The Food Service Department of the Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation is participating in the Summer Food Service Program for Summer 2019.

FREE MEALS will be available to children 18 years of age and under, or persons more than 18 who are determined by a state or local public education agency to be mentally or physically disabled and who participate in a public or non-profit private school program established for the mentally or physically disabled. 

The program will operate Monday through Friday. All sites will be closed on Thursday, July 4, 2018.

Please click here for more information and a complete list of sites and dates.

As shared with the Northpoint Elementary School community approximately two weeks ago, Principal Mrs. Diane Wirth announced her intention to retire at the end of the 2018-2019 school year after 32 years of service to the Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation. Mrs. Wirth had been principal at Northpoint since 2013.

Today (Thursday, May 30), P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker introduced the Northpoint teachers and staff to their new recommended principal, Mrs. Lorraine White. Her appointment is slated for approval at the June 17 Board of School Trustees Meeting.

The appointment will be a homecoming of sorts for Mrs. White, who has been serving as Assistant to the Principal at Bittersweet Elementary School for the 2018-2019 school year. Prior to her assignment at Bittersweet, Mrs. White was an elementary teacher at Northpoint Elementary School since the school opened in 1998, where she taught grades one through three. Mrs. White’s first teaching position was at Walt Disney where she served as a Title I teacher from January-May of 1998.

Mrs. White received her Bachelor of Science in Education from Ball State University, has a Master of Science in Education from Indiana University South Bend, and her Principal Licensure Program from Indiana Wesleyan University.

Mrs. White is the wife of Mr. Derrick White, an Assistant Principal at Penn High School.

Mrs. White’s experience and knowledge of the Northpoint community will serve her well as she continues to develop connections and relationships with Northpoint students, staff, and parents.

Monday, May 20th, the P-H-M Board of School Trustees approved Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker’s recommendation of Mr. Gary Gardner as the new principal of Meadow’s Edge Elementary School.

Meadow’s Edge teachers and staff got a chance to meet Mr. Gardner May 16 when he visited the school with P-H-M Administration.

Mr. Gardner has served as Principal of Osolo Elementary School in Elkhart since 2013. From 2011 to 2012, Mr. Gardner was an Academic Dean at Osolo, and from 2012 to 2013 served as Assistant Principal, before being promoted to Principal. He started his career as a third grade teacher at Cleveland Elementary School in Elkhart from 2000 to 2011.

Mr. Gardner received a B.A. in Elementary Education (with a Computer Endorsement) from Purdue University. In 2003, he completed his Master’s Degree in Education from Indiana University South Bend, and he completed the Administration Licensure Program from Bethel College in 2012.

Mr. Gardner went to school in Penn-Harris-Madison schools, attending Mary Frank Elementary and Schmucker Middle School, graduating from Penn in 1996.

Mr. Garner is replacing Mr. Kent Mikel who expressed a desire to return to classroom. Mr. Mikel will be teaching middle school science for the 2019-2020 school year.

P-H-M’s 28th Annual Employee Recognition Dinner was held on Wednesday, May 15 honoring the District’s Teachers of the Year, Employee of the Year, and retirees. Service Awards were also given to employees who have dedicated 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 years of service to Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation. Click here to see a full list of this year’s Service Award honorees. Several employees received standing ovations as part of their recognitions. Along with members of P-H-M’s Administrative Cabinet, Board of School Trustees President Chris Riley, Vice President Larry Beehler, and Board Member Jim Garrett were also on hand to applaud and congratulate employees for their honors. The dinner was generously sponsored by Teachers Credit Union.

P-H-M’s Teachers of the Year Christine Austin Elementary Teacher of the Year and Secondary Teacher of the Year Jeanie Mitchell, as well as Employee of the Year Diane Dyer all spoke at last night’s dinner; they also received a commemorative plaque for their award. As part of the recognitions for Austin and Mitchell, each teacher received a $500 grant from the P-H-M Education Foundation to use in their classrooms; Dyer received a gift certificate from the District. Click here to view the photo gallery below for pictures of the recognitions.

