With music education programs at all grade levels (K-12), Penn-Harris-Madison has once again been named one of 2019 Best Communities for Music Education for its outstanding commitment to music education! P-H-M is one of only 623 districts nationwide and 12 in Indiana to receive the honor from The NAMM Foundation. This is the sixth year in a row that P-H-M has received this prestigious national designation!

The Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students. The BCME award acknowledges the commitment of P-H-M’s music teachers and administrators in the District’s 11 elementary, three middle schools and Penn High School.

In our elementary schools, music class is part of the regular curriculum following state standards. Students are instructed in both vocal and instrument classes. Beginning in 6th grade, P-H-M students at our three middle schools (Discovery, Schmucker and Grissom) have the opportunity to choose choir, orchestra or band as their music elective. Students at Discovery also have the option of choosing Piano Lab. 

Penn High School offers the Fine Arts & Communication Academy as part of its unique academy structure. The seven academy design provides Penn students with relevant and meaningful coursework taught in smaller, supportive environments where each student is known well by his teacher and peers. Nearly a third of Penn’s total 3,500 students are enrolled in the Fine Arts Academy with the majority being involved with music programs, either Choir, Orchestra, Band or another music program.

To qualify for the Best Communities designation, P-H-M answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program, and community music-making programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.

Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music. In a series of landmark studies by scientists and researchers at Northwestern University a link was found between students in community music programs and life-long academic success, including higher high school graduation rates and college attendance. In another study from the University, it was discovered that the benefits of early exposure to music education improves how the brain processes and assimilates sounds, a trait that lasts well into adulthood.

Beyond the Northwestern research, other studies have indicated that music education lays the foundation for individual excellence in group settings, creative problem solving and flexibility in work situations, as well learning how to give and receive constructive criticism to excel.

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation serves more than 11,100 students in 11 elementary schools, three middle schools and Penn High School. The School Corporation has consistently received an “A” rating from the Indiana Department of Education since 2011. With the release of the Spring 2018 ISTEP+ results, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation ranks in the state’s Top 5% of public school districts for grade 10 ISTEP+ results and in the Top 6% for grades 3-8. Northpoint is Indiana’s #2 public elementary school and Discovery ranks #3 out of the state’s public middle schools. Penn High School ranks in the Top 5% of all Indiana public high schools and has a 97% graduation rate, exceeding the state’s graduation rate. P-H-M’s “Triangle of Success” connects students, teachers and parents for excellence in education. 

About The NAMM Foundation: The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its approximately 10,300 members around the world. The foundation advances active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving, and public service programs. For more information about the NAMM Foundation, please visit www.nammfoundation.org.

Students at Penn High School who maybe interested in becoming a teacher one day have a way to explore that career path WHILE STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL!

Penn's Cadet Teaching program gives high school students a chance to student teach in PHM elementary schools. 

Hear from a couple of current P-H-M teachers who are former Penn Cadet Teachers and learn more about this #PHMExcellence program …

Nail biter, suspenseful … not terms you usually hear to describe a Spell Bowl, but that’s what happened at last night’s (Tuesday, March 20) 33rd annual P-H-M Elementary Spell Bowl. Click to see the photo gallery below.

It was a packed house at Penn High School’s Center for Performing Arts filled with more than 200 third, fourth and fifth graders from all of P-H-M’s 11 elementary schools, along with their family, friends and P-H-M staff from the students’ home schools. Click to see the full list of winners listed below.

Preparation for the Spell Bowl takes weeks, as the students work with their teacher coaches. Each school has three teams (representing each grade) made up of six students, plus one alternate. Preparation includes spelling under pressure, studying word lists, learning about word sources (e.g., Latin roots) and rules such as capitalization and pluralization.

The format of P-H-M’s Spell Bowl is very much like a written test. Similar to a traditional spelling bee, the emcee reads a word aloud and then uses it in a sentence. The students then have 15 seconds to write the word on paper. The words get progressively more difficult through each round. A panel of judges reviews the answers and then posts the scores for the audience to see. 

The 4^th and 5^th grade rounds had to go into “extra innings” for tiebreakers. Bittersweet and Northpoint’s 4^th grade team of two students each went into the tiebreaking round with 29 points. Students had to spell appendicitis, hieroglyphic, reverberate, and Mozambique to win. Eventually Bittersweet beat out Northpoint by successfully spelling Mozambique. The Bittersweet students were Collin Hickey and John Gutierrez. Click to see the full photo gallery.

After that close match, it was time for the 5^th grade round, which also had to be finished with an additional tiebreaker round. This time it was Walt Disney going head to head with Northpoint. Students went through all five tiebreaker words: antiperspirant, spelunking, westernization, putrefy, and Okeechobee Lake.  Judges then had to pull from their “secret bag of words,” giving the students the word affiliate to spell. Finally in the end, Walt Disney came out on top spelling affiliate correctly. The Disney students in the tiebreaker round were Sreeja Bhattacharjee and Joseph McQueary.

