For the 13th consecutive year, P-H-M employees were able to get their holiday shopping done while supporting our fine Young Adult students.

The Young Adult program housed at Schmucker Middle School is part of P-H-M’s Exceptional Education Department. The students learn life skills, work skills, practice creativity and learn how to interact with the community.

Students work hard over several months creating holiday themed arts and crafts. All the proceeds from the sale go back into the Young Adult Program to fund future craft building and outings.

The program has three sales a year: one in the fall, a holiday sale and also a Mother’s Day store in the spring.

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. 

Help support PHMEF & celebrate Penn High School athletic history … “Crowning Achievement” chronicles the Penn Kingsmen football teams from 1958 – 2017 and honors legendary 30-year Coach Chris Geesman and current Head Coach Cory Yeoman. The book is chock-full of stats on every team since 1958, pictures and an all-time roster; it’s a real treasure for Penn alumni.

Whether you or someone you know is a Kingsmen fan, this book makes a thoughtful, keepsake holiday gift.

And now with special holiday pricing, you can buy one book for yourself and gift one to another Kingsmen fan! Get one book for $20 or two books for $30!

Click to buy your copies today online. 

Books can also be purchased at the front desk of P-H-M’s Educational Service Center at 55900 Bittersweet Rd., Mishawaka—the building just north of Penn High School. Local pick up is at the ESC; mailing is available. 

‘Tis the season for the “Sounds of the Season!” Get in the holiday spirit by attending any one of the four holiday concerts put on by Penn High School’s Fine Arts & Communications Academy.

“Sounds of the Season 2018 Hear Them Ring!” is a holiday concert performed by the Penn Kingsmen Choir.

Performances will be Thursday, December 6 at 7:30 p.m., Friday, December 7 at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, December 8 at 3:00 p.m. 

The doors will open one hour before the show start time. Advanced tickets are only $6. Click here to purchase tickets online.

Rounding out the holiday season is the Penn High School Orchestra’s performance of “’Tis the Season.” This one night only performance will take place on Thursday, December 13 at 7:30 p.m.

Advanced tickets are only $5. Click here to purchase tickets online.

All performances will be in the CPA; please use Door C.

This is a wonderful way to get into the holiday spirit while supporting the hard working and talented Fine Arts students.

Breakfast with Santa has been a holiday tradition for more than 35 years at P-H-M and this year was no exception! On Saturday, December 1, 2018 Bittersweet Elementary School hosted 300 people that were able to spend time with Santa. The children and their families were treated to a program that included a laser show titled “Laser Holidays” at the DVT (Digital Video Theater), breakfast in the cafeteria and then a personal visit with Santa. 

Tickets for next year will go on sale Friday, November 1, 2019. Set a reminder in your calendar now because this event always sells out.

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. 

Once again the Indiana Department of Education has recognized the Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation as an “A” rated school district. P-H-M has received an “A” rating every year since 2011—making this the seventh consecutive year!

The IDOE released the 2017-18 Accountability Grades on Wednesday, November 14. Along with the district’s “A” rating, P-H-M is proud to have seven schools that also received “A” letter grades:

• Elsie Rogers Elementary School
• Horizon Elementary School
• Moran Elementary School
• Northpoint Elementary School
• Prairie Vista Elementary School
• Discovery Middle School
• Penn High School

Elsie Rogers and Moran are both Title I schools.

Overall, nearly 64 percent of Indiana Schools received an A or B. For more information on and to view the 2017-18 School Accountability Grades, please click here to visit the IDOE website. 

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation serves more than 11,100 students in 11 elementary schools, three middle schools and Penn High School. 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.

Penn High School Senior Logan Hill stopped by the Osceola Post Office on the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 23, to drop off a parcel.

Hill and another Postal customer noticed no one was at the counter. The other customer rang the bell, and a voice from behind the counter called out, “We can’t help right now. We have an emergency situation.”

While the other customer stepped out, Hill stepped up.

