For weeks, we’ve been documenting the joint student project to build a larger than life Hulk Halloween wheelchair costume for 4-year-old Zephan Cantu from Elkhart.

The local news coverage of the story got the attention of CBS Evening News producers and CBS National Correspondent Don Dahler.

They visited Penn High School to interview students and teachers on Oct. 17 and also attended the reveal for Zephan’s costume on Oct. 19. The story aired on national network news on Monday, Oct. 21. Take a look …

TICKETS FOR THIS EVENT ARE NOW SOLD OUT!

Breakfast with Santa is an annual beloved family event sponsored by P-H-M’s Community Education Department held at Bittersweet Elementary. The program is only for children in grades kindergarten through 3^rd grade and all children must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets must be purchased for each person attending.

Breakfast with Santa event

Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019

8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., & 11 a.m.

Bittersweet Elementary School

$7 for all tickets

Online ticket sales were on Monday, November 4, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. through phm.revtrak.net. 

Tickets will be mailed to you prior to the event on Dec. 7. 

There will be no refunds and tickets will not be available at the door.

Penn Biology Teacher and STEM Academy Leader John Gensic is being recognized in Washington, DC this week for being a 2017 national award recipient for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). John was named an Indiana Finalist for the Science Award in October 2017. John is one of just four teacher finalists (two for Math and Two for Science) in Indiana to be recognized and receive this prestigious national award. The announcement was made on Tuesday, Oct. 15 by the White House.

Today (Friday, Oct. 18), John is visiting the White House, take a tour, and attend a VIP lunch for PAEMST alumni.

Last night (Thursday, Oct. 17) was the awards ceremony for the country’s PAEMST award winners.  Awardees from 2017 and 2018 were recognized last night and received their awards. Penn Principal Sean Galiher traveled to DC this week with John to also attend recognition events and professional development opportunities. Principal Galiher captured this video and these pictures …

John was among 215 teachers from all 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools, and schools in the United States territories of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands. 

Presidential Awardees receive a certificate signed by the President of the United States; the trip to DC; and a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation.

Established in 1983, PAEMST is the highest award given by the U.S. Government to kindergarten through 12th grade teachers of mathematics and science, including computer science.

Teachers are selected based on their distinction in the classroom and dedication to improving science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.

John Gensic was also P-H-M's 2016 Teacher of the Year and a Top 10 Finalist for Indiana Teacher of the year. He has been very creative in bringing STEM learning activities to life, not just for his Penn Early College Academy students, but also elementary students. In 2016, John used the funding he received from a P-H-M Education Foundation grant to plant fruit orchards first at Horizon Elementary, and then a year later at Elsie Rogers and Mary Frank. This September John literally saw the fruits of his labor bear fruit! The apple and pear trees at Horizon’s orchard were ripe for picking. Current Horizon 3rd graders and the elementary students who originally planted the trees (now in 6th grade at neighboring Discovery Middle School) got to pick the fruit. Click here for the full story, video and pictures.

The P-H-M Education Foundation hosted Dr. Jerry Thacker’s annual Superintendent’s Luncheon on Tuesday, Oct. 15. More than 300 community leaders, business partners, P-H-M parents, and P-H-M staff attended (Click to see the full photo gallery below). Dr. Thacker is in his 14th year as superintendent of Penn-Harris-Madison. 

The highlight of the Luncheon was feature speaker 2011 Penn High School Alumna and World Championship Female Wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt. Sarah’s lists of accomplishments are long since leaving Penn as Indiana’s first female wrestler to qualify for IHSAA Wrestling Semi-state her junior year under Penn Wrestling Coach Brad Harper. She won her 4th gold medal at the Pan American Games this summer. 

Sarah got a very enthusiastic “Welcome Home” from the Luncheon crowd, thanks to Coach Harper who was thrilled to introduce her to the crowd. And Sarah did not disappoint with her heartfelt “Thank You” to all her teachers and coaches throughout her years as a P-H-M student. Sarah’s Discovery Middle School teachers and coaches were also present.

The audience included current members of Penn’s Female Wrestling Team as Sarah and Coach Harper’s special guests. The students had a chance to practice with her on Monday evening. And after the Luncheon, they got to enjoy some “one-on-one” time with Sarah where she answered their questions about juggling wrestling, academics in high school and college, as well as how hard it is to compete in a male dominated sport. Sarah did a great job of not only giving great advice, but inspiring the next generation of female wrestlers!