Each first place winning team got their picture taken with their coach and P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Thacker. See the full list of winners below …

3rd Grade Winners: 1st place – Northpoint with 26 points, Coach Deb DeLaurelle (team pictured to right) 2nd place – Prairie Vista with 23 points, Coach Katie Harris 3rd place – Bittersweet with 20 points, Coach Sheri Hedrick

4th Grade Winners: 1st place – Bittersweet with 37 points, Coach Leslie Metcalf​ (team pictured to right) 2nd place – Northpoint with 36 points, Coach Rosan Morehouse 3rd place – Horizon with 26 points, Coach Jeanne Rehlander

5th Grade Winners: 1st place – Walt Disney with 42 points, Coach Kristie Reynolds​ (team pictured to right) 2nd place – Northpoint with 41 points, Coaches Jen Payne & Charity Grimes-Ford 3rd place – Mary Frank with 29 points, Coach Christine Nisley

Special thanks to P-H-M’s K-5 High Ability Coordinator, Mrs. Anne-Marie Reininga, who is the Spell Bowl manager. This year’s emcee was Kate O’Brien, Penn’s Spell Bowl Coach.

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

This past weekend Friday, March 15th and Saturday, March 16th Penn High School hosted the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) Middle School Band and Orchestra Festival. Penn hosted 34 middle school groups, including 18 from P-H-M’s Discovery, Grissom and Schmucker Middle Schools.

Of the 18 P-H-M Orchestras and Bands that participated, 17 of these ensembles received Gold Ratings! In addition, 11 received superior scores indicating a “With Distinction” status! 

The “With Distinction” status indicates a near perfect score and is achieved by less than ten percent of all groups across the state of Indiana.

Congratulations to the following P-H-M Ensembles and their Directors …

Discovery:

• 6th Grade Orchestra, Directors: April Oppenheim/Carol Weirich, Gold Rating (With Distinction)

• 6th Grade Band, Directors: Murray Weaver & Carol Weirich, Gold Rating (With Distinction)

• 7th Grade Orchestra, Director: April Oppenheim, Gold Rating

• 8th Grade Orchestra, Director: April Oppenheim, Gold Rating (With Distinction)

• Symphonic Band, Directors: Murray Weaver & Carol Weirich, Gold Rating (With Distinction)

• Honor Band, Directors: Murray Weaver & Carol Weirich, Gold Rating (With Distinction)

State Show Choir ISSMA competitions were also held on Saturday, March 16. Discovery’s three choirs all received Gold “With Distinction”:

• 6th grade Choir, Group 4, Director: Jennifer Graybill, Gold Rating (With Distinction)

• 7 & 8th grade Male Choir, Group 2, Director: Jennifer Graybill, Gold Rating (With Distinction)

• 7 & 8th grade Treble Choir, Group 1, Director: Jennifer Graybill, Gold Rating (With Distinction)

Grissom:

• 6th Grade Orchestra, Director: Vickie Marshall, Gold Rating
• 6th Grade Band, Director: Heather Baker, Gold Rating
• 7th Grade Orchestra, Director: Vickie Marshall, Gold Rating
• 7th Grade Band, Director: Heather Baker, Silver Rating
• 8th Grade Orchestra, Director: Vickie Marshall, Gold Rating (With Distinction)
• 8th Grade Band, Director: Heather Baker, Gold Rating

Schmucker:

• 6th Grade Orchestra, Director: Dodi Carnall, Gold Rating (With Distinction)​
• 6th Grade Band, Directors: Jeff and Dodi Carnall, Gold Rating (With Distinction)​
• 7th Grade Orchestra, Director: Dodi Carnall, Gold Rating (With Distinction)​
• 7th Grade Band, Directors: Jeff Carnall, Gold Rating (With Distinction)​
• 8th Grade Orchestra, Director: Dodi Carnall, Gold Rating​
• 8th Grade Band, Directors: Jeff and Dodi Carnall, Gold Rating (With Distinction)

This year’s Young Authors' Conference, held this past Saturday, March 9, was a huge success with 215 students in attendance with their parents! Troy Cummings was this year’s celebrity author and illustrator of the popular series “The Notebook of Doom.” 

During this unique learning experience, P-H-M students in grades K-5 have the opportunity to learn directly from a well-known children’s writer. Through interactive, engaging Q&A with the children, Cummings led the students through the process of creating colorful storylines. He and the students also came up with offbeat book characters like a ice cream eating monster and a cow-dog. See the photo gallery below.

Students also participate in small group sharing sessions, led by P-H-M teachers, where they share stories they’ve created. Students give each other positive feedback, encouraging and inspiring their fellow students.

Students aren’t the only ones that benefit from the Young Authors’ Conference, parents do too! While students were participating in their small group writing sessions, parents attended a special presentation by Bethel College education professor Dr. Michelle Fish who gave parents fun tips on ways to inspire ideas for creative writing with their children. Click here for Dr. Fish’s presentation and list of Mentor Texts.