“I can help – I know CPR,” Hill called back as he hurried behind the counter.

Hill, using the knowledge and CPR skills that he learned in Penn’s Health class, applied chest compressions for about seven minutes on the Paul Anderson, who was suffering from cardiac arrest. While Hill applied chest compressions, a Postal employee applied mouth-to-mouth.

When police and medical personnel arrived, Hill let them take over. Medical personnel said that without Hill’s assistance, Anderson likely would not have survived.

Hill and Penn Health Instructor Rod Pawlik were honored by the American Heart Association, Penn-Harris-Madison Supt. Dr. Jerry Thacker and the Board of School Trustees on Monday, Nov. 12. Hill and Pawlik received the “Heartsaver Hero Award” from Stephanie Rosenberg, Youth Market Director of the AHA, and Sunni Rossi, AHA Regional Vice President in Youth Markets, at Monday’s School Board Meeting. Click to see the photo gallery below.

A State Finalist last season as a wrestler for Penn and also a pole vaulter on the Kingsmen Track and Field team, Hill credited Penn Health instructor Rod Pawlik with teaching him CPR.

“I learned CPR my sophomore year,” Hill said. “I learned it from Mr. Pawlik in Health Class. He’s a really good teacher. He taught me the courage to actually do this.

“As a sophomore, I have to admit, I was thinking, ‘Man, I’ll never use this,’ when we started to learn CPR,” Hill said. “Mr. Pawlik got me to realize how important this was to learn. He stressed it a lot.

“I realized, what if something happens to someone in my family? I really need to learn this. So I really paid attention and tried to learn CPR and the Heimlich. When the time came to use CPR, it just all came back to me.”

Hill, who intends to pursue a career in law enforcement, said that Pawlik always stressed the importance of stepping up in the heat of action.

“You have to step up and be strong,” Hill said. “You have to do the right thing. That’s where our Kingsmen Strong motto in wrestling comes in. I was there at the right time. God put me there and gave me the courage to step up and help.”

“I’m thankful that Penn teaches CPR,” Hill said. “I would tell the younger students to always pay attention in all of your classes. You never know when you’re going to need what you’re learning.”

Pawlik has been teaching at Penn since 1997.

Penn’s Health classes have included CPR long before the State required it as a graduation requirement.

The American Heart Association championed a law requiring CPR training as a high school graduation requirement in Indiana in 2014, ensuring that every year thousands of graduating students are trained in this life-saving skill. Across the country, more than 350,000 people experience sudden cardiac arrest every year. Only 46 percent of those people receive immediate CPR from bystanders, and 90 percent of those individuals die. Immediate bystander CPR can triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival.

“At the beginning of class every semester, I try to explain how important this class can be to the students and I mention, even life-saving,” Pawlik said. “This is a great teaching moment that I can use for the rest of my teaching years.

“I’m so very proud of Logan, to step in and do what he did, because some people will just step back and not put themselves in a tough situation like this, but he did.”

The Board of School Trustees approved the administrative appointment of Joe Winters as P-H-M’s new Director of Facilities at Monday night’s Board Meeting (Nov. 12, 2018).
 

Winters is replacing Tom Hartman, who is retiring effective January 4, 2019 after 34 years with the district. Winters began working with the district Oct. 22 shadowing and learning from Hartman’s years of experience with P-H-M. Hartman’s many years of dedicated service, along with other P-H-M retirees, will be celebrated at the annual Employee Recognition and Retirement Dinner coming up in the spring on May 15, 2019.

Winters comes to P-H-M with more than 23 years of experience as a Project Manager and Estimator with extensive experience in construction administration and management. He holds a B.S. in Construction Management from Ferris State University, as well as Certification in Occupational Health and Administration. Winters was employed by Ziolkowski Construction as the Project Manager for the recently completed Kingsmen Athletic Center. Over his career, Winters has also worked for the Larson Danielson Construction Company, Rosema Construction, Midland Engineering, and Kaser Spraker Construction.