Take a look at the video below highlighting Sarah as a Kingsmen Making a Difference in the World …

Sarah was joined at the luncheon by her family Mom and Dad Chris and Nancy Hildebrandt, brothers Drew and Cory, sister Amy, and her grandmother. Their attendance made it very special for Sarah when PHMEF Executive Director Mari Linn Wise made the surprise announcement that Sarah’s parents, Chris and Nancy Hildebrandt, had donated $15,000 to name the wrestling room at Penn High School “The Hildebrandt Family Wrestling Room!” (Click to see the full photo gallery below).

Other highlights of the Luncheon included Dr. Thacker’s State of the District Address as Superintendent. Dr. Thacker highlighted some of the school corporation’s most recent points of excellence which included, some not all, of the accomplishments below: 

• Out of Indiana public school corporations (292 school districts), P-H-M ranks 12th in the state for combined ELA & Math scores in grades 3-8.
• P-H-M has four elementary schools that rank among the state’s Top 15 schools in combined ELA & Math Proficiency: #1 Northpoint,  #4 Prairie Vista, #8 Mary Frank, and #11 Horizon
• Mary Frank’s 3rd grade English/Language Arts ILEARN scores are also the highest in the entire state!
• Among the state’s public middle schools grades 6-8 (219 schools), Discovery Middle School is ranked #5 in Indiana.
• Penn High School is 12th among public schools for combined ELA & Math scores in grade 10.

All of this was accomplished with having the lowest state tuition reimbursement in the area (P-H-M receives $5,804.21 per student vs. South Bend Community Schools which receives the most at $6,866.10). P-H-M also has the lowest tax rate in the area at $.091 compared to Concord, which has the highest tax rate at $1.78.

Some of Dr. Thacker’s special guests included Mishawaka Mayor David Wood and State Senator Ryan Mishler.

Also as part of the Luncheon, PHMEF Executive Director Mari Linn Wise recognized 2019 P-H-M Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year Christine Austin and Jeannie Mitchell. Both received a commemorative brick in their name that is a part of the walkway outside of Penn High School.

The past school year’s grant recipients were also featured as part of the event to highlight the Education Foundation’s mission to develop alternative sources of income to support education initiatives in P-H-M 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.

WSBT news anchor Bob Montgomery emceed the event (Bob is married to 1st grade Prairie Vista teacher, Rose Montgomery, and is also a P-H-M parent).

A special thank you to all of the Luncheon and table sponsors, especially …

• Presenting Sponsor TCU
• Contributing Sponsor Gibson Insurance
• Supporting Sponsors Low Associates

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Some big news came out of Dr. Thacker’s annual Superintendent’s Luncheon held on Tuesday, Oct. 15 …

In a surprise announcement made by P-H-M Education Foundation Executive Director Mari Linn Wise, Penn 2011 alumna and World Championship Wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt (and the rest of the 300+ luncheon attendees) learned that Chris and Nancy Hildebrandt had donated $15,000 to PHMEF to name the wrestling room at Penn High School “The Hildebrandt Family Wrestling Room!” The gift was made through PHMEF’s Naming Rights Campaign. 

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. 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 will directly fund professional development initiatives for P-H-M teachers. 

Sarah was the featured speaker at the annual luncheon. She was joined by her family Mom and Dad Chris and Nancy Hildebrandt, brothers Drew and Cory, sister Amy, and her grandmother. Sarah was just as surprised as everyone else to learn of the donation. Click to see all the highlights of the 2019 Superintendent’s Luncheon.

Sarah has made an indelible mark on Penn’s Wrestling history. She was Indiana’s first female wrestler to qualify for IHSAA Wrestling Semi-state her junior year under Penn Wrestling Coach Brad Harper. She accomplished this weighing just 103 pounds! Sarah also helped Penn win an IHSAA Team Regional Championship with a pin vs. Jimtown's Cody Koebel (4:54). Penn defeated Jimtown 37-25 for the Team Championship.

Sarah got her start in wrestling when she was in middle school. At Discovery she wrestled under Coaches Raoul Donati and Scott Vandergriff winning the Big 11 Conference!

Sarah got a very enthusiastic “Welcome Home” from the Luncheon crowd, thanks to Coach Harper who was thrilled to introduce her to the crowd. And Sarah did not disappoint with her heartfelt “Thank You” to all her teachers and coaches throughout her years as a P-H-M student. Sarah’s Discovery Middle School teachers and coaches were also present.

