On Sunday, September 8, the Michiana community joined Penn and P-H-M in giving Olympic Gold Medalist Sarah Hildebrandt a Heroine’s Welcome!

Before Sarah’s “Welcome Home” kicked off, the local media got some one-on-one time with Sarah, her parents, and Penn Head Wrestling Coach Brad Harper during a news conference. Coach Harper was Sarah’s wrestling coach when she was at Penn; he became her personal coach and coached her at the Tokyo Olympics wear she won Bronze. Coach Harper planned this special homecoming for Sarah. Click to see the full photo gallery below.

The parade left from Penn High School and went down McKinley approximately two miles and ended at Zolman’s Tire.

Thank you to all the parade participants who volunteered their time on a Sunday afternoon: Mishawaka and Penn Twp. Fire Departments, St. Joseph County Police, the Marching Kingsmen, Penn Girls and Boys Wrestling Teams, Penn Cheerleaders, Penn Youth Wrestling Club, Rocket Football cheerleaders, and Dr. and Mrs. Thacker. Along with Sarah with her mom Nancy and dad Chris, Sarah’s extended family were also in the parade. Sarah and her parents were in a golden yellow convertible Mustang driven by St. Joseph County Sheriff Bill Redman. Thank you to Zolman’s Tire for supplying some trucks.

After the parade was over, hundreds gathered at Urban Swirl in Granger for an Olympic Celebration emceed by Mark McGill. A representative from Mishawaka Mayor Dave Wood’s office read a proclamation declaring September 8th as Sarah Hildebrandt Day! U.S. Congressman Rudy Yakym read the historical entry on Sarah’s Olympic achievement that he will be submitting to the official U.S. Congressional Record.

Sarah was able to see and catch up with the coach who gave her first break, then Discovery Middle School Wrestling Coach Raoul Donati.

Sarah threw out free T-shirts featuring her smiley face tattoo on the front and her viral X tweet on the back.

Grateful for all the love and support that her hometown gave her, Sarah graciously took hundreds of pictures with all of her adoring fans. She also signed hundreds of autographs on posters, shirts, singlets, wrestling shoes and even foreheads! 

Check it all out in the photo gallery below.

Registration is open for Basketball Youth Leagues designed to help players develop their skills.

Visit the PDFs posted below for information on how to register, dates/times/locations and cost.

CLICK HERE for information on the Basketball Leagues for Boys in Grades 5-6 and 7-8.

CLICK HERE for information on the Basketball Leagues for Boys and Girls in Grades 1-2 and for Boys in Grades 3-4.

Friday, August 23rd was the Home Opener for Kingsmen football. It was a perfect night for the dedication of the Yeoman Family Plaza at Everwise Freed Field. See the full photo gallery below.

Penn-Harris-Madison Superintendent Dr. and Mrs. Thacker donated $10,000 to the P-H-M Education Foundation Naming Rights Campaign to rename the plaza after former Penn High School Head Football Coach Cory Yeoman and his family.

The Yeoman Family bleeds black and gold. Coach Cory’s father Wally Yeoman was an assistant coach with legendary Chris Geesman. Coach Cory and brothers Trent and Todd all played for Penn. Male members of the Yeoman family and those who married into the family have either played for or coached for the Long Black Line at some point. The wives of Cory, Trent, Todd, their children and grandchildren were all present for the dedication along with Dr. and Mrs. Thacker and P-H-M Education Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Turnblom.

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Cory earned all-state honors at defensive tackle. In 1979, he led a Kingsmen defense that only allowed 33 yards rushing a game. That Kingsmen team finished 11-1, winning an NIC Championship before losing to Hobart in the second round of the playoffs. Cory graduated from Penn in 1980. 

Cory played for Miami (Ohio) University. He was a roommate and teammate of the Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl winning head coach, John Harbaugh. He joined the Kingsmen coaching staff after graduation from Miami, and has been on the Kingsmen sidelines for 40 seasons.

In his first season after replacing legendary Coach Geesman, Cory guided Penn to the 2003 State Championship Game. Yeoman also led Penn to Semi-state titles in 2017, 2015 and 2011. In addition to winning four Semi-state Championships, the Kingsmen have won nine regional crowns under Yeoman’s leadership, 13 sectional titles and 17 Northern Indiana Conference championships. 

