PHM Teachers Recognized for Completing Science of Reading Professional Development

The first group of P-H-M teachers to complete LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) professional development were recognized at the P-H-M Board of School Trustees meeting held on Monday, March 24.

The Science of Reading Training is required by the state. Early Literacy Endorsement is now part of a teacher’s license renewal process. The training takes 80 hours to complete. In all 287 P-H-M teachers signed up for the training, and so far 112 have completed the LETRS training.

Teacher recognized at Board meeting

This group of Title I teachers were the first to complete the training. This group of 11 teachers received pins celebrating them as Science of Reading (SoR) Expert Teachers. The pin is just one way the district can show appreciation to these teachers for their continued dedication to their craft.

  • Lydia Nickerson, Kindergarten, Elsie Rogers
  • Hayley Danley, Kindergarten, Meadow’s Edge
  • Amy Scoles, Kindergarten, Walt Disney
  • Julie Mattison, Kindergarten, Elm Road
  • Krystal Malone, Kindergarten, Walt Disney
  • Payten Bruni, Kindergarten, Madison
  • Megan Manspeaker, Kindergarten, Elm Road
  • Dixie Britton, Kindergarten, Elsie Rogers
  • Emilie Hunsberger, Kindergarten, Walt Disney
  • Asheigh Heatherly, Kindergarten, Walt Disney
  • Betsy Alwine, Dyslexia Specialist & Facilitator

Science of Reading Expert Teacher pin

Every teacher who completes the training will receive a SoR pin.

We thank the P-H-M Education Foundation for supporting the achievement of our teachers by financially covering the costs of the SoR pins.

 

Dr. Jerry Thacker Announces Retirement after 19 Years as P-H-M Superintendent

After nearly two decades leading the Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation, Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker has announced his retirement, effective in July 2025. In a heartfelt letter sent this morning to P-H-M teachers, staff, students, and families  Dr. Thacker shared his decision to step down after a remarkable 53-year career in education (click here to read the letter).

“Dr. Thacker’s vision of excellence helped shape P-H-M into one of the top-performing school districts in Indiana,” commented Chris Riley, President of the P-H-M Board of School Trustees. “We are grateful not only for his years of leadership, but for his tireless commitment and dedication to our entire community. There is no greater supporter of Penn-Harris-Madison than Dr. Jerry Thacker!”

Under Dr. Thacker’s leadership, P-H-M has achieved extraordinary milestones, including raising the graduation rate from 79% to 98%, ranking in the top 4% of the state academically, and helping students earn more than $200 million in scholarships. He also prioritized school safety, leading P-H-M to be ranked sixth in the nation for school safety initiatives.

Dr. Jerry Thacker Announces Retirement after 19 Years as P-H-M Superintendent

In concert with the Board of School Trustees, P-H-M has a stellar record of financial stewardship. P-H-M overcame a $3 million deficit, built a strong and sustainable financial model, and maintained one of the lowest tax rates in the region—all while ensuring our students and staff had the resources they needed to thrive.

Reflecting on his tenure, Dr. Thacker shared “As superintendent, one of the greatest joys of my career has been attending school events and witnessing our students shine—whether excelling in academics, performing in fine arts, or competing in athletics. Our students’ talent and dedication are extraordinary.”

Dr. Jerry Thacker with Penn State Baseball Championship Team (2023)
Penn State Baseball Championship (2023)

Dr. Thacker’s educational career began in the classroom as a 6th grade teacher at Madison Elementary School, where he taught for five-and-a-half years, before moving to Mary Frank Elementary to teach 5th and 6th grades for eight years, where he also became a Team Leader. He even did his student teaching at P-H-M, at Moran Elementary. His passion for learning and leadership soon led him to administrative roles across Indiana and beyond.

