Jeff Reed has taught English at Penn High School for 29 years, but he still finds the time—or makes the time!—to write. His recent children’s picture book, Sea of Echoes, has just been released by Taylor Trade Publishing.

The picture book, beautifully illustrated by Ruthie Briggs-Greenberg, tells the story of Finn the fin back whale who navigates the dangerous whale hunting waters of Iceland while he guides and protects other orphan whales on their shared journey. The tale of course ends with survival, but the theme of peril and the threat of extinction are also portrayed.

This is Reed’s first published book, although he has been writing in various forms most of his life. Of this book he says, “When I first saw Ruthie’s paintings, it made me envision a collaboration with her which would be a return to those beautiful Victorian storybooks where the book itself is a work of art.”

One particularly engaging feature of the book are the poetic captions alongside the illustrations. Readers will find a beautiful painting with a thought-provoking message on each spread. 

When Reed and Greenberg decided to collaborate on the book their vision was to craft an emotional tale supported by passion and research. Ms. Greenberg says, “Our research uncovered the sophisticated cognitive abilities of whales, and their indispensable contribution to our eco-system.”

The adventure story includes a great deal of factual information on oceanic wildlife and has a companion study guide based on the Core Curriculum Standards and aimed at students grades K-5. Reed says of the support materials, which he also authored, “Elementary teachers can use this Common Core Curriculum study guide to teach students about literature, writing and speaking and listening skills through the story of Finn, Cea and the other orphan whales.” The book itself includes a glossary and comprehensive list of resources that will point youngsters who want to learn more in the right direction.

Reed started the work in August 2012, completing an initial version by August 2013. The 32-page glossy hardcover print edition was published in early November 2015 by Taylor Trade Publishing, an imprint of Globe Pequot / Rowan & Littlefield Publishing Group; consideration is being given to an electronic version.

To distinguish himself from authors with similar names, he is credited as J. Mac Reed in Sea of Echoes and Reed may continue to publish under that name. His next project is intended for an older audience and is well underway. It is a work of historical fiction, set in Europe in the dark ages.

Sea of Echoes is available through various outlets including Barnes & Noble (in stores and online) as well as Amazon.  When shopping at Amazon for this or any other item, keep in mind that your Amazon Smile purchase can support the P-H-M Education Foundation at no additional cost to you. 

Keely Twibell, principal of Prairie Vista Elementary School is in Washington, D.C. to attend events surrounding the National Blue Ribbon Schools award ceremony and accept the school’s award. Traveling with Ms. Twibell is third grade teacher Mrs. Cathi Gage, who was honored to make the trip and represent her colleagues at the ceremony. The National Blue Ribbon awards ceremony is conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, and all events and travel expenses are underwritten by the agency. The two days spent together (November 9 and 10) allows educators from high-performing schools time to share their experiences with each other and time for leaders at the Department of Education to seek their input on educational trends and policy.

Pictured above are Ms. Twibell (left) and Mrs. Gage (right) at the outset of their Day One itinerary. The National Blue Ribbon seal, like the one pictured here, will soon be hung in the Prairie Vista lobby for all to admire. The national award exemplifies P-H-M’s “Triangle of Success” and, as Ms. Twibell related in the narrative that accompanied the school’s application when submitted last March, the school’s success is credited to the combined efforts of students, teachers and parents. 

The story we published in September, Prairie Vista named 2015 National Blue Ribbon School, provides background on how the school qualified for the prestigious award—and how the students and staff celebrated in an all-school assembly when the award announcement was made. We invite you to read it again! 

Penn High School student-athlete Kamra Solomon was named the winner of the Indiana High School Athletic Association Mental Attitude Award on Saturday following the Class 2-A girls soccer state championship game in Indianapolis.
 

Solomon, a senior, is the 21st Penn High School student-athlete to win the IHSAA Mental Attitude Award.
 