At the Board Meeting held Monday, November 12, the Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees approved the agreement between the P-H-M Teachers Association and the School Corporation increasing the minimum base starting salary for current P-H-M teachers and new hires for the 2019-2020 school year to $40,350—not only making it the highest starting teacher salary in the area, but also the school district in our area to reach the $40,000 mark. This is the 6th year that P-H-M teachers have received a pay increase.

“In a growing competitive market to attract and retain quality, experienced educators,” said Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker said “we were committed to collaborating with our Teachers Association to ensure that P-H-M’s commitment to excellence in education remains intact—this agreement helps make that happen. Teachers are a valuable component to our corporation’s ‘Triangle of Success.’”

The PHMTA membership overwhelmingly ratified the agreement Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018. The collaboration between P-H-M administration and the Teachers’ Association shows the value and vision that both sides share in attracting and retaining the area’s most highly qualified teachers.

The new P-H-M teachers’ contract agreement covers a one-year period from July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019. All eligible teachers who have completed one or more years of experience will receive varying combinations of base salary increase and a one-time stipend totaling $2,450 for the 2018-2019 school year. All eligible teachers will receive no less than a $1,000 increase in their base salary.

For current eligible P-H-M teachers, the agreement will be retroactive to the start of the 2018-2019 school year (July 1, 2018) and will be reflected on or before the December 14, 2018 pay day, along with the teacher's one-time stipend amount.

• Current first year teachers with a base salary of $39,300 will receive a $1,050 salary increase
• Base salary range $39,300 – $50,424 will receive a $1,550 salary increase plus a one-time $900 stipend
• Base salary range $50,850 – $58,011 will receive a $1,350 salary increase plus a one-time $1,100 stipend
• Base salary range $58,641 – $ 68,028 will receive a $1,000 salary increase plus a one-time $1,450 stipend.

There will be a modest three percent (3%) increase in insurance contributions with no change in the plan design. The agreement will include a number of new stipend positions supporting various academic programs, as well as a two percent (2%) increase for all current academic and athletic coaches.

Indiana’s Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018 and six P-H-M schools will serve as polling centers, as they have in the past. Polling hours are 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Voters using these locations may find it helpful to know where to park, which doors to enter, and the school hours at each building so that you can avoid student arrival and departure times. Please click the links below to get details for each site …
 

• Penn High School (school hours, 8:25 a.m. – 3:17 p.m.)
• Schmucker Middle School (school hours, 9:05 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
• Mary Frank Elementary School (school hours, 7:55 a.m. – 2:20 p.m.)
• Meadow’s Edge Elementary School (school hours, 7:55 a.m. – 2:20 p.m.)
• Prairie Vista Elementary School (school hours, 7:55 a.m. – 2:20 p.m.)
• Walt Disney Elementary School (school hours, 7:55 a.m. – 2:20 p.m.)

Registered voters may only use the polling location that serves their precinct, based on their home address. Here is a link to the precincts maps and polling location information provided by St. Joseph County. 

The Indiana Department of Education announced on October 12 the 2018 Gold Star Schools. 

The Gold Star designation signifies the school counselor-led steering team has met specific criteria identified for the development of a comprehensive school counseling model.

Schmucker Middle School was a first time recipient and Penn High School’s Gold Start status was renewed. Grissom Middle School was also named a Gold Star school in previous years.

Created in 2004, the Gold Star designation has been awarded to over 300 Indiana elementary, middle, and high schools. To receive the award, schools undergo a rigorous process to raise student achievement and improve overall student success. This is accomplished by creating local school-community advisory groups tasked with reviewing student data, setting specific student goals, and committing to maximizing the time and skills of the school counselor. A total of 34 schools received the designation in 2018, of which nine renewed their Gold Star status.

The official award presentation will take place in November at the Indiana School Counselor Association fall conference.

Click to view a complete list of recognized schools.