Walt Disney’s Christine Austin is in her sixth year of teaching. She started with P-H-M full-time in 2014 as a teacher at Prairie Vista Elementary School. She moved to Walt Disney in 2015 and is currently teaching fourth grade there. Christine is a Spell Bowl Coach, a sponsor for after school learning clubs, teaches Saturday Enrichment for the District, and volunteers for Young Authors’ Conference. She’s also an important integral part to Disney’s Teacher Leadership Team (TLT), supporting all grade levels as well as her own fourth grade team. Christine has led staff PDs for Guided Math, Guided Reading for Exceptional Education, and presented at Technovation. Christine and her husband Lamar lived in Bulgaria for several years doing humanitarian work. These are just some of the reasons why her colleagues nominated her for P-H-M’s Elementary Teacher of the Year.

Click to watch the video below and learn more about Christine …

Penn’s Jeanie Mitchell came to P-H-M and to Penn High School to teach French in the World Languages Academy in 2008. Last September, she also became Freshman Academy Leader.  Mme. Mitchell provides classroom project based learning projects, as well as field trips to the French Market in Chicago and even to France! As the Freshman Academy Leader, Jeanie helps make the transition from middle school to high school more manageable and less daunting for incoming freshmen. Jeanie has also worked on a Tier 3 RtI program to identify Penn’s most at-risk freshmen students pairing them up with an administrator, counselor or dean. Jeanie also frequently leads staff professional development on a variety of topics such as technology, literacy strategies, effective parent communication, and how to use social media to develop teachers’ personal learning networks.

Click to watch video below and learn more about Jeanie …

Kids Club Assistant Program Coordinator Diane Dyer was chosen as P-H-M’s Classified Employee of the Year and was also recognized as part of the program. Diane Dyer has worked for P-H-M for five years; she started at Prairie Vista Elementary School as a Kids Club Assistant in August 2014. In 2015, she was promoted to Site Coordinator at Horizon Elementary. And in February 2019, she was promoted as the Kids Club Assistant Program Coordinator, based at Elsie Rogers Elementary School, helping to train the other Site Coordinators. As Program Coordinator, Diane is now working with the rest of the Kids Club staff to put into place the best practices at all other nine P-H-M Kids Club locations. During her time as a Site Coordinator for Horizon, Diane implemented “After Homework Clubs.” Horizon’s Kids Club also had the largest Kids Club enrollment.

Click to watch the video below and discover how well loved Diane is by her students and colleagues …

This year 40 longtime employees retired from P-H-M.

The names listed below noted with an asterisks (*) submitted a reflection. You can click here to read those reflections in the Dinner program.

Those retirees noted in bold were present at the dinner and their picture is in the photo gallery posted below. Click here to view that photo gallery.

• Dennis Addison, Teacher *
• Mark Baldwin, Teacher*
• Debra Barrier, Transportation
• William Bauer, Food Service
• Diane Bowersox, Teacher*
• Donna Christensen, ESP* 
• Lorri Csakany, ESP
• Tom Csenar, Teacher*
• Cynthia Davenport, ESP*
• Mary Davison, Teacher
• Karen Edison, Educational Assistant
• Janet Germann, Transportation
• Cindy Grover, Exceptional Education*
• Kimberly Grunawalt, Teacher
• Jan Hank, Teacher
• Sheryll Harper, Administrator*
• Thomas Hartman, Administrator*
• Pam Hollenberg, Teacher*
• Jane Hostetler, Teacher*
• Joel Howard, Custodian
• Lynn Johnson, Custodian*
• Leslie Kistler​, Teacher*
• Charlotte Koelndorfer, Kids Club
• Barbara Langle, Food Service
• Susan Lynn, Educational Assistant*
• Ann Metzner, Educational Assistant
• Richard Moroni, Custodian*
• Deb Nehls, Teacher
• Valerie Ong, Teacher
• John Rice, Teacher*
• Richard Roberts, Custodian
• Eileen Sherk, Educational Assistant
• Kathleen Strycker-Healey, Educational Assistant
• Vicki Topolski, Teacher*
• Laura Vanderheyden, Teacher
• Denise VanHulle, Educational Assistant
• Debra Wassenhove, ESP*
• Mark Watts, Teacher*
• Nietta Wright, Teacher
• Conley Yoakum, Transportation

Click here to download a pdf copy of the Employee Recognition Dinner program to read the submitted retirement reflections. Only those noted above with an asterisks (*) submitted a reflection.

*To download high resolution jpg files from the photo gallery below, just simply click the “DOWNLOAD” button on the bottom right-hand corner of the photo while viewing it in the Photo Gallery function. 

Penn High School will graduate 868 students on Friday, June 7, at Purcell Pavilion on the University of Notre Dame campus.