Yeoman retired at the end of the 2023-2024 school year after 40 years with P-H-M.

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. Most of this money has either been unrestricted donations or used as matching funds for fundraising initiatives.

Dr. and Mrs. Thacker have made five donations since 2021 totaling $65,000 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 (one lump sum)
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 

Penn High School welcomed a new member of the Kingsmen Athletics team when Culver’s Sports Performance Center was dedicated on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024. Keith Remington and Mark Nowak co-owners of Culver’s Restaurant (on McKinley Avenue near Penn High School) donated $125,000 to P-H-M Education Foundation’s Naming Rights campaign. 

The partnership between Culver’s, P-H-M, P-H-M Education Foundation, and Penn High School signals a new chapter in Kingsmen Athletics Excellence.

P-H-M Board of School Trustees VP Ryan McCullough, P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker, PHMEF Exec. Dir. Jennifer Turnblom, P-H-M Chief Operating Officer Dr. Aaron Leniski, Penn High School Principal Dr. Sean Galiher, Assistant Athletic Director Bridget Williams, and Strength & Conditioning Coach Matt Cates welcomed Remington (1997 Penn grad) and Nowak and their families today.

The new Culver’s Sports Performance Center signage in Penn’s weight room and upstairs student fitness center were unveiled. Remington and Nowak also got to see for the first time Penn’s new Strength & Conditioning class “uniform” shirts. Several Penn student-athletes, including Remington’s daughter Anna, were on hand wearing the T-shirts.

Per P-H-M Education Foundation’s Naming Rights fundraising initiative, 80 percent of the donation will go into Foundation’s endowment, which will in turn provide funding for PHMEF teacher/classroom grants and various co-curricular and extracurricular programs in P-H-M schools. The remaining 20 percent directly funds P-H-M teacher professional development initiatives. To date the Foundation has given $1.6 million disbursements in classroom grants.

The T-shirts that the student-athletes were wearing at today’s event are an additional annual gift from Culver’s valued at $7,000.

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, staff development and other corporation-wide initiatives.

“Community support is vital for our ability to support excellence in education in P-H-M schools,” PHMEF Director Jennifer Turnblom said. “Culver’s generous donation shows their dedication to our schools and positive impact on our community and we are honored to partner with them through the naming rights program. Their commitment allows us to continue to increase grant funding and support district wide programs in all 15 P-H-M schools.” 

The P-H-M Board of School Trustees approved the Naming Rights partnership between the P-H-M Education Foundation and Culver’s at the Feb. 12 Board Meeting.

According to the agreement, Culver’s co-owners Keith Remington and Mark Nowak and agree to pay PHMEF $125,000 over 12 years to name the weight and performance center at Penn High School the Culver’s Sports Performance Center.

Penn Athletic Director Jeff Hart said that Culver’s sponsorship will provide a positive impact in the performance and lives of more than a thousand Penn students each school year.

“We sincerely appreciate the commitment that Culver’s is making to our school community,” Hart said. “By sponsoring our weight rooms, Culver’s is helping to put a spotlight on the Strength and Conditioning program at Penn and the importance that a successful program can have on our 1,100 student-athletes.

“The leadership at Culver’s understands the benefits this program provides through the prevention of injuries, self confidence, improved athletic performance, and long-term health,” Hart continued. “We look forward to an exciting partnership.”

The Culver’s Sports Performance Center is nationally renowned. The National High School Strength Coaches Association (NHSSCA) named Penn’s Strength and Conditioning program a NHSSCA Program of Excellence School. This honor recognizes that Penn High School’s Strength & Conditioning program operates at a highest level of professionalism.

In awarding Penn and Coach Cates with this honor NHSSCA noted …

“This honor recognizes that this High School Strength & Conditioning program operates at a highest level of professionalism. To earn this honor Coach Cates & Penn High School has displayed excellence in safety, quality, efficacy, outreach & highlighting. While also displaying excellent continuing education & technology usage in their Strength & Conditioning program.”

Penn Strength & Conditioning Coach Matt Cates was named the National High School Strength Coaches Association 2024 National Coach of the Year.