Her list of accomplishments since leaving Penn are long … This past August she earned another gold medal at the Pan Am Games, making that her 4th gold medal at Pan Am Games. She also won gold in 2013, 2015 and 2018 for USA Wrestling. Hildebrandt was the 2018 USA Wrestling Women’s Wrestler of the Year and also earned the Outstanding Wrestler Award at the Pan Am Games in 2018. She was last year’s U.S. Open champion and was a world silver medalist.

She was more than happy, elated and exuberant actually, to share her story with Penn’s current Female Wrestling team who attended the Luncheon as as Sarah and Coach Harper’s special guests. The students had a chance to practice with her on Monday evening. And after the Luncheon, they got to enjoy some “one-on-one” time with Sarah where she answered their questions about juggling wrestling, academics in high school and college, as well as how hard it is to compete in a male dominated sport. Sarah did a great job of not only giving great advice, but inspiring the next generation of female wrestlers! Click here to see the full photo gallery.

She truly is a Kingsmen Making a Difference!

The P-H-M Education Foundation is pleased to announce the opening of the Fall 2019 Grant Cycle. PHMEF grants are eligible to any P-H-M staff member who can demonstrate a program’s innovation and creativity, and reflect a commitment to excellence in education. Deadline for all grant applications is 4 p.m. Thursday, October 24 at the ESC.

Please carefully read through the attached Grant Applications. PHMEF is seeking innovative programs that have not been previous funding through past grant cycles. Note there are funding restrictions. A complete list may be found on the traditional form on page 4. Those applications requesting non-funded expenses will not be presented to the Grants Committee.

Grants Presented for Funding at the Superintendent's Luncheon

New this year – The grants committee may select up to 5 grants that could be presented at the Superintendent's Luncheon for funding by community members, if applications are received by 4 p.m. October 4, 2019. Both EZ and traditional grants will be considered. If a grant is selected, you will be asked to create a small visual "centerpiece" for the luncheon (will follow up with details if the grant is selected). If a grant is selected for presentation at the luncheon, the grant will be funded either by the luncheon attendees or by the Foundation. Please note that PHMEF is not guaranteeing that any grants will be selected for this special opportunity. The submitted applications must meet typical PHMEF grant criteria. 

EZ Form for grants less than $250
 

PHMEF understands that sometimes your needs may not equate to a full request, but you still are looking for support in the classroom. PHMEF’s Grants Committee will accept requests for $250 or less with an one-page application form we are calling an “EZ” form. 

“EZ” form does not need:

• A second signature
• 10 copies

“EZ” form does follow:

• Deadline of 4 p.m. Oct. 24 via email or at the ESC
• Submit the “fillable” PDF via email to mlwise@phmef.org or via inner school. The ‘fillable” boxes are shaded in blue. Click here to download the form.
• Same funding restrictions as the traditional form, i.e., no funding for substitute teachers, etc.

Traditional Form

This form has been used for numerous years. It should be used for grants requesting $250 or more and/or a request that is comprehensive (multi-classroom, school-wide or district-wide requests). This form can’t be emailed. It must be sent with 10 copies each and with the appropriate signatures. Forms that don’t have these requirements and/or are not complete, will not be considered. Click here to download the form.

Grant applications also may be downloaded at www.phmef.org. Questions about the application or process, contact Mari Linn Wise, executive director, at mlwise@phmef.org or 254-2893. To ensure that PHMEF has received your application, Mrs. Wise will send an email to confirm receipt within two business days. If you do not receive an email within this timeframe, please contact her at mlwise@phmef.org or 254-2893.

On September 4, the IDOE released the Spring 2019 Indiana Learning Evaluation and Readiness Network (ILEARN) results, and Penn-Harris-Madison outperformed the state by as much as 22% in some subjects. 

We also compare ourselves to other large top performing school districts. Out of Indiana public school corporations (292 school districts), P-H-M ranks 12th in the state for combined ELA & Math scores in grades 3-8.

“P-H-M’s favorable ILEARN results are due to our teachers conducting ongoing effective and valuable formative assessment, combined with the focus and educational stamina of our students, who are supported by their families,” said Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker. “The results are consistent success and a prime example of P-H-M’s ‘Triangle of Success!’”

Among the state’s public elementary schools in grades 3-5 (507 schools), P-H-M has four elementary schools that rank among the state’s Top 15 schools in combined ELA & Math Proficiency:

• #1 Northpoint, 81.9%
• #4 Prairie Vista, 78.5% 
• #8 Mary Frank, 74.5% 
• #11 Horizon, 73.1%

Mary Frank’s 3rd grade English/Language Arts ILEARN scores are also the highest in the entire state!

