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Sidney Schiller (middle left) with her classmates after her freshman year
A Look Back With Sidney Schiller: Attending Two High Schools Simultaneously
9/1/2020 3:37:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BATTLE CREEK, Mich. - Purdue Fort Wayne volleyball sophomore Sidney Schiller had a high school experience unlike the majority of students. She attended two high schools at the same time.
Throughout her high school career, Schiller attended Lakeview High School for half the day, and The Battle Creek Area Mathematics + Science Center for the other half. The Battle Creek Area Mathematics + Science Center, colloquially known as "The Center", is a school for students in the area that test to be advanced in math and science, allowing them to accelerate their learning. During Schiller's freshman and sophomore years, she was taking math and science classes normally taken by juniors and seniors, and by the time she was in her final two years at "The Center" she was earning college credit by taking advanced placement and dual credit courses.
In Schiller's junior year, she enrolled in a research methodology class that tasked her with creating her own study and present a modified thesis on the results. She conducted an experiment that examined comfort when personal space is invaded, measuring anxiety levels based on fidgeting, perspiration, and heart rate, among other measurable items. While she understood that her experiment was very basic and would need further testing with larger sample sizes to be scientifically valid, the process of creating the experiment and reporting on the results helped her develop the skills to succeed academically at the next level.
"That was very overwhelming," Schiller said. "Pretty much every single day I had to get to school early or stay late to work with teachers or classmates on things."
Her experience at Battle Creek Area Mathematics + Science Center also taught Schiller the value of intangible skills, like organization. There was a semester in which she took biology and chemistry at the same time, both of which had 12-page papers due every week.
"Some things that are huge for me for volleyball are leadership, being on time, and responsibility," Schiller said. "You have to be organized and ready to step up. I relate my time at 'The Center' to volleyball in the same sense in that I showed up to all my practices early and never forgot stuff I needed."
Schiller began to excel at volleyball around the age of 13, in large part due to her height. When she tried out for a club team, she went in thinking she would be trying out for the regional team, but the coach pushed her up to the national level simply by looking at her physical gifts. She earned her place on the national club and had to give up her time as a basketball player because club practices in Grand Rapids were 90 minutes away from her home in Battle Creek.
While with the U-16 team at Far Out Volleyball Club, Schiller's squad won the national championship, and she was named an All-American. The following year, she had an injury that prevented her from playing, but she got an internship with the club to stay active in the game. Since she had graduated a semester early from "The Center" and two trimesters early from Lakeview, she was able to work during the day and practice at night.
In her internship with Far Out, she expanded on her knowledge of responsibility and academics to learn other skills, such as managing a website and ordering and organizing gear for the athletes. By this point she had already committed to Purdue Fort Wayne, but the path to that choice almost did not happen.
Schiller had closed off her recruitment around the age of 16, because she had become overwhelmed by the schools contacting her about playing at the collegiate level. She did take one more call after she made that decision, however, and that was Purdue Fort Wayne. She explained her aspirations to become a collegiate head coach, and after talking with head coach Steve Florio and athletic director Kelley Hartley Hutton, she was determined to be a Mastodon.
"They were trustworthy and respectable," Schiller said. "It was like a breath of fresh air to just be welcomed and treated as a human, a student, an athlete, everything. Not just an athlete."
When she arrived on campus at Purdue Fort Wayne, Schiller started to realize that her rigorous high school academic career paved the way for a successful college career.
"It definitely prepared me for college," Schiller said. "My first year was almost kind of a breeze because of how hard I'm used to working. I understand that you have to study, you have to work hard."
In her first season with the Mastodons, Schiller found success on the volleyball court and in the classroom. The Summit League All-Freshman Team selection played in 33 matches with 31 starts and helped the 'Dons to an 18-15 record for their first bid to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship. She also earned a place on the 2019-20 Summit League Academic Honor Roll, while helping the team to a cumulative GPA of 3.62 in the spring semester.
Throughout her high school career, Schiller attended Lakeview High School for half the day, and The Battle Creek Area Mathematics + Science Center for the other half. The Battle Creek Area Mathematics + Science Center, colloquially known as "The Center", is a school for students in the area that test to be advanced in math and science, allowing them to accelerate their learning. During Schiller's freshman and sophomore years, she was taking math and science classes normally taken by juniors and seniors, and by the time she was in her final two years at "The Center" she was earning college credit by taking advanced placement and dual credit courses.
In Schiller's junior year, she enrolled in a research methodology class that tasked her with creating her own study and present a modified thesis on the results. She conducted an experiment that examined comfort when personal space is invaded, measuring anxiety levels based on fidgeting, perspiration, and heart rate, among other measurable items. While she understood that her experiment was very basic and would need further testing with larger sample sizes to be scientifically valid, the process of creating the experiment and reporting on the results helped her develop the skills to succeed academically at the next level.
"That was very overwhelming," Schiller said. "Pretty much every single day I had to get to school early or stay late to work with teachers or classmates on things."
Her experience at Battle Creek Area Mathematics + Science Center also taught Schiller the value of intangible skills, like organization. There was a semester in which she took biology and chemistry at the same time, both of which had 12-page papers due every week.
"Some things that are huge for me for volleyball are leadership, being on time, and responsibility," Schiller said. "You have to be organized and ready to step up. I relate my time at 'The Center' to volleyball in the same sense in that I showed up to all my practices early and never forgot stuff I needed."
Schiller began to excel at volleyball around the age of 13, in large part due to her height. When she tried out for a club team, she went in thinking she would be trying out for the regional team, but the coach pushed her up to the national level simply by looking at her physical gifts. She earned her place on the national club and had to give up her time as a basketball player because club practices in Grand Rapids were 90 minutes away from her home in Battle Creek.
While with the U-16 team at Far Out Volleyball Club, Schiller's squad won the national championship, and she was named an All-American. The following year, she had an injury that prevented her from playing, but she got an internship with the club to stay active in the game. Since she had graduated a semester early from "The Center" and two trimesters early from Lakeview, she was able to work during the day and practice at night.
In her internship with Far Out, she expanded on her knowledge of responsibility and academics to learn other skills, such as managing a website and ordering and organizing gear for the athletes. By this point she had already committed to Purdue Fort Wayne, but the path to that choice almost did not happen.
Schiller had closed off her recruitment around the age of 16, because she had become overwhelmed by the schools contacting her about playing at the collegiate level. She did take one more call after she made that decision, however, and that was Purdue Fort Wayne. She explained her aspirations to become a collegiate head coach, and after talking with head coach Steve Florio and athletic director Kelley Hartley Hutton, she was determined to be a Mastodon.
"They were trustworthy and respectable," Schiller said. "It was like a breath of fresh air to just be welcomed and treated as a human, a student, an athlete, everything. Not just an athlete."
When she arrived on campus at Purdue Fort Wayne, Schiller started to realize that her rigorous high school academic career paved the way for a successful college career.
"It definitely prepared me for college," Schiller said. "My first year was almost kind of a breeze because of how hard I'm used to working. I understand that you have to study, you have to work hard."
In her first season with the Mastodons, Schiller found success on the volleyball court and in the classroom. The Summit League All-Freshman Team selection played in 33 matches with 31 starts and helped the 'Dons to an 18-15 record for their first bid to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship. She also earned a place on the 2019-20 Summit League Academic Honor Roll, while helping the team to a cumulative GPA of 3.62 in the spring semester.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
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