As part of the Indiana Department of Education’s 2017 Summer of eLearning series across the state P-H-M again hosted  TECHNOVATION 2017 at Penn High School.

The IDOE’s series was held over the span of 21 days in June and July at 22 host locations, and supported by the work of 51 school districts with the purpose of exposing Indiana’s teachers to the latest advancement and tools in education technology.

Hundreds of educators from 12 different school corporations essentially went came together on July 26 & 27 to take part in a choice of more than 70 different workshops! These workshops focused on the important role the latest technology programs, concepts and equipment can play in enhancing the classroom learning environment. Attendees were able to not only learn new information from the presenters, but also collaborate  with their colleagues discussing how schools can incorporate these tools into their curricula.

There were many fascinating concepts available to see and experience such as 3-D printing, interactive virtual reality, escape rooms and much more!

The two-day event was highlighted with two keynote speakers featuring P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker on Day 1 and Brian Mull on Day 2. And if  teachers didn’t have a fun enough time learning and playing with all the cool toys, they also had a chance to win door prizes at the end of the mini conference

Please check out the photo gallery below to see the captured moments of TECHNOVATION 2017!

The First Day of School for P-H-M Schools (grades 1-12) is Wednesday, August 23, 2017! The first day for kindergarten is Thursday, August 24!

From Back to School Nights to  Picture Days, looking for a quick glance of all the important dates to get your student’s school year started off right?

We’ve compiled a list of all the most important school dates in August and September on each of the websites of all 14 schools. Click your child’s school from the list below to see the beginning of year information at a glance:

• Bittersweet Elementary School
• Elm Road Elementary School
• Elsie Rogers Elementary School
• Horizon Elementary School
• Madison Elementary School
• Mary Frank Elementary School
• Meadow’s Edge Elementary School
• Moran Elementary School
• Northpoint Elementary School
• Prairie Vista Elementary School
• Walt Disney Elementary School
• Discovery Middle School
• Grissom Middle School
• Schmucker Middle School
• Penn High School

All P-H-M families are mailed a District Activities Calendar early-mid August. It lists key school and district events throughout the year. Click here to download a pdf copy.

The summer heat didn’t stop the fun at the P-H-M Summer Camps! There was plenty of action going on this week with Super Kids Camp, wrestling and volleyball!

Check out our latest camp photos (July 17 & 20)! To download and print a 5×7 high resolution picture, simply click on the download button on each image

Register today for TECHNOVATION 2017  This is a great learning opportunity open to ALL TEACHERS in the state, and not just P-H-M teachers.  As part of the  Indiana DOE Summer of eLearning Program, P-H-M is one of 51 school districts all across our state  offering  high quality professional development mini conferences. This is the third year that P-H-M has hosted TECHNOVATION at Penn High School.

​What to Expect…

As part of the Summer of eLearning, educators are encouraged to go back to the classrooms to learn the latest technology tools, and then take them back to their classrooms in the fall and implement them effectively.  This is the second year Penn-Harris-Madison has offered Technovation. P-H-M’s  two-day conference will be held at Penn High school and will be centered around intentional placement and innovative practices.

Topics covered, everything from virtual reality to interactive formative assessment tools. Click here to scroll through the list of sessions offered.

Day One: July 26, Workshop Day

Day One will feature half day workshops centered around use of technology in instruction. 

Day Two: July 27, Concurrent Sessions

Day Two will feature keynote leading educator and Google certified trainer Brian Mull, as well as concurrent sessions and a chance to see what is new in technology from our valued partners.

*Lunch will be provided both days, and there are opportunities to win door prizes!

►Find out more at the Technovation 2017 eLearning conference website

►Click here for Online Registration 

You know football season is just around the corner when Penn Coach Cory Yeoman’s Football Camp is going on! Incoming fourth through eighth graders participated in the camp for some great instruction and fun!

Check out the camp photos (July 11 & 14)! To download and print a 5×7 high resolution picture, simply click on the download button on each image.

2016 P-H-M Teacher of the Year and Top 10 Finalist for 2017 Indiana Teacher of the Year John ​Gensic has been named as a state-level finalist for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST). His application will move on to the U.S. Department of Education for the next round of selection. Mr. Gensic, a Biology teacher at Penn, was a state PAEMST finalist last year as well. He will be recognized this fall at a luncheon to honor the Indiana finalists.