“There is no greater individual award for a student-athlete than a mental attitude award,” Penn High School principal Steve Hope said. “We have pride in having a Penn student win a prestigious award that factors in academic achievement, sportsmanship and athletic accomplishment.”
 

Penn girls soccer coach Jeff Hart said that Solomon has been a difference-maker for the Kingsmen, who finished state runner-up this season. “We have a lot of special seniors, but obviously, Kamra stands out,” Hart said. “She stepped on our practice field as a freshman and was a starter from Day 1. Then, we named her a captain her sophomore year. For the first-time in school history, we had a three-year captain,” Hart recounted.
 

“Kamra continued to elevate her game throughout her career. She was a first-team all-state player as a junior. She’s just such a well-rounded, outstanding, young student-athlete who keeps things in perspective.” Hart said that Solomon carved out a lasting legacy as a leader. “Whether she’s trying to show leadership to a great young player, or a girl who isn’t getting much playing time on the JV, Kamra treats all kids the same, and kids respond to that type of student leadership,” Hart said. “We’re going to miss her a lot, as we’re going to miss all of our seniors, but she’s going to do great things in the future. She’s made a huge impact on our program.”
 

Solomon is the daughter of Anthony and Tracy Solomon. Anthony Solomon is an assistant basketball coach on the University of Notre Dame men’s basketball staff. Tracy Solomon is a former track star at the University of Virginia.
 

Kamra Solomon credited her parents for teaching her about leadership. “My mom has a really strong personality, so I’m really outspoken, but my Dad is the one who, says, ‘You have to stick up for yourself. If you want to be a leader, then you have to try to do what’s right, and people will follow.’”
 

Solomon said that she was grateful for the award: “It really means alot,” Solomon said. “It speaks to what my coaches and the administrators think of me. I tried to be a leader in this program, but really, my teammates have helped me. It was a team effort.”
 

PENN IHSAA MENTAL ATTITUDE AWARD WINNERS

1983-84, Football (4-A), Mark Plencner

1989-90, Football (5-A), Eric Kline

1992-93, Girls Cross Country, Jill Nace

1995-96, Football (5-A), Matt Geesman

1996-97, Football (5-A), Scott Becker

1997-98, Baseball (4-A), Blake Gaugler

1997-98, Football (5-A), Brad Monhaut

1999-00, Boys Soccer, Matthew Abbott

2000-01, Football (5-A), Justin Smith

2002-03, Girls Tennis, Lauren Woodward

2003-04, Girls Golf, Casey North

2003-04, Football (5-A), Wade Iams

2004-05, Girls Cross Country, Laura Carr

2005-06, Boys Tennis, Chris Jordan

2010-11, Girls Basketball (4-A), Ashley Lutz

2011-12, Girls Golf, Deanna Song

2011-12, Volleyball (4-A), Kaitlyn Hickey

2011-12, Football (5-A), Patrick Adkins

2014-15, Wrestling, Chase Osborn

2014-15, Baseball (Class 4-A), Tim Lira

2015-16, Girls Soccer (Class 2-A), Kamra Solomon

The State Board of Education on Oct. 28th set pass-fail benchmarks for last spring's ISTEP tests. The new benchmarks were approved by the State Board of Education last week. The state expects about 65% of students to pass the Language Arts section and approximately 59% to pass Math. In 2014, more than of Indiana’s students 80% passed those sections. ISTEP scores from spring 2015 still have not been released.

For more information, read the report from “IMPACT” on Oct. 28 or in the South Bend Tribune on Oct. 29. You can also visit the State Board of Education website at www.in.gov/sboe.

Penn High School’s National Honor Society inducted 63 new members to the organization during an induction ceremony on Wednesday, October 28.

South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg served as the guest speaker. He is pictured above (far right) with National Honor Society sponsor Maryellyn Knight, P-H-M superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker, and Penn students Erin Kramer and Spencer Kilmer. 

NHS is a service organization built upon the pillars of academic excellence, community service, character, and leadership.