Dr. Jerry Thacker with Elm Road students in classroom (2019)
Dr. Jerry Thacker visiting with Elm Road students on the 1st day of school (2019)

Dr. Thacker’s extensive career in educational leadership includes:

  • Eastlawn Elementary School, Twin Lakes School Corporation (Monticello, IN)
    • Principal (1985-1987)
  • Woodlawn Elementary School, Twin Lakes School Corporation (Monticello, IN)
    • Principal and Director of Curriculum (1987-1989)
  • Saginaw Intermediate School District (Saginaw, Michigan) 
    • Director of Curriculum, Professional Development, and School Improvement (1989-1990)
  • Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township (Indianapolis, IN)
    • Director of Elementary Education (1990-1996) – Led significant academic improvements, increasing the district’s 4-Star Schools from one to eight within five years
    • Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources (1996-1998)
  • Logansport Community School Corporation (Logansport, IN) 
    • Superintendent (1998-2006)
  • Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation 
    • Superintendent (2006-2025)

He earned his Elementary Education degree from Bethel College, his Master’s from Indiana University South Bend, and his Ed.D. in Educational Administration, Counseling, and Psychology from Andrews University (Berrien Springs, Michigan).

Dr. Thacker’s commitment to education has been driven by a lifelong dedication to student success. The Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents (IAPSS) named him Outstanding Educator of the Year in 2013 and again in 2017. He was also named Indiana Superintendent of the Year in 2012 and received the Sagamore of the Wabash in 2014—Indiana’s highest award—from then Governor Mike Pence. He has also been recognized as Alumnus of the Year from both IUSB and Bethel College.

Donna and Jerry Thacker will spend the winter months in Florida. Dr. Thacker plans on remaining active in the field of education working as a consultant. He and Mrs. Thacker have been longtime contributors to and supporters of the P-H-M Education Foundation.  During his tenure, the Thackers have donated $232,500, including contributions to PHMEF’s Naming Rights Campaign:

Dr. Jerry & Donna Thacker at the PHM Community Tailgate in 2017
Dr. Jerry & Donna Thacker (2017)

It was announced in January that Penn High School’s new fieldhouse will be named the Dr. Jerry and Donna Thacker Fieldhouse. Click here for more information.

Reflecting on his time at P-H-M, Dr. Thacker expressed deep gratitude for the support of teachers, staff, students, parents, and the broader P-H-M community. His leadership has left an enduring impact on the district, and his legacy will continue through the students, educators, and families he has influenced.

“I will carry with me the countless memories of our shared successes and the friendships that have made this journey so meaningful,” Dr. Thacker said. “The future of P-H-M is bright because of each of you, and I have no doubt that our teachers, staff, and administrators will continue to inspire, empower, and lead with excellence. Our families will continue to raise amazing children. And our students are aptly prepared to make a difference in this world at every level.”

Details about P-H-M’s Board of School Trustees’ search for the district’s next superintendent will be announced in the coming weeks.

Dr. Jerry Thacker Penn Homecoming Parade (2024)
Dr. Jerry Thacker Penn Homecoming Parade (2024)

Gary Fox Honored as Distinguished Business Leader

Today the South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce held its annual Salute to Business recognizing the contributions and accomplishments of business leaders in our local community. Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustee member Gary Fox was among six individuals and businesses honored during the program held Thursday, February 27, 2025.  Click to read the story in the South Bend Tribune.

Gary Fox Honored as Distinguished Business Leader

Fox was celebrated as a Distinguished Business Leader, noting his outstanding contributions to the business community, his pioneering leadership attributes, and his commitment to public service.

Gary Fox being sworn in
Gary Fox being sworn in as a P-H-M School Board Trustee (January 13,2025)

Fox’s career spans more than 42 years. He was recently re-elected to the P-H-M School Board’s Harris Township seat, marking his second tenure with P-H-M after previously serving for 20 years before stepping down in 2020.  He is dedicated to upholding P-H-M’s tradition of academic excellence.