Three P-H-M school teams recently competed in the National TEAMS (Tests of Engineering Aptitude Mathematics and Science) Best in Nation Competition. The competition was held in Orlando the end of June.

TEAMS is an annual STEM competition challenging students to work collaboratively and apply their math and science knowledge in practical, creative ways to solve real everyday engineering challenges.

Penn High School sent four groups to the competition. One of the two 9/10th grade teams placed in the Top 10 for engineering written competition; the other placed in the Top 10 for engineering written competition. The 11/12th grade team placed 3rd in prepared presentation and Top ten for engineering written competition.

Schmucker Middle School’s team placed third overall. There were three parts to the competition, a written essay, prepared presentation and problem solving. They won third place in the essay section; fifth in the presentation and interview section; and third in the problem solving section—earning them Top 3 overall! 

Discovery Middle School also finished well, receiving 4th in the nation in the problem solving category.

At the June 26th Board Meeting, existing P-H-M administrators and new hires were introduced and welcomed into their new positions.

• Heather Short, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction
• Jayson Snyder, Director of Professional Development and Student Learning
• Sean Galiher, Principal of Penn High School
• Lavon Dean-Null, Principal of Schmucker Middle School
• Kevin McMillen, Principal of Madison Elementary School
• Kent Mikel, Principal of Meadow’s Edge Elementary School
• Ryan Towner, Principal of Walt Disney's Elementary School
• Derrick White, Assistant Principal of Penn High School
• Lucas Fry, Assistant Principal of Schmucker Middle School
• Jean Milfort, Assistant Principal of Schmucker Middle School

Several of the positions were previously announced on June 20 and May 31. The following appointments were new: Derrick White to Assistant Principal of Penn High School; Lucas Fry to Assistant Principal of Schmucker Middle School; and Jean Milfort also to Assistant Principal of Schmucker Middle School.

Mr. White joins the P-H-M administrative team bringing 20 years of experience in the educational field, most recently as Assistant Principal at Riley High School. Before that, Derrick served as Principal of the Navarre Intermediate Center for 10 years. He has also served as an assistant principal and dean of students at John Adams High School. As a teacher, he taught Social Studies at Adams and Jackson Intermediate Center and was a seventh grade Special Education teacher at Navarre. He has participated in the Principals Leadership Academy (IPLA) and is a member of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and is affiliated with the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and worked with Community Foundation of St. Joseph County. Mr. White holds a Bachelors of Science in History and a Masters in Secondary Education from Ball State University, and earned his Administration Certification in Education Administration from Indiana University South Bend. Mr. White brings a wealth of experience in the area of instruction and professional development to P-H-M, participating in and leading a number of initiatives with South Bend Schools.

To fill the two open assistant principal positions at Schmucker Middle School, Lucas Fry will be moving from Penn High School and Jean Milfort was hired from Elkhart Central High School.

Mr. Fry has nearly 10 years of experience, the past six years as dean of students at Penn. Before that, he taught U.S. History, Government and Anthropology for two years. Prior to joining P-H-M in 2011, Mr. Fry was with Mishawaka Schools. He holds a Masters in Educational Administration & Supervision from Ball State, where he also received his B.A. in Criminal Justice and minored in Sociology. Mr. Fry has been instrumental in developing and implementing positive behavior and student engagement initiatives at Penn High School.

Jean Milfort is joining Schmucker from Elkhart Central High School where he was assistant principal. Mr. Milfort has 14 years of experience in the field of education. Before serving at Elkhart Central High, he was assistant principal at Hawthorne Elementary School and taught middle school for eight years. Mr. Milfort holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Studies/Elementary Education from Bethel College and a Masters Degree in Education and Principal Licensure Program from Indiana Wesleyan University. At Elkhart Schools, Mr. Milfort led teacher staff development programs. He also has done a lot of work in the area of student behavior modification, helping to develop a district wide bullying prevention program.

All the new positions became effective July 1, 2017.

The summer is heating up with more great teaching, learning and fun as the P-H-M summer camps keep going strong! There are still activities going on for children to take part in for that extra push both physically and academically.

Click here to see our full list of Summer 2017 camps and activities. 

Check out our latest camp photos (June 23 & 27)! To download and print a 5×7 high resolution picture, simply click on the download button on each image

Today (Tuesday, June 20), P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker announced that Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Dr. Kay Antonelli had accepted an appointment with another school district effective June 30.