“Penn High School embraces the virtues of the National Honor Society, and is proud to be a participating school,” Penn High School principal Steve Hope said. “The National Honor Society plays a vital role in the Penn High School culture. I would like to congratulate all of the newest inductees, and commend Penn’s National Honor Society sponsor Maryellyn Knight on her efforts.”

Penn junior Baker Nasser said that he appreciated Mayor Buttigieg sharing how the four pillars of NHS have made an impact in his life of service.

“The four values of NHS are very valuable to high school students,” Nasser said. “They really make a student think about what kind of things they can do, not only for themselves, but for the community, for the world. It shows them that it’s not always about trying to get the best score on a test or trying to do the most amount of tutoring, it’s about developing yourself and helping the people around you. These are values that I will carry with me throughout life.”

Penn’s National Honor Society provides tutoring to Penn students, as well as running the school’s recycling program. It also offers after-school homework and tutoring assistance at Penn and also at some of the Penn-Harris-Madison middle schools and elementary schools. National Honor Society members at Penn complete 40 hours of service work and at least six hours of tutoring each school year.

Among the service activities planned by NHS are a Thanksgiving food drive, and a winter gift collection effort for families in need. The NHS also has two blood drives a year. The next NHS blood drive is scheduled for Nov. 5 and 6 in Penn’s Center for Performing Arts lobby.

Knight has been the NHS sponsor the past seven years. Penn’s NHS currently has 131 members with Wednesday’s induction.

“The National Honor Society is an important presence, because we serve many students here at Penn through the tutoring program, and we help the environment by recycling all the classroom paper and plastic,” Knight said.

For the second time this season, the Penn High School Hoosier Spell Bowl team turned in perfect ’90’ scores from both its varsity and junior varsity as the Kingsmen won the Logansport Invitational on the night of Monday, October 26.
 

The perfect varsity score was the team’s fifth ’90’ of the season as the Kingsmen swept all seven invitationals which they entered.  The perfect varsity score was Penn’s 45th in history.
 

The final standings for the Logansport Invitational were:

1.)  Penn 90

2.)  Martinsville                                   78

3.)  Kouts                                            74

4.)  Indianapolis Pike                          72

5.)  East Noble                                    62

6.)  Plymouth                                      59

7.)  Logansport                                   49

8.) Marion  (Ind.)                                 29

9.)  Winamac                                      22

10.)  Lafayette Jeff                             14
 

Perfect varsity spellers for Penn were:  Michelle Tapp, Athreya Sundaram, Muqsit Buchh, Kanika Arora, Hannah McGinnness, Presto George, Maggie Finnessy, Hannah Smith, Faihaan Arif and Chris Yun.

Perfect junior varsity spellers for the Kingsmen were:  Chelsea Chen, Fezaan Kazi, Priya Chaudhary, Ali Sualeh, Yejee Oh, Tingyi Lu, Alice Kwak, Ahsan Suddiqui, Celine Wang and Amy Bernard.
 

Coach of the Kingsmen is Pete DeKever.
 

Next up for the Kingsmen is the regional meet on Monday, November 2, at Plymouth High School.
 

Submitted by Joe DeKever

The Girls Soccer Team celebrates their semi-state win. 

Now these student-athletes have their eyes on the prize! 

PENN FOOTBALL – The Kingsmen won the IHSAA Sectional Semi-Final game against the LaPorte Slicers, played at home on October 23.  The scoreboards on TCU Freed Field told the tale: Penn 49 / LaPorte 21.  For more on this story, read this South Bend Tribune coverage. 

• Next up for the Gold Rush, the Wild Bunch, and coach Cory Yeoman: Penn vs Chesterton in Sectional Championship game on Friday, October 30 @ Chesterton High School in Chesterton.  Kickoff is set for 7:30pm EDT/6:30pm  CST

PENN GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY – This squad placed 4th at the IHSAA Semi-State, in their best day of running so far this year!  The top six XC teams now advance, Penn among them. The South Bend Tribune covered the event. 