Among the state’s public middle schools grades 6-8 (219 schools), Discovery Middle School is ranked #5 in Indiana.

ISTEP English and Math was administered to 10th grade.

Penn’s English pass rate was 82.9%; Penn’s Math pass rate was 62.4%, and the overall combined pass rate for both ELA & Math for grade 10 is 61.2%. This places Penn High School as 12th among public schools for combined ELA & Math scores in grade 10.

Indiana’s ELA pass rate for grade 10 was 62.4% and the Math pass rate was 35.3%. The State’s overall pass rate for both ELA & Math combined for grade 10 is 33.8% . Penn High School outperformed the state by 27.4%.

At the high school level, the only group to take ILEARN for Biology were those enrolled in Biology for the 2018-19 school year. Penn students taking ILEARN Biology outperformed the state by 20%.

From the IDOE’s website “ILEARN was developed with input from over 1,200 educators and assesses the same Indiana Academic Standards as ISTEP+, but with a redefined focus on rigorous college-and-career readiness (CCR). When compared to past ISTEP+ scores, ILEARN indicated lower achievement levels across the state in both English/language arts and mathematics.”

Click here for the statewide IDOE results.

Some people may think that things are pretty laid back over the summer, with teachers and some staff being off. But for the Facilities Department, it’s actually their busiest! That’s because we make use of the time while most staff are off to get capital projects done in our 15 buildings and campuses. In this video, P-H-M Chief Operations Manager Aaron Leniski gives an overview of what was accomplished across the District this summer.

Today Mrs. Jeanie Mitchell was notified by the Indiana Department of Education that she was now among the state’s TOP 10 FINALISTS for Teacher of the Year!

Mrs. Mitchell was named P-H-M’s Secondary Teacher of the Year back in April. Click here to read the story and see the video when she was named. 

Mrs. Mitchell is a French Teacher and the Academy Leader for Freshman Academy. She learned on August 5 that she had made the Top 30 lists of finalists, along with Mrs. Christine Austin (4^th grade teacher at Walt Disney Elementary School) who was named P-H-M’s Elementary Teacher of the Year also back in April. Austin and Mitchell were among 30 teachers chosen as the top finalists from a field of 61 applicants. P-H-M was only one of two school districts, and the only one in the Michiana area, that has two teachers who made the Top 30!

Mrs. Mitchell will now move on to the “Top 10 Interview Day” on September 12 in Indianapolis, with the announcement of the Indiana Teacher of the Year winner coming in late September, early October. A banquet to honor all candidates will be held November 15. 

We are proud of both Mrs. Austin and Mrs. Mitchell and we wish “Madame Mitchell” best of luck on her upcoming interview!

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Noon

St. Joseph Conference Center

Holiday Inn, 1208 E. Douglas Rd., Mishawaka

The luncheon, hosted by the P-H-M Education Foundation, is a District fundraiser and an opportunity for P-H-M parents, business, community and education leaders to get a State of the Corporation directly from Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker.

Along with Dr. Thacker, this year’s featured speaker will be Penn Alumna, World Class Wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt!

The 2011 Penn grad recently earned another gold medal at the Pan Am Games held August 2019. This makes her 4^th gold medal at Pan Am Games. She also won gold in 2013, 2015 and 2018 for USA Wrestling. Hildebrandt was the 2018 USA Wrestling Women’s Wrestler of the Year and also earned the Outstanding Wrestler Award at the Pan Am Games in 2018. She was last year’s U.S. Open champion and was a world silver medalist.

At Penn, Sarah’s wrestled under Head Coach Brad Harper. Her junior year, she became the first female to qualify for the IHSAA Wrestling Semi-state; she accomplished this weighing just 103 pounds! Sarah also helped Penn win an IHSAA Team Regional Championship with a pin vs. Jimtown's Cody Koebel (4:54). Penn defeated Jimtown 37-25 for the Team Championship. She attended King University (Bristol, Tenn) and was the 2015 and 2014 WCWA National Champion at 123 pounds!

For tickets to this year’s Superintendent’s Luncheon, please click here to pay online.

For information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact Mari Linn Wise at (574) 254-2893 or mlwise@phmef.org. 

For questions about the event, please contact Amber Kennedy at (574) 259-7941, ext. 10721 or amber@phmef.org.