“I both admire and appreciate Dr. Antonelli’s passion for education. We thank her for her six years of service at P-H-M,” said Dr. Thacker.

With Dr. Antonelli’s departure a few P-H-M administrators have been appointed to new leadership roles for the upcoming 2017-2018 school year. The following administrative changes will be effective July 1:

• Director of Professional Development and Student Learning Heather Short will become Assistant Superintendent for Instruction.
• On May 31st, it was announced Jayson Snyder was moving from Meadow’s Edge to become principal of Schmucker. However, he will now take over as the Director of Professional Development and Student Learning.
• With Mr. Snyder's central office appointment, Walt Disney Elementary School Principal Mrs. Lavon Dean-Null as Schmucker's new principal.
• Current Madison Elementary School Principal Ryan Towner will become Walt Disney's principal.
• And, filling the Madison principal’s position will be Kevin McMillen, who has served as Schmucker Middle School's assistant principal.
   

Heather Short has 23 years of service with P-H-M, serving as director of Professional Development in the Learning Division for the past 10 years. Before that, Mrs. Short was the principal of Prairie Vista from 2004-2007, and was previously the assistant principal. Mrs. Short also served as the director of the Gifted and Talented Program from 2001-2003 after teaching for seven years at four P-H-M schools: Grissom, Mary Frank, North Point and Prairie Vista. St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce named Mrs. Short to Michiana’s “Forty under 40” Class in 2008. Mrs. Short is currently working on her Ph.D. Educational Leadership through Purdue University.

Jayson Snyder as the current principal of Meadow’s Edge helped the school achieve “Four Star School” status for the first time in its history. Along with Mrs. Short, Mr. Snyder is also enrolled in Purdue’s Doctoral Program for Educational Leadership. Mr. Snyder has organized a number of broader District initiatives, including the P-H-M Teacher Job Fair. This successful recruitment event was held for the second time this past February and has attracted nearly 275 qualified applicants in just two years. Mr. Snyder developed a Districtwide model for elementary RtI documentation, co-chaired several Districtwide curriculum adoptions and assisted in designing and implementing a professional development program for new P-H-M elementary teachers. Mr. Snyder was the 2010 recipient of the IUSB School of Education’s Excellence Award in School Administration and was named to the 2014 Michiana “Forty under 40” Class. He is also this year’s IASP District 2 Elementary Principal of the Year.

Lavon Dean-Null was named as principal of Walt Disney last school year and before that served as assistant principal of Grissom. She taught Language Arts and Social Studies at Discovery from 2001-2013. Mrs. Dean-Null was P-H-M’s 2012 Teacher of the Year and a Top Three Finalist for Indiana Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Dean-Null has helped lead many middle school student trips to Europe and student exchange programs to China, along with helping to develop middle school curriculums to be implemented across the Corporation. She was a member of the 2013 “Forty under 40” Class and is also currently working on her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership at Purdue.

Ryan Towner has been principal of Madison since 2015 and before that was assistant to the principal at Walt Disney under Randy Williams. Mr. Towner began with P-H-M as a 5th grade teacher at Prairie Vista in 2011. Another corporation leadership post that Mr. Towner holds is Federal Grants Program Administrator, overseeing our Title I, II and III grants. Mr. Towner was the 2016 recipient of the IUSB School of Education’s Excellence Award in School Administration. The Indiana Department of Education recently named Madison a “Four Star School.”

Kevin McMillen has served P-H-M students for 22 years. He was named as one of Schmucker’s two assistant principals in 2015, and before that he served as an interim assistant principal. While teaching first year German at Penn in 1995, Mr. McMillen also taught at Discovery and Schmucker. He helped create the 7th and 8th grade World Languages District curriculum introducing students to German, French, Spanish and Japanese cultures–a program he taught for 10 years at Schmucker and Discovery! Mr. McMillen has also organized and led many European student experiential learning trips over the years. At Discovery, Mr. McMillen coached 8th grade football, as well as 7th and 8th grade girls track. Mr. McMillen’s many P-H-M leadership roles also include serving on the RtI and on the School Improvement Plan Committees.

“I am confident that Heather, Jayson, Lavon, Ryan and Kevin will continue the great work started by their predecessors and that each will bring their own strengths to these new positions to continue the momentum moving forward to even greater accomplishments,” said Dr. Thacker.