Fox believes that collaboration and innovation are key to ensuring the long-term success of K-12 education in St. Joseph County. “Gary is an exemplary leader whose innovative and creative thinking has helped advance P-H-M to be one of the top-performing school districts in the state,” shared P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker. “His contributions will have a lasting legacy.”

Gary Fox Honored as Distinguished Business Leader
Gary Fox and Dr. Jerry Thacker

A 1982 Purdue University graduate, Fox spent his professional career as a certified public accountant and business development executive at Crowe, where he also served as a partner. He played a key role in corporate development efforts, overseeing mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, and portfolio growth. Recognized as one of Crowe’s most innovative tax partners, he built a national reputation in partnership and LLC taxation.

Fox is committed to giving back to the community. He is a longtime supporter of the P-H-M Education Foundation most recently supporting the Fun Zone at Penn’s 2024 Homecoming and the Short Circuits program for all P-H-M 3rd graders at all 11 elementary schools. Fox is also making a $10,000 contribution to the Foundation’s Naming Rights Campaign to name Penn High School’s fieldhouse, currently under construction, the Dr. Jerry Thacker and Donna Thacker Fieldhouse (click here for more details).

Fox’s commitment to children also includes his support of other nonprofit groups such as the Casie Center. He served on the IU South Bend Office of the Chancellor Advisory Board, and was honored with the IU South Bend Leadership Award. Fox’s contributions to education include his work with Purdue University’s Mitch Daniels School of Business, where he mentors students and supports business competitions.

He and his wife Tammy have been married for 44 years and are parents to two Penn High School graduates and now have five grandchildren, two of which are at Moran Elementary School.  

Reflecting on his career, Fox shared, “I hope my professional legacy reflects what the founders of Crowe stood for—being a trusted advisor to clients and mentoring team members to find joy and purpose in their work while also making an impact.”

We congratulate Board Member Gary Fox on this well-deserved honor from the South Bend Area Chamber of Commerce and thank him for his dedication to education and the community.

Dr. and Mrs. Thacker Donate $10,000 for Greg Dikos Field

On July 22nd, the Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees approved the $10,000 gift from School Superintendent Dr. and Mrs. Thacker to the P-H-M Education Foundation Naming Rights Campaign to name the field at Penn High School’s Jordan Automotive Baseball Stadium as the Greg Dikos Field.

This makes the fifth donation Dr. and Mrs. Thacker have made as part of the Naming Rights Campaign, recognizing the contributions P-H-M employees have made to the community:

  1. Chris Geesman Kingsmen Athletic Center (formerly the Kingsmen Athletic Center), $25,000 donated in December 2021 ($5,000 per year over five years, for an overall period of 12 years)
  2. Al Rhodes Kingsmen Court, $10,000 donated in October 2023 
  3. Arthur M. Klinger Planetarium (formerly the  P-H-M DVT & Planetarium), $10,000 donated in January 2024
  4. Yeoman Family Plaza, $10,000 donated in March 2024 
  5. Greg Dikos Field, $10,000 donated in August 2024 

Dr. Thacker has been superintendent of Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation since 2006 and has supported the Education Foundation wholeheartedly. Over the course of 18 years, Dr. and Mrs. Thacker have donated $232,500 to the P-H-M Education Foundation, including this most recent donation of the naming rights. Most of this money has either been unrestricted donations or used as matching funds for fundraising initiatives.

Coach Dikos owns an 839-298 record in 37 seasons.

Penn has won six State Championships during Dikos’ tenure as head coach: 1994, 1998, 2001, 2015, 2022 and 2023. Coach Dikos has also led Penn to seven Semi-State Championships, 13 Regional Championships, 21 Sectional Championships and 22 Northern Indiana Conference Championships.

A graduate of Swartz Creek High School (Mich.) and Ball State University, Coach Dikos was selected by the Atlanta Braves as a third baseman in the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft in the 31st round. Coach Dikos was inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011.