The Class of 2019 Senior Recognition Night ceremony was held last night (Tuesday, May 14) in the CPA. It’s a time to recognize the academic success that members of the Senior Class has achieved recognizing them for awards and honors that they’ve earned for graduation.

This year’s graduating class seniors have earned just over $11 million in scholarships!

Awards conferred at last night’s Senior Recognition included academic excellence, leadership, service to school and community, citizenship, attendance, athletic accomplishments and a whole host of other accomplishments. Click here to see the full listing of Senior Awards and Commencement Recognitions of the graduating Class of 2019.

“The honors being bestowed upon our students this evening are all certainly well-deserved and each represents a tremendous amount of hard work and commitment on the part of our students, and also the Penn faculty,” said Penn Principal Sean Galiher. “Our success is only measured by our student’s success.”

The Penn High School Principal’s Academic Excellence Award was presented to eight seniors based upon academic excellence and overall achievement: Katherine Adams, Brittney Day, Chloe Dobay, Kathryn Iapalucci, Kayla Neal, Justin Schneider, Zachary Simon, and Erik Wilcox.

The Principal’s Leadership Award is presented annually to students who contribute their talent, time, energy, and motivation to the leadership of Penn’s student body. Siddharth Das and Jenna Marshall were honored for helping to make a difference in the culture of Penn on behalf of their classmates. Principal Galiher noted that the work and dedication of Siddharth and Jenna went above and beyond that of any normal Penn student leader.

The Principal’s Citizenship and Service Award was presented to eight Penn High School students who have selflessly donated many hours to make sure that Penn High School is well represented in whatever service project they’re involved in. Principal Galiher said of these students, “Simply put, they make good things happen at Penn!” The winners of the 2019 Principal’s Citizenship and Service Award were: Madison Bansback, Olivia Coughlin, Sophia Davidson, Mia Farias, Caden Paquette, Matthew Pruitt, Brittany Stahl, and Tessa Ziwawo.

The Class of 2019 boasts 18 valedictorians and three salutatorians. This year’s valedictorians have an average GPA of 4.38 on a scale of 4.0!

The valedictorians and salutatorians will also be honored at Commencement on June 7. The Class of 2019’s 18 valedictorians include: Ammaar Basher, Amy Bernard, Ella Boardley, Charlotte Chang, Xi (Chelsea) Chen, Siddharth Das, Lucas Jerzak, Aidan Kaczanowski, Hasaan Kazi, Shurun Kim, Sabrina Kurian, Tingyi Lu, Abigail Meckstroth, Zainab Nasser, Sophia Patel, Justin Ralston, Alvin Wang, and Corey Wang.

The salutatorians are McKenna Hillsdon-Smith, Christian Marshall, and Zachary Simon. Their average GPA is 4.29 on a scale of 4.0!

This year eight Penn High School students designated as National Merit Semi-Finalists based upon their high PSAT scores have been named National Merit Finalists. These students advanced to Finalist standing in the Merit Scholarship competition of 2019 by demonstrating, through distinguished performance, high potential for future academic accomplishment. They are now eligible for one of the 8,000 scholarships to be awarded this spring. Penn’s 2019 National Merit Finalists are: Amy Bernard, Xi (Chelsea) Chen, Aidan Kaczanowski, Brandon King, Tingyi Lu, Corey Wang, Eric Wood, and Tinale Zhang.

The following National Merit Fianlists also received a scholarship from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation: Aidan Kaczanowski, Brandon King, Corey Wang, Eric Wood, and Tinale Zhang. 

Ten students received recognition from the College Board and were awarded National Merit Commended Scholar status: Ammaar Basher, Ella Boardley, Michael Cha, Micah Focht, Noah Reynolds, Ioannis Samoilis, Carly Scopel, Jacqueline Sekan, Zachary Simon, and Alvin Wang.

Penn also has one student who was named a 2019 U.S. Presidential Scholars Competition Valedictorian Tingyi Lu was chosen from a pool of the nation’s nearly 3.6 million graduating high school seniors.

Another valedictorian Corey Wang was also selected as a 2019 Indiana Academic All-Star. Each Indiana high school can nominate one senior for this prestigious award. Of the 90 regional winners chosen by a selection committee, 40 of these students, including Corey, have been selected and honored as an Indiana Academic All-Star. Awards were presented to the students and an influential educator of their choice at a luncheon ceremony held in April in Indianapolis. Corey chose his Calculus Math teacher Mrs. Valerie Ong to be recognized with him.

