According to the Indiana Department of Education’s (IDOE) data released on December 29, 2023, Penn High School’s graduation rate is 98.12%–among the highest in the state!

The IDOE says 88.98% of Indiana students in the Class of 2023 graduated last year. Penn’s rate is 9.14 higher than the state! 

Overall, the 2023 statewide graduation increased by nearly 2.5 percentage points. A spreadsheet with statewide-, corporation- and school-level graduation data is available here. 2023 represents the third-highest graduation rate since Indiana began collecting data in 2012.

Read more from the IDOE on the state’s increased graduation rates.

A regular meeting of the Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees was held Monday, January 8, 2024.

This being the first meeting of the new year, all returning Board Members were re-administered their oath of office.

Chris Riley was re-elected as President (5-2 vote); Ryan McCullough was re-elected as Vice President (5-2 vote); and Clare Roach was re-elected as Secretary (6-1 vote).

Vice President Ryan McCullough presented President Riley with a plaque of recognition for his service the past year serving as President.

The Board also approved a Naming Rights $10,000 donation from Dr. and Mrs. Thacker to the Penn-Harris-Madison Education Foundation to name the P-H-M DVT & Planetarium at Bittersweet Elementary after retired longtime director Art Klinger. The new name will be Arthur M. Klinger Planetarium.

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.

A regular meeting of the Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees was held Monday, January 8, 2024.

This being the first meeting of the new year, all returning Board Members were re-administered their oath of office.

Chris Riley was re-elected as President (5-2 vote); Ryan McCullough was re-elected as Vice President (5-2 vote); and Clare Roach was re-elected as Secretary (6-1 vote).

Vice President Ryan McCullough presented President Riley with a plaque of recognition for his service the past year serving as President.

The Board also approved a Naming Rights $10,000 donation from Dr. and Mrs. Thacker to the Penn-Harris-Madison Education Foundation to name the P-H-M DVT & Planetarium at Bittersweet Elementary after retired longtime director Art Klinger. The new name will be Arthur M. Klinger Planetarium.

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.

This year P-H-M Education Foundation’s Young Authors’ Conference is partnering up with the Next Gen Robotics event to bring you Books & Bots!  This event blends literary innovations with robotic creations. It’s a wonderful opportunity for P-H-M students in Kindergarten – 5th grade. Click here to view photos on Facebook from last year’s Young Authors’ Conference; click here to view photos of the 2023 Next Gen event.

9:15 – 11:00 a.m. – Young Authors’ Conference

11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Next Gen

Both events are entirely FREE! Thank you to the P-H-M Education Foundation and P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker and his wife Donna Thacker for covering the cost of the YAC for the second year in a row from the proceeds of #GivingTuesday donations.

NEW THIS YEAR … both events will be held at Penn High School!

While the events are FREE, registration is required! 

This registration link opens January 30, 2024!  Registration closes Friday, February 23.

One parent only must accompany students! Younger siblings may not accompany adults.  Due to the planned activities and available space, this experience is for your young author and one parent.

As part of the morning activities, students will participate in two rotations: one with well-known children’s author and speaker, Carolyn Crimi; and the other with Jocelyn Dupuis.  Following these rotations, students will enjoy spending time exploring technology, with an opportunity to share a piece of their piece of writing on a FlipGrid or online writing platform. 

BACKGROUND ON CAROLYN CRIMI:

Carolyn Crimi enjoys snacking, pugs, Halloween, and writing, although not necessarily in that order. Over the years she has published 19 books for children, including Weird Little Robots, Secondhand Dogs, Don’t Need Friends, Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies, Where’s My Mummy?, There Might Be Lobsters, and I Am The Boss of This Chair.  When she’s not snacking, Carolyn enjoys giving author talks to elementary schools all over the country.

BACKGROUND ON JOCELYN DUPUIS:

Also as part of Young Authors’ Conference, participants and parents will also enjoy an interactive experience with P-H-M’s extraordinary Jocelyn Dupuis.  Jocelyn has a passion for music education and the performing arts. As a music teacher, she has taught many students to enjoy music as well. 

*Participating students will receive additional information prior to the conference through their home school at the end of February. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact Candace Cussen at ccussen@phm.k12.in.us.

The P-H-M Education Foundation has wrapped up the grant announcements for the 2023-2024 school year; and it’s been a big year with tons of recipients. This cycle the Foundation Grants Committee awarded $42,819.63 in funding to 15 EZ grants and 20 traditional grants. Click here for the full list of funded grants.

PHMEF has moved to one grant cycle per school year, now moved to the Fall, to allow teachers and schools time to put their grant dollars to good use right away.

Executive Director Jennifer Turnblom traveled across the district to surprise various grant recipients with the good news of their funding amount. Grants awarded this year cover a wide array of innovative programs and activities from $10,000 to Grissom Middle School to purchase keyboards for the music room to milkweed plants for Madison Elementary so the school could attract monarch butterflies.

Check out the excitement of Bittersweet students when Ms. Turnbloom arrived with a check for $959.20 which will be used to purchase “Cracking the Code on Letters and Sounds” toolkits.

Look through the photo gallery below to see the check deliveries or click to follow PHMEF’s Facebook page.

Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker welcomed back retirees at P-H-M’s annual Holiday Breakfast.

It was good to catch up with former colleagues and enjoy some holiday festivities, complete with a prize drawing!

Take a look at the photo gallery below …

On Friday, December 1, 2023, the Basketball Court inside Penn High Schools Main Arena was officially renamed “Al Rhodes Kingsmen Court” in honor of long time Basketball Coach and Hall of Famer Al Rhodes. Click here for more background information.

As part of the P-H-M Education Foundation’s Naming Rights Campaign, P-H-M Superintendent​ Dr. Jerry Thacker and his wife, Donna Thacker, generously donated $10,000 to have the court to pay homage to former Penn basketball player, turned teacher and coach!

It was a special night for Coach Rhodes, his family, friends and all of the Kingsmen community.

Watch the video below to relive the evening.

On a crisp December morning, Bittersweet Elementary School hosted the cherished event: “Breakfast with Santa.”

The day began in the Planetarium, where a dazzling laser light show ignited imaginations. Families watched a wonderful light show set to holiday music before heading to the cafeteria for a delicious breakfast.

The highlight of the event was Santa’s arrival. With a jovial “Ho, ho, ho!” he listened to children’s holiday wishes and posed for photos, spreading joy to all.

Take a look at some photos below!

We’re looking for teachers who want to join the P-H-M Family. If you are a new or veteran teacher, or currently enrolled as an education major … WE WANT TO TALK TO YOU! 

Click here for more about WHY you should become a teacher with us!

Every teacher candidate will be GUARANTEED one face-to-face interview with a P-H-M administrator.

WHEN & WHERE

• Dates: Tuesday, December 19, 2023 and Wednesday, March 13, 2024
• Time: 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. (EST)
• School Location: Schmucker Middle School (Door B)
• Address: 56045 Bittersweet Rd. Mishawaka, IN 46545

WHAT TO EXPECT:

• Upon arrival, you will sign in before waiting in a common area until it is your turn
• These are REAL interviews, please dress professionally
• When it’s your turn to be interviewed, please turn off your phone or switch it to “Airplane Mode”
• It’s important to have your Application & Resume on file, please submit an online application prior to the job fair.
• If you do not have an updated online application on file with P-H-M Schools, a hard copy of your resume is recommended, but not required.

Can’t make it to the job fair? Please submit an online application.

Addition Questions? Please contact PHMhumanresourcesinfo@phm.k12.in.us