Per PHMEF’s Naming Rights fundraising initiative, 80 percent of the donation will go into the Foundation’s endowment, which will in turn provide alternative and additional funding for various co-curricular and extracurricular programs. The remaining 20 percent directly funds professional development initiatives for P-H-M teachers. Continuing the education and training of teachers is a major priority for P-H-M School District.

The mission of the Education Foundation is to develop alternative sources of income to support education initiatives in the School Corporation by strengthening partnerships between the community and the District. PHMEF supports education through awarding innovative teaching grants, scholarships to students, staff development and other corporation-wide initiatives.

Penn Class of 2024 Commencement Video & Photo Gallery

On Monday, June 3, 2024, Penn High School held our 65th Commencement. The ceremony was held at the University of Notre Dame. The Class of 2024 is made up of approximately 854 students. It was a wonderful time to celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of ALL of our graduates!

Click here to to visit Penn’s website for the full photo gallery of pictures taken by P-H-M’s Communications Department. The pictures can be downloaded for FREE! The official photos of every graduate were taken by InterState Photography and are available for purchase. Please refer to the Senior Parent Communications for the link and password.

The full ceremony was livestreamed and has been archived on the Penn Harris Madison YouTube channel. You can watch it below. This is the direct link: https://youtube.com/live/5gWg5mbUuqc

Click here to download a copy of the Commencement Program.

Click to see video and pictures of some of the Senior Parades that took place Thursday, May 30th and Friday, May 31st.

Highlights from the Class 0f 2024 include:

  • nearly $16 million in scholarships
  • 442 earned Academic Honors diplomas
  • 325 earned High Honors diplomas
  • 72 earned Technical Honors diplomas
  • 119 Early College Academy students
    • 113 earned a credential through Ivy Tech Community College
    • 98 earned an Associate’s Degree from Ivy Tech 
  • 21 Valedictorians
  • 4 Salutatorians

Click here for more information about the Class of 2024.

2024 Penn Commencement Livestream Information

Penn High School will hold it’s 65th Commencement at the University of Notre Dame’s Purcell Pavilion on Monday, June 3, 2024, 7:00 p.m. 

There is no ticket requirement—meaning families are not limited on the amount of attendees. A livestream of Commencement will again be provided to friends and family not in attendance.

All Families have to do is click here to go to Penn’s website, Monday, June 3, 2024 by 7:00 p.m. 

Share this link with family and friends who want to watch:  https://penn.phmschools.org/2024-penn-commencement-livestream/

The livestream will start approximately 30 minutes before the ceremony begins.

Final Round of Spring 2024 Teacher Impact Awards

The last Teacher Impact Award of the school year was handed out this morning at Northpoint Elementary to 3rd grade teacher Kori Woods.

With the help of Principal Lorraine White, Dr. Thacker, along with Assistant Superintendent Dr. Heather Short, Director of Professional Development and Student Learning Dr. Lavon Dean-Null, and Director of Literacy and Title I Ryan Towner surprised Mrs. Woods in class with the award.

Impact Awards  are given to teachers who had the most significant individual student growth with DIBLES, ILEARN, and SAT assessments for Spring 2024.

Mrs. Woods had the district’s highest student growth in 3rd grade on ILEARN ELA! P-H-M’s 2024 Elementary Teacher of the Year 3rd grade teacher Nichol Mondy is right next door, so she stopped in to congratulate Mrs. Woods. Congratulations to Mrs. Woods and her students! Click to see the full photo gallery on Northpoint’s website.

Nichol Mondy & Kori Woods

Other teachers who received Spring 2024 Impact Awards include:

As this school year comes to a close we want to thank all our teachers and students for their commitment to academic excellence this school year. The hard work really paid off!

Thank you to the P-H-M Education Foundation for covering the cost of the awards for purchasing the beautiful crystal awards given to the teacher award recipients.