Abigail Meckstroth and Emily Morales Liddiard are being awarded the Community Foundation of Saint Joseph County Eli Lilly Endowment Scholarship based on their high academic merits and test scores. The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship provides full tuition, required fees, required books, and equipment for four years of undergraduate study leading to a baccalaureate degree at any accredited Indiana public or private college or university. Abigail plans to attend The University of Notre Dame in the fall and Emily plans to attend Purdue University.

Every year scholarships are also awarded for the Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Thacker Scholarship and the Larry Beehler Scholarship. Dr. Jerry Thacker is Superintendent of Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation and Mr. Larry Beehler is a longtime member of P-H-M’s Board of School Trustees. It was announced last night that Olivia Coughlin was the recipient of the Dr. & Mrs. Jerry Thacker Scholarship and Zachary Parcell was the recipient of the Larry Beehler Scholarship. 

Every year since 1967, Penn’s faculty vote to recognize an outstanding member of the graduating class based on service, character and leadership; the student must also, at the end of seventh semester, be in the top 10% of their graduating class. The senior selected is awarded the Paul H. Schmucker Award in memory of the distinguished member of Penn High School faculty from 1960-1967. This year’s recipient is Caden Paquette.

Each year, the graduating class also nominates a classmate who best exemplifies the qualities of service to his/her school community, school spirit, respect for classmates and Penn High School for the Kingsman of the Year Award. A tradition since 1970, the recipient is recognized for his/her leadership and willingness to accept challenge and is a great honor and show of respect from the recipients fellow classmates. The Class of 2019 Kingsman of the Year Award winner is Corey Wang.

Other Award Winners from the evening included:

Click here to download and print the full list of the Senior Awards and Commencement Recognitions of the graduating Class of 2019.

The P-H-M Education Foundation Silver Mile Bubble Bash was held Saturday, May 4 and it was a huge success!

• $80,000+ was raised to support #PHMExcellence in all 15 of our schools
  • $22,000+ was raised by schools coin collection
  • $18,000+ raised in Silent Auction
• 1,500 community members attended
• 591 runners/walkers participated in the 2019 Silver Mile Bubble Bash
• Bittersweet Elementary School had the most overall participation in the event and won a prize valued at $2,500 of either the gaga ball pit or the 9 disc golf set
• Horizon Elementary had the most students participate in the Bubble Bash run/walk and also won a prize valued at $2,500 of either the gaga ball pit or the 9 disc golf set

  • Northpoint Elemenary came in 2^nd for participation and won $1,000

  • Meadow’s Edge Elementary came in 3^rd and won $500

Penn hosted its first ever Unified Track and Field Meet yesterday (Wednesday, May 8). Exceptional Education student-athletes and their partners from both Penn and Elkhart Central High School competed in various competitions such as long jump, shot put and track races.

The clouds and rain cleared out giving way to warm weather and sunny skies for the after school event hosted at Penn’s TCU Freed Field. Click here to see the full photo gallery on Penn’s website.

It was also a special night of recognition for these three seniors:

• Erin Darr
• Hunter Hines
• Andre Northern

P-H-M’s amazing Exceptional Education staff and teachers were also honored for their contributions to the “Triangle of Success.” P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker, Penn Principal Sean Galiher, Exceptional Education Director Gena Todd, Ex Ed Program Supervisor (Middle School) Rebecca Allen, Penn Athletic Director Jeff Hart, and Penn Asst. Principal Josiah Parker were on hand to say “Thank you!”

Many of Penn student-athletes from various Varsity teams came out to volunteer for the event as time keepers, measuring jumps and throws, etc.

Unified Track and Field is the newest Indiana High School Athletic Association sport in the Champions Together format. It is partnered with Special Olympics. Unified Track and Field pairs student-athletes with intellectual disabilities with partners without disabilities giving the student-athletes the opportunity to compete for a varsity sport. This is the first year for Penn’s Unified Track Team. Penn’s team this year had eight athletes and 14 partners. Click learn more. 

So far Penn’s Team has competed in three meets:  April 24 at Elkhart Memorial, May 3 at Goshen, and May 8 at Penn. The Kingsmen team will also participate in the IHSAA State Tournament, starting with the Sectional on Saturday, May 18, in Griffin at 11:00 a.m. EST.