Students and parents also enjoyed a presentation of “Tuck Everlasting, The Musical” by Penn High School students. This was the 11th year for Young Authors’ Conference; it is sponsored by Corporations for Education, a division of the P-H-M Education Foundation. 

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. We are happy to provide this service to you free of charge.

Northpoint Elementary students and programs were the stars of the show at Monday night’s Board meeting (Feb. 25, 2019). Every year, the Board chooses a few schools to hold their Board meetings at. The school meeting sites are a way for the Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees to not only visit the schools, but to also give the schools a chance to highlight their successes. The March 25 meeting will be held at Elsie Rogers Elementary, another one of our “A” rate schools just like Northpoint!

This year Northpoint is celebrating its 20^th anniversary. As part of that celebration Principal Diane Wirth had a group of students give “presents” to the School Board Members by sharing with them some “points of pride.” Another group of Northpoint “stars” sang for the Board and their parents. It was a full-house and a good representation of P-H-M’s Triangle of Success, which connects parents, students and teachers! Northpoint is the #2 public elementary school in the state, and last night it was clear why!

Check out the photo gallery below to see the highlights. 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. We are happy to provide this service to you free of charge.

Saturday, March 9, 2019

8:45 – 11:30 a.m.

Schmucker Middle School

P-H-M Elementary students, grades K-5

Registration Fee: $5 per child

Click here to register and pay online
*Registration deadline has been extended to Friday, March 1

The Young Authors’ Conference is an annual, beloved event for P-H-M students in grades K-5. The event, sponsored by Corporations for Education, a division of the P-H-M Education Foundation, provides an opportunity for students and their parents to meet and hear from a well-known children’s authors. Click here to view the photo gallery of last year’s event.

Troy Cummings is this year’s celebrity author and illustrator of the popular series “The Notebook of Doom.” Cummings’ illustrations have also been featured on magazines, puzzles, and games! Click hear to learn more about Cummings’ other work. 

As part of the morning activities, participants and parents will not only enjoy a presentation by Cummings, but also a short performance by Penn High School Theater students from their upcoming musical “Tuck Everlasting” (March 1, 2 and 3).

Elementary student attendees will also work in small adult-led breakout sessions sharing their own writing pieces with other P-H-M students.

Parents will attend a special presentation by Bethel College Education professor Dr. Michelle Fish.  Dr. Fish will share how parents can use children’s literature to connect with writing at home. *One parent must accompany students! However, keep in mind that students and parents will separate for a portion of the day.

REGISTRATION: Click here to register and pay online. If you don’t have a PHM Revtrak account, you will need to create one. There is a fee for using this service. If you prefer to register via paper, please fill out the front of the blue envelope that was attached to the hard copy of the flyer that came home with your student. Fill out the blue envelope completely, insert your payment, and return it to your child’s school. Checks should be made payable to: Young Authors’ Conference. Cash is also accepted. The deadline for registration is Friday, February 22, 2019!

CONFIRMATION: Participating students will receive additional information prior to the conference through their home school at the beginning of March.

QUESTIONS: If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Russell at lrussell@phm.k12.in.us.

This past Tuesday night Academic Letters were handed out to some of our more than 700+ Kingsmen student-athletes. Click here to view a photo gallery from the ceremony on Penn High School’s Facebook page.

At Penn, we're proud to say our students are students FIRST and then athletes! This fall they have achieved a combined 3.61 GPA!

Watch the video below to see how they achieve #PHMExcellence in the classroom first BEFORE they hit courts, fields, mats, pool, tracks, gridiron, etc.

Four P-H-M Board of School Trustees were re-elected in the November 2018 General Election: Jaye Galloway (Penn Twp.); Angie Gates (Harris Twp.); Chris Riley (At-Large); and Larry Beehler (Madison Twp.). All four members were sworn in and took their Oaths of Office at the beginning of the January 14, 2019 Board Meeting. The terms of these newly re-elected members will expire in 2022.

Chris Riley was re-elected as Board President, Larry Beehler as Vice President, and Angie Gates as Secretary. All are seen below pictures with Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker.

P-H-M has a seven-member Board of School Trustees. Other Board Members include Gary Fox (Harris Twp.); Jim Garrett (Penn Twp.); and Jamie Woods (Penn Twp.). Click here for profiles on all seven Board Members.

The first day for students of the 2019-2020 school year is Wednesday, August 21, 2019 and the last day for students is Wednesday, June 3, 2020.

Other important dates include:

• September 2, 2019: Recess Day – Labor Day
• October 25 & 28, 2019: Fall Recess Days
• November 5, 2019: Recess Day – General Election
• November 27-29, 2019: Thanksgiving Recess Days
• December 23-Jan. 3, 2020: Winter Break
• January 20, 2020: Recess Day – Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• February 17, 2020: Recess Day – Presidents’ Day
• April 6-10, 2020: Spring Break
• May 5, 2020: Recess Day – Primary Election
• May 25, 2020: Recess Day – Memorial Day

Click here for a one-page pdf copy of the 2019-2020 school year calendar.

If you need copies of the 2018-2019 school year and activity calendars, please click here.