices are almost over so you tell me how all that would work out. And how do I attend 2 varsity matches at 2 different locations if my kids are at different schools? Also my boys are very close they want to someday play on the same football and wrestling team. Whether Ben attends ISI for 1 year or 5 years he is still getting an opportunity he never would have had, he's going to enter high school in a better place physically, academically, and mentally now...and like I said before I stand by my decision 100% !!!

Him being a 17 year old senior was just one of the considerations when choosing to place him in 8th grade at ISI this year. We had made the decision before he even tore his ACL so he is not just a medical redshirt. Some parents choose to have there children "held back" or "repeat" a grade for whatever there reasons may be; however I don't see this situation as either. To repeat means to reproduce or do over in the same manner. Ben is not repeating what he did last year at CGMSN this year at ISI! Students at ISI come from all over the country & world to attend such a prestigious school. He is not taking courses at ISI that he took last year, the entire curriculum at ISI is nothing like that of a public school. At ISI there focus is on the IB(International Bacclaureate). They focus on multilingual and multicultural education within an internationally acclaimed curriculum. There student to teacher ratio is 9:1, the reason for placing him in 8th grade there as opposed to 9th grade was predominately the language barrier. The majority of kids that attend there are fluent in at least 3 languages and classes are taught in Spanish, French, and Mandarin Chinese. You try throwing your child in that intense of an academic enviornment at their "appropriate" grade after having 8 years of public schooling and let me know how it turns out...LOL!! I made the best decision I could as a parent and I stick by it 100%. Secondly I wouldn't consider my son "held back". In my opinion being held back means being prevented from moving forward or advancing. My son was given a tremendous opportunity and being able to be a part of something most kids don't have the chance, resources, or tools to do so. So instead of focusing on the fact he is in 8th grade again, why don't you commend the child on taking on such a huge challenge. When my son does hit high school and succeed why don't you focus on all his hard work instead of the first words out of everyone's mouth being "we'll he was a hold back/redshirt/repeat" and that's why he is good...lol (Let's not forget he was good before he entered 8th grade for a second time...)

Sorry to have to correct you MR. Y2 but I clearly said I didn't want my son to be a 17 year old senior I never said anything about graduating as a 17 year old because his birthday is in November so he would turn 18 during the school year. He is a second year cadet and he is 14 as I stated and he will enter high school as an 18 year old.

Let me clear this up now for those of you who choose to spread rumors and hear say. I am Ben Stewart's mother. It is true Ben is in 8th grade this year at the International School of Indiana. He is 14 years old and no this is not his second time being "held back". For those of you who don't know he tore his ACL in May at Freestyle state and had reconstructive surgery in June. Ben is also a football player and with his injury he would have had to sit the year out. He has worked too hard for too many years to enter high school knowing he would be spending most of the year rehabbing. Also to "Iowa wrestler" apparently you know very little about my son or you wouldn't be posting what you did. He is a member of the national honor society and was a straight A student in the public school system so being accepted into ISI was an opportunity we couldn't pass up. If you know anything about ISI then you know it is ranked in the top 50 schools in the country. Even with Ben excelling academically in the public school system ISI is a challenge for him since the school is a total immersion language program. We also chose to not have him be a 17 year old senior. Some people don't agree with that choice but ultimately it's my families choice and others opinions are merely that...opinions. No my son did not need to be held back for an athletic nor an academic advantage...LOL! Ben has been wrestling and competing against kids much older than him for years. Anyone who has ever seen my son in a practice room knows his partners have always been substantially older. To answer the post about where he will attend high school he will be at Center Grove next year 100%.

Does anybody know where these videos will be uploaded to and when?

Congrats to Contenders wrestling club for winning large team state competition!! Thank You Coach Ryan Parrish for all your hard work & dedication! Thank you for coming to all the weekend tournaments straight from work with no sleep, functioning only on Mountain Dew & the love of the sport!!! Thank you for generously allowing non-club kids to come and train and workout with our kids for "FREE", because as you say "it's only making our kids better"...LOL!! Thank you for graciously coaching some of my friends kids at tournaments when their coaches couldn't be there! On a personal note a BIG THANKS for all you did for Ben in Kansas City when he dislocated his elbow, that went above & beyond the call of a coach!!! Your a true friend and role model to all kids you come in contact with!!! Also thanks to TJ, Danny, & the rest of the dads who help!!! Congrats to this years pee-wee/bantam/Intermediate/Novice placers: Chase Carrington-2nd Drew Mills-7th Tyson Lane-5th Garrett Williamson-State Champ Gavin Stewart-3rd Garrett Stewart-4th Jake Sheets-3rd Brach Carrington-2nd Johnny Parker-State Champ Dylan Stewart-State Champ Camden Chatterton-2nd Ray Rioux-7th Ty Mills-State Champ Trey Lane-7th Kysen Montgomery-7th Tyce Freije-5th Drew Williamson-4th Clayton Scroggs-4th Congrats boys you all worked so hard for this!!! Marci Stewart