Penn teacher Bennett Blazo is the head coach of Penn’s Unified Track Team. Pam Walters, Karen Tagliaferri, Noah Lipsky and Francisco Cardoza are assistant coaches.

Penn High School will hold its 2019 Commencement ceremonies on Friday, June 7, at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center on the campus of the University of Notre Dame.

Parents and guests are to enter through the south main entrance of the Purcell Pavilion between Gates 8 and 10. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Handicapped facilities are available throughout the Joyce Center.

Tickets are not required.

Click here for the Graduation and Senior Recognition night information.

The doors for graduating seniors to enter Purcell Pavilion will be open at 4:30 p.m. Seniors are to enter at Gate 10 and report to the field house at the Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center no later than 4:45 p.m.!

Students will be able to pick up their diplomas beginning Wednesday, June 19, from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Pick-up will be outside the Main Office inside Door A.

HR Imaging Partners will be positioned to take individual pictures of seniors with their diplomas. Every student will be photographed and all photographs will be available for purchase on a protected website. The website is http://shop.hrimaging.com; select the orange tab, which is ‘order prints from special events’.

NO ONE EXCEPT SCHOOL & P-H-M PERSONNEL WILL BE ALLOWED ON THE ARENA FLOOR TO TAKE PICTURES!

Senior Recognition Program will be at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14, in the Penn High School Center for the Performing Arts by invitation only.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded $175,000 to replace nine older diesel school buses in Indiana. P-H-M was the only school district in our area, and only one of three in Indiana, selected to receive DERA rebates in Indiana!

The other Indiana districts were North Daviess Community Schools (in SW Indiana) and School City of East Chicago.

The funds are going to school bus fleets, each of which will receive rebates through EPA's Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) funding. The new buses will reduce pollutants that are linked to health problems such as asthma and lung damage.  

Applicants replacing buses with engine model years of 2006 and older will receive rebates between $15,000 and $20,000 per bus, depending on the size of the bus. Regional, state or tribal agencies including school districts and municipalities, or private entities that operate school buses under contract with state, tribal or local agencies were eligible to apply.

Nationwide, EPA recently awarded more than $9.3 million to replace 473 older diesel school buses. The funds are going to 145 school bus fleets in 43 states or territories. Bus replacements funded through the rebate program reduce emissions and exposure to particulate matter and nitrogen oxides for children at schools, bus stops, and on the buses themselves. 

Click to learn more about this EPA program.

Penn High School was ranked 13th in Indiana—the only Top #20 high school in the Michiana area—in US News & World Report’s 2019 U.S. News Best High Schools listing. 

Penn’s other points of distinction noted by the prestigious national magazine ranking, students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement course work and exams. The AP participation rate at Penn High School is 47 percent.

With the release of the Spring 2018 ISTEP+ results, overall Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation ranks in the state’s Top 5% of public school districts for grade 10 ISTEP+ scores. And Penn High School ranks in the Top 5% of all Indiana public high schools. Click to read more about Penn’s Performance Report from the Indiana Department of Education.

Indiana high school students typically follow the Core 40 curriculum, which includes required classes in English Language Arts, math, Social Studies and Science, among others. Students who fulfill additional requirements can earn a diploma with academic or technical honors. At Penn High School, more than 85% of students graduate with High Honors, Academic Honors or Technical Honors. Learn more about the Core 40 Curriculum on the Indiana Department of Education website.

The Academies at Penn High School provide the framework for student success. Through their work in each academy, students find relevant and meaningful coursework taught in a supportive environment where each student is known well by his teachers and peers. Through these “smaller learning communities,” students build relationships while engaged in relevant learning experiences.

Penn’s Early College Academy has received an endorsement as an Early College High School by The Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning. As an endorsed Early College High School by the CELL, Penn’s Early College Academy is regarded as an exemplar for other high schools across Indiana implementing an Early College program.

Penn is a Four Star School earning the Project Lead the Way Distinguished School distinction in 2017-18 (for the 2016-17 school year), and the STEM Academy has been certified as a Full STEM Certified Program by the Indiana Department of Education. 

Click to see the full list and find out more how US News & World Report ranks the Best High Schools. 

Click to watch Class of 2018 student profiles from each of Penn’s seven academies (video profiles about the Class of 2019 graduates will soon be added. Commencement will be held June 7 at Notre Dame’s Purcell Pavilion).