With the start of the 2016-2017 school year, Walt Disney students will have a new principal.

The Dolphins’ previous principal of four years, Mr. Randy Williams, has been named Associate Principal at Penn High School and Mrs. Lavon Dean-Null will become Walt Disney’s new principal. Both positions are effective immediately.

Mrs. Dean-Null’s appointment as elementary principal and former principal Randy Williams’ appointment as the Associate Principal of Penn High School were approved at the August 8, 2016 meeting of the Board of School Trustees. Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker recommended both to the Board, citing their commitment to student learning and their success in various roles serving the District in recent years. Pictured with Williams and Dean-Null (above) are Dr. Thacker and School Board Vice President Larry Beehler.

While investing himself in the school climate and student learning, Mr. Williams developed strong connections with the Disney family. He expressed to the Board his gratitude for the many good things he has experienced while at P-H-M—including his time at Walt Disney, and especially the support that community showed him during several months of illness and recovery. He can look forward to seeing former Walt Disney students as they reach high school. Williams worked at Penn prior to the principalship at Walt Disney, so is experienced in secondary education as well. 

Since 2013 Mrs. Dean-Null has served as the Assistant Principal at Grissom Middle School. As a teacher and literacy leader at Discovery Middle School (2009-2013), Dean-Null provided professional development and curriculum strategies that contributed to Discovery being named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2013. In addition, she has been very active with P-H-M’s international learning opportunities, co-leading trips throughout Europe and China for P-H-M middle school students.

Mrs. Dean-Null was named Penn-Harris-Madison’s Teacher of the Year in 2012, and went on to become a Top Three finalist for the Indiana State Teacher of the Year. Other honors include membership in Michiana’s Forty Under 40, Class of 2013. 

She says, “It is with great excitement that I join the Walt Disney team!” and adds, “Walt Disney is an outstanding school and I am eager to continue the great work that has been done there. By setting high expectations, we will continue to foster a culture where all students and staff strive for excellence. We will continue to build an environment where student achievement and diversity will be celebrated.“  

The Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees voted to approve the sponsorship agreement between the P-H-M Education Foundation and Saint Joseph Health System at tonight’s Board meeting (Monday, July 25, 2016).

Per the agreement, Saint Joseph Health System will donate $10,000 to the P-H-M Education Foundation endowment for a 12-year naming rights period, thereby affording SJHS the opportunity to name the tennis courts at Prairie Vista Elementary School. SJHS will pay the signage costs to have the field renamed “Saint Joseph Health System Tennis Courts at Prairie Vista.”

Per PHMEF’s naming rights fundraising initiative, 80 percent of the donation will go into the Education Foundation’s endowment, which will in turn provide alternative and additional funding for various co-curricular and extracurricular programs district wide. The remaining 20 percent will directly fund the school district’s professional development initiatives for P-H-M teachers. Continuing education and training of teachers is a major priority for P-H-M School Corporation.

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. The Foundation awards innovative teaching grants, scholarships to students, and other corporation-wide initiatives.

A separate fundraising initiative has been underway since Spring 2015 to resurface the Prairie Vista tennis courts. No portion of the Saint Joseph Health System sponsorship contributed to the court refurbishment project; the naming rights are not related to that initiative. The cost of resurfacing of the courts was paid for by Penn-Harris-Madison School District, a grant from the United States Tennis Association and private donations by the P-H-M Education Foundation, Prairie Vista families, community members and local businesses. You can read more about that project on Prairie Vista’s website at https://prairievista.phmschools.org/prairie-vista-tennis-courts-get-facelift. 

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation will host Technovation 2016, a digital learning initiative for educators across the Midwest, at Penn High School on Wednesday, July 20, and Thursday, July 21.

Indiana State Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz will provide a welcome address to participants on Wednesday, and George Couros, author and leading educator in the field of innovative leadership, teaching and learning, will give the keynote address on Thursday morning.

At last year’s inaugural conference, more than 300 Indiana educators participated in the event, which offers a wide spectrum of innovative techniques to blend technology with teaching in order to increase student engagement and student achievement.

“In this digital environment, our students move from mere consumers of education to actual participants and producers of educational content,” Penn High School Principal Steve Hope said regarding the purpose of Technovation 2016. “The use of technology is simply another tool – a very powerful tool – to continue the work of inquiry, problem-solving, and critical thinking.”  