• Next up for coach Michael Clements and his runners: the State Championship meet on Saturday, October 31 @ LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute.  Race is scheduled to start at 1:45pm EDT

PENN GIRLS SOCCER – The girls won the IHSAA Semi-State and did it with two shut-outs.  First they ended Leo’s season with a 1-0 match, followed by a 3-0 win over Fishers, played in cold wet conditions. The South Bend Tribune provided this report.  

• Next for coach Jeff Hart’s highly motivated team: the State Championship match against Brebeuf, Saturday, October 31st  @ IUPUI A. Carroll Track and Soccer Stadium in Indianapolis. Game time is set for 3:30pm. EDT. 

Making room in the trophy case for more awards will not be a problem!  

Pictured above in front row (l-to-r) Trent Gidman (boys soccer), Jensen Stroinski (girls soccer), Danielle Frank (girls cross country), Julia Nafe (girls cross country), and Matt Evans (boys cross country), and back row (l-to-r) Penn High School principal Steve Hope, Thomas Gifford (boys tennis), Tim Porsche (boys tennis), Penn High School athletic director Aaron Leniski.

Penn High School is one of two schools in the state of Indiana with four teams competing in Indiana High School Athletic Association semi-state events this weekend (Oct. 23-25), as well as being represented in the IHSAA tennis individual state finals.

Penn’s boys and girls soccer teams each won regional championships last weekend, and the boys and girls cross country teams also qualified for berths at the semi-state level.  Doubles players Thomas Gifford and Tim Porsche will wear Kingsmen colors in the IHSAA individual tennis state finals this weekend.  Center Grove also has four teams in semi-state action this weekend, and has a tennis state finalist.

Penn’s girls golf team was also a state finalist earlier this season, placing 11^th. The Penn volleyball team begins sectional play at home on Saturday, Oct. 24 and Penn’s football team on Friday, October 23, also at home. 

“The Penn community is proud to be represented by dedicated student-athletes who have our athletic teams competing at the highest levels in the state,” Penn High School Principal Steve Hope said. “The outstanding work of the coaches, and the tremendous support of the parents, families and fans of Penn's student-athletes is greatly appreciated. 

“This weekend is just one example of Penn High School's commitment to academic and athletic excellence,” Hope said. “On behalf of Penn High School, I wish the best to all of our student-athletes as they represent our school.”

Penn athletic director Aaron Leniski expressed pride in the accomplishment by the Kingsmen Fall Sports teams.  “I am very proud and excited for these teams,” Leniski said. “This is a major accomplishment for each of these programs and a reflection of the hard work, dedication, and commitment put in by these student-athletes and our coaching staff since the completion of the 2014 season.   

“Penn High School is dedicated to striving for excellence in everything that we do, and our athletic programs seek to represent the P-H-M community to the highest degree,” Leniski continued. “I look forward to a great weekend witnessing outstanding teamwork and dynamic sportsmanship while facing fierce competition.  Go Kingsmen!”

BOYS TENNIS:  Thomas Gifford and Tim Porsche (17-3) play against Goshen’s Luke Rush and Logan Troyer (19-1) in the first round of the state finals on Friday at 2 p.m. on the Park Tudor courts in Indianapolis.

Gifford and Porsche won last week’s LaPorte Regional championship by defeating Andrean’s Evan Galindo and Jarron Tatum, 6-0, 6-0, and Westview’s Zach Schrock and Jeryl Weaver, 6-2, 6-1.

Gifford and Porsche were unbeaten in Northern Indiana Conference regular-season action (7-0), and won the NIC Tournament championship.

Eric Bowers is the Penn tennis coach.

State finals action is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, and 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24.

Penn has one state championship in boys tennis individual doubles. Thomas J. Snelson and Gautham Vaidyanathan won the state title in