Schmucker Teacher wins PHMEF’s Jeneane Arter Award

Schmucker 8th grade Language Arts teacher Mrs. Brianne Roy got quite a surprise this afternoon when Executive Director of P-H-M Education Foundation Jennifer Turnblom, PHMEF Donor & P-H-M parent Darla Lippert, and Schmucker Middle School Principal Sarah Smith all walked in the middle of her teaching her last block class.

surprise

They were there to let her know that she had chosen as the 2024 Jeneane Arter Award winner; and she won $2,000 to use how she wants!

The P-H-M Education Foundation administers the Jeneane Arter Teaching in Excellence Award.

The award is underwritten by P-H-M parents Jason and Darla Lippert and is named after Northpoint Elementary School teacher Jeneane Arter.

What makes this award so special is that students submit the nomination. It can be for any current P-H-M staff member. Students submit a one page essay describing how their nominee exemplifies excellence in education. This year PHMEF received 64 nominations from students. Mrs. Roy received nine nominations for the impact she has on her students through her classroom organization, encouraging nature and genuine care for her students!

Congratulations Mrs. Roy!

Spring 2024 Teacher Impact Awards, Round 2

Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker handed out the second round of district Spring 2024 Impact Awards on Thursday, May 23rd. The awards were given to teachers who had the most significant individual student growth with DIBLES, ILEARN, and SAT assessments for Spring 2024.

Dr. Thacker, along with Assistant Superintendent Dr. Heather Short, Director of Professional Development and Student Learning Dr. Lavon Dean-Null, and Director of Literacy and Title I Ryan Towner, visited three schools to surprise three teachers with the help of their school principals. At Walt Disney, the entire school was in the gym for the Student Talent Show, so all the students and staff were on-hand to give the winner, Mrs. Kristie Reynolds a big round of applause! The teachers were recognized for helping their students reach these academic milestones this Spring:

As this school year comes to a close we want to thank all our teachers and students for their commitment to academic excellence this school year. The hard work really paid off!

Thank you to the P-H-M Education Foundation for covering the cost of the awards for purchasing the beautiful crystal awards given to the teacher award recipients.

2024 Employee & Retiree Recognition Dinner

P-H-M’s annual Employee Recognition and Retiree Dinner was held Wednesday, May 22. While not all were present, the Corporation as a whole honored P-H-M’s Teachers of the Years, Employee of the Year, retirees, and employees who’ve been with P-H-M for 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years. Click these links to view the dinner program, photo gallery and videos of the TOYs and EOY.

Retiring Human Resources Director Dr. Lisa Soto-Kile served as Master of Ceremonies. Soon-to-be Human Resources Director Bob Thompson gave the innovation. Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker and Mr. Thompson honored this year’s retirees in attendance by giving them a commemorative engraved clock. To read the full list of this year’s retirees and employees honored for their years of service with P-H-M, click here to view the dinner program.

Dr. Thacker recognized the Elementary Teacher of the Year Northpoint’s Nichol Mondy, Secondary Teacher of the Year Penn’s Jeremy Starkweather, and Employee of the Year Schmucker’s Brenda Speedy. As part of the recognitions for Mrs. Mondy and Mr. Starkweather, P-H-M Education Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Turnblom gave each teacher a $1,000 grant from the P-H-M Education Foundation to use in their classrooms. Mrs. Speedy received a gift certificate.

Board of School Trustees Vice President Ryan McCullough, Secretary Clare Roach, and Board Member Dana Sullivan were also on hand to applaud and congratulate employees for their honors. 

The dinner was generously sponsored by Everwise Credit Union and the P-H-M Education Foundation. 

Click to watch the videos below about Mrs. Mondy, Mr. Starkweather and Mrs. Speedy.

 

View the photo gallery below of those who attended the dinner. If you want a high resolution copy of any photo, just click the “DOWNLOAD” button on the bottom right-hand corner of the photo while viewing it in the Photo Gallery function.