Penn-Harris-Madison Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker noted P-H-M’s commitment to 1:1 student-to-technological device ratio at Penn High School and its three middle schools has played a key role in teaching and learning engagement in and outside the classroom.

“With a Chromebook at their side, our teachers and students will have the world at their fingertips,” Thacker said.

P-H-M teachers at the elementary, middle and high school levels, along with P-H-M administrators and staff, will deliver the presentations. Penn students will be on-hand to showcase and answer questions on the Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Science Lab tools used at the high school: augmented reality sandbox, UAV science drones, tornado generator and an earthquake machine (click here to see a “road map” of the Technovation classes).

Attendees will also see vendor demonstrations, such as zSpace, a 3D virtual learning tool. zSpace is an interactive hardware and software platform that brings resources to life through 3D technology helping students visualize and create.

“We see this as an opportunity for showcasing the talented teachers and students of the district as well as a launchpad of lifelong learning for the school year at Penn-Harris-Madison,” Technovation 2016 coordinator Duke Lines said.

Featured speakers at Technovation 2016 include Lisa Duerkson, Jeanie Mitchell, Rachel Fry, Amy Heavin, Terri Whitehead, Kelly Clifford, Sheila Toth, Beth Raker, Jarred Corwin, and Jill Kaufman.

More than 60 sessions will be offered in administration, technology personnel and teacher tracks.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to meet with a wide-range of vendors including, but not limited to: Luma Audio & Visual, Automated Data Systems, Ruckus Wireless, Audio Enhancement, Brocade, CIBER Inc., Edmentum, Educational Furniture, Fortinet, Hewlett Packard, Indiana Connected Educators, Instructure and St. Joe Valley Metronet.

Engaging, enriching—words that describe the 2016 Visual Arts Academy.  

Excited, enthralled—the reaction of so many of the children experiencing this unique summer program.

Now in its fourth year, over 800 children in grades K-5 are taking part in the 2016 Visual Arts Academy.  

The Visual Arts Academy has been nominated to receive the designation of “Promising Practice.” That distinction is granted by the Indiana Department of Education to programs that use innovative approaches to deliver educational benefits. Once “Promising Practices” are identified, other Indiana districts may choose to initiate similar programs for the families they serve.

The Visual Arts Academy represents an innovative partnership developed by Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation and the Snite Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame. The Academy features art making and writing through the examination of original works of art from both the Snite Museum and museums around the world.

It is comprised of six one-week programs, running from June 6 through July 15, 2016. Each week students from a different grade level experience a diversely rich curriculum that focuses upon the creation of an identity as an artist with words as well as images.

Each day students work with the visiting artists and art teachers in art making, elementary writing teachers for writing workshop and visual thinking strategies, multi-media experience to learn about art mediums such as glass blowing or architecture. Students also spend one day at the Snite Museum.

Since its inception, the vision and mission of the Visual Arts Academy has been shared by a core group of teachers and administrators at P-H-M and Notre Dame. Under the leadership of Assistant Superintendent Dr. Kay Antonelli, the group created the curricula “from the ground up” and provided the professional development for all teachers who participate during the Academy. Over 25 elementary writing and secondary art teachers are serving the Academy this summer.

Thanks to the financial support of these contributors, the Visual Arts Academy is provided for all children free of charge.

• 

  The Community Foundation of St. Joseph County ($50,000 grant)

• The P-H-M Education Foundation

• Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation

• The Snite Museum of Art

• The Law Offices of May, Oberfell, Lorber

• And various other contributors

Dr. Thacker & PHM Board of School Trustees President Gary Fox with Penn High School Principal Steve Hope who was named 2015 Indiana Principal of the Year.

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation is a high performing school district focused on excellence at all levels: academics, safety, customer service, teacher professional development and diversity. The model for success is built upon the support and communication between P-H-M’s parents, teachers and students. The “Triangle of Success” is strengthened and fortified by the District’s strategic partnerships and working relationships with community stakeholders.

Recently Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker shared his vision and leadership principles as a guest blogger on Gibson Protection System’s website. Click here to read the full blog. 

Penn High School students heard the sounds of exceptional success in the Music City for the TEAMS National Finals in Nashville, Tenn., on June 28-July 2.

TEAMS – Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science – started out as a competition for more than 10,000 high school students at 125 locations nationwide. The event, according to the sponsoring Technology Student Association, challenges students to work collaboratively and apply their math and science knowledge in practical, creative ways to solve real, everyday engineering challenges

Penn students qualified for the TEAMS National Finals in Nashville, and scored Top 10 places in four events.

 Megha Devaraj's team – Megha Devaraj, Kanika Arora, Olivia Mercurio, Jessica Lee, Edward Atkinson, Jack Bao,  David Kim and Matt Shan – placed third in the nation in Problem Solving, eighth in the nation in written paper, and sixth overall in Best in the Nation.

Presto George's team – Presto George, Hannah McGinness, Michelle Tapp, Nick Thurin, Morgan Ludwig,  Courtney Seigel, Nina Bakshi and Neal Patel – placed seventh in the nation in Problem Solving.

Kanika Arora also helped coach the Schmucker Middle School TEAMS competitors, who placed second in the nation overall. Click here for the story on Schmucker’s TEAMS success.

TEAMS is a program of the Technology Student Association, which offers STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) competitions for middle and high school students across the nation, reaching more than 225,000 students and 2,000 schools in 48 states.

Penn TEAMS coach Becky Tagliaferri expressed pride in the Top 10 showings nationally.

"We went up against some of the finest math, science, and engineering high schools in the country and showed them that Penn High School is among the best," Tagliaferri said. “After placing consistently for four years now, Penn High School is a player on the national stage of TEAMS engineering competition.”

Penn High School assistant principal and STEM Academy Leader Rachel Fry commended Tagliaferri and the Penn STEM Academy students for their showing on a national stage.

“After the latest accomplishments, I would like to add that the success of TEAMS is evidence that our students are not only learning rigorous STEM standards; but are able to apply this knowledge in collaborative problem-solving, and then strengthen presentation and communication skills through the culminating presentation,” Fry said. “Becky Tagliaferri has done a wonderful job working with these students and motivating 6-12 grade interest in TEAMS.”

Competitors in the TEAMS National Finals wrote a paper about optogenetics. Penn English teacher Jim Sauer assisted the effort by proofreading the paper that the Penn students submitted. Competitors also had to give a presentation on tools to make humans a multi-planetary species.

In the problem-solving section, students were only told to research the Hubble Telescope failure of 1990 beforehand. At the National Finals competition, students were then given math application problems to do, and they had to build a reflector that concentrated light onto a light meter and fit into a specified one-foot by three-inch diameter tube.

Six Schmucker Middle School students spent part of their summer vacation competing in an academic tournament. Time well spent, considering they finished second in the nation!

Led by teacher Jennifer Husband, students John W. Donaruma, Shivani C. Gandhi, Rebecca P. Mattson, Keaton D. Smith, David Wang Jr. and Karen P. Wang traveled to Nashville for the Technology Student Association (TSA) Conference (June 28-July 2) to compete in the three part competition.

Part I, the written portion, actually took place while the students were studying for ECAs at the end of the school year.  The students spent countless hours writing a scientific paper on synthetic neurobiology. For Part II, the students a prepared a five minute presentation on an innovative tool that could be used to help humans become an interplanetary species. The presentation was followed by an interview session with the judges. The final part was problem solving and was a mixture of a multiple choice math questions and also included a building portion that was not pre-announced. For this building portion, the students reviewed problems with the Hubble telescope and had to create a reflecting device that could reflect a given light into an iPhone app registering the amount of light aimed correctly.  The team had a top 10 finish for Part III, with the exact placement to be announced later this summer by TSA.

With their second place win for Portions I and II, the Schmucker team beat out more than a hundred other middle school teams from across the country … a great honor considering it was the team’s first time in the competition! 

Technology Student Association (TSA) is a national organization of students engaged in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Open to students enrolled in or who have completed technology education courses, TSA’s membership includes over 233,000 middle and high school students in approximately 2,000 schools spanning 49 states. Members learn through exciting competitive events, leadership opportunities and much more. 

Each student gets a progress report at the end of the school year that lets parents know about their child’s academic standing and achievement. Penn High School gets one also!

Principal Steve Hope delivered Penn High School’s annual progress report to the school trustees and others in attendance at their June 27, 2016 board meeting.

He shared these academic achievements, athletics highlights, and other accolades. Click here to access the full report. 

ACADEMICS

Mr. Hope reported that Penn met and exceeded Indiana’s three “high achievement” targets, known as 90-25-90, by scoring 90-66-97.

The three data points in this metric represent End-of-Course Assessment (ECA) results, College and Career Readiness measures, and Graduation Rate. Of note is Penn’s continued improvement in these three areas.

• Looking at ECA Scores over time, the passing rate for English 10, for example, has risen from 83% five years ago to 90% in 2015.
• Gains in the area of College and Career Readiness are remarkable, up from 27% success in 2011 to 66% in 2015.
• Penn’s graduation rate has climbed steadily, rising from 79% in 2008 to just under 98% in 2015.

Another measure of success is the rate at which Academic Honors Diplomas are being earned. More than 50% of Penn graduates earned an Academic Honors diploma in 2016—nearly double the 27% rate in 2008—while fewer than 2% graduated with a general diploma.

Mr. Hope attributes Penn’s success in educating and graduating students in great part to the faculty’s dedication to the three R’s of Rigor, Relevance and Relationships, as well as the school’s academy structure, and the district’s investment in professional development for its instructional staff.

Penn is proud to once again be recognized as an elite 90-25-90 school!

ATHLETICS

The Penn Girls Basketball program won its first ever state championship this year. The squad is coached by Kristi Ulrich–who was recently named South Bend Tribune Coach of the Year.

In addition to the Girls Basketball team’s run to the state title, these three teams finished as semi-state champions: Boys Varsity Football, Girls Soccer, Girls Softball.

Also won this year by our IHSAA-sanctioned fall, spring and winter sports teams: 12 Northern Indiana Conference championships, 16 sectional championships, and 9 regional championships.

Penn is proud to be home to three Indiana Mental Attitude Award winners! These three student-athletes were recognized at the state level for their character and contributions: Camden Bohn (Football), Kamra Solomon (Girls Soccer), and Alyssa Griman (Softball).

ACCOLADES

While Penn High School students and staff have earned many accolades in the past year, Mr. Hope singled out these four in his report to the board:

• Penn was named an Indiana 4-Star School for the fourth consecutive year
• US News & World Report included Penn in its national “Best High Schools” list
• The Washington Post identified Penn as one of “America’s Most Challenging High Schools”
• Indiana Department of Education recognized Penn as a School of Promising Practices for its delivery of “Problem-based Learning”

Click here to access the full report

(June 17, 2016) After a whirlwind week of events that seemed to rival the velocity of Skylar Szynski’s 95 mile-an-hour fastball, the former Penn High School baseball star finally gets to catch his breath … at least for one day!

Szynski, who was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the fourth round (112 overall) in the Major League Baseball Draft on June 10, held a news confrence at his house Thursday, June 16 announcing his decision to sign with the Athletics. He is scheduled to fly to Arizona on Friday, June 17, to start his professional career with the Athletics’ Rookie League team in Mesa.

MLB.com reported that Szynski signed for $1 million bonus, well above the $531,500 slotted for the 112th pick and has a provision for his college education to be paid for by the Athletics. Skylar has attended Penn-Harris-Madison Schools for his entire K-12 school career, including Horizon Elementary School from 2002-09 and Discovery Middle School, 2009-12.

Click here for the Skylar Szynski stat sheet.

“It’s very exciting, and nerve-wracking, too,” Szynski said after announcing his decision to forego a baseball scholarship to Indiana University and sign with the Athletics. “The pros will be less wear-and-tear on my arm. I’ll be more fresh.”

Szynski concluded a brilliant career at Penn in the Kokomo Semistate on Saturday, June 11. The defending state champion Kingsmen won the Northern Indiana Conference title this season, as well as sectional and regional championships before their season ended in the Final Four.

A 6-foot-2, 207-pound right-hander, Szynski pitched Penn to the 2015 Class 4-A state championship. He had a 27-4 career record for the Kingsmen. Szynski is only the fourth player to be drafted in coach Greg Dikos’ 29-season tenure, and he is the highest drafted Penn player.

Szynski burst onto the scene as a sophomore. He pitched a perfect game against defending state champion Elkhart Central, and finished that season with a 7-2 record.

“We’ve been watching Skylar for the last couple of years, the state tournament last year, the summer showcase tour last summer,” said Oakland Athletics Midwest Scouting Supervisor Rich Sparks. “He was on my team at the East Coast Pro last summer. A lot of eyes were on him last summer.

“It wasn’t just the Oakland A’s that liked Skylar this spring,” Sparks said. “I was at a game one time when there were 15 of us (scouts) there, and then the next time, there were 45 of us. All of the organizations had him high on their list. We just stepped up and pursued it a little harder than anybody else.”

Szynski said that the process leading up to his becoming a professional baseball player and signing has been a kaleidoscope of emotions.

“It’s awesome,” Szynski said entering the pro ranks. “I’m just blown away. I’m still in shock. Everyone has been very supportive. You just have to take it in stride.

“I’ve been talking about it for a couple of months, almost every day, trying to make the right decision, and weighing the pros and cons.”

Szynski said that his Penn coaches and teammates helped get him ready for the leap into pro baseball.

“They helped me get prepared by working hard every day, not taking a day off, and just having fun with it,” Szynski said.

Sparks said that Szynski displayed the character and maturity to sign out of high school.

“I would say that 90 percent of all kids drafted out of high school aren’t ready to go to the minor leagues,” Sparks said. “What sparked us is make-up. Make-up is a big thing for us in the Oakland A’s organization … mental toughness and stuff.”

Many high school pitchers only have a fastball in their arsenal, but Szynski’s 95 mile-an-hour fastball was just one reason the scouts flocked to Penn games. He also has a plus change-up and a plus breaking ball.

“The stuff itself is the peaking interest for us … the body, the frame, the way the arm works, the arm speed,” Sparks said. “It’s very tough to teach arm speed. We think he’s going to be stronger. We think he’s going to get bigger. He might throw harder in the future. That’s what we project. I don’t think there’s reason we can’t think of him as a No. 2, 3 starter in the Big Leagues for years to come.”

This year the Kingsmen offered player trading cards to their fans and boosters, and found that they were especially popular with younger P-H-M students playing in area youth leagues. Many youngsters had their cards signed by the ball players. Some day those Sklyar Szynski cards may be highly collectible! Click here to download your copy of Skylar’s card.

(June 10, 2016) It seemed assured that 2016 Penn grad Skylar Szynski would be drafted this year to play for a major league ball club. Known for his amazing fastball and great composure on the mound, last year he led the Penn Kingsmen to the IHSAA Class 4A State Championship. Of course the unknowns surrounding the draft were “In what round?” and “By which team?”

Those questions were answered Friday afternoon, June 10, 2016 when he was picked in the fourth round by the Oakland A’s (Oakland Athletics). Skylar was not in New Jersey for the event, nor was he watching from home with friends and family. He was practicing with his high school teammates as they prepare for this year’s Semi-State contest. (Penn will take on the Zionsville Eagles at noon on Saturday, June 11, at the Kokomo Municipal Stadium.)

As anticipated, Szynski was taken in the early rounds, being the 6^th pick of the 4^th round, and the 112th draft pick overall. MLB commentators had this to say about the A’s recruit: “He has a quick arm and a strong frame…… consistent delivery of the fastball… great aptitude for the change-up.” They concluded, “There is little doubt he can make it as a starter in pro ball.”

Major League scouts have had eyes on Skylar (6-2, 207 lbs.) for a few years now. The right-hander pitched a perfect game, retiring 21 batters, while still a sophomore at Penn, and he has attracted attention ever since. With speed guns in hand, no less than 20 MLB scouts have attended games this season to record Skylar’s 95 MPH pitches and to observe his play as a right fielder. The 2016 season wrapped with a 10-game winning streak for Szynski and the Kingsmen, followed by strong post-season play.

In the preseason, Szynski was named to the 1st team senior preseason All American team. This list recognizes the top 50 seniors around the country as they enter their final season in their high school career. 

Szynski’s 2015 honors include pitching in the prestigious Area Code Games in California, the East Coast Pro showcase in Fla., and the Jupiter (Fla.) World Wood Bat Tournament. His 2016 honors include being named the Northern Indiana Conference MVP. Skylar, son of Brent and Robin Szynski of Granger, Indiana, is an Indiana University commit.  He has not made a decision yet abou the Oakland A’s or Indiana University. He has attended Penn-Harris-Madison Schools for his entire K-12 school career, including Horizon Elementary School and Discovery Middle School.

This highlight sheet includes Skylar’s stats and other facts about the outstanding Penn baseball program led by Head Coach Greg Dikos for the past 29 years. The program has garnered four State Championships to date (1994, 1998, 2001, 2015—with the 2016 title to be determined on June 18).

This year the Kingsmen offered player trading cards to their fans and boosters, and found that they were especially popular with younger P-H-M students playing in area youth leagues. Many youngsters had their cards signed by the ball players. Some day those Sklyar Szynski cards may be highly collectible! Click here to download your copy of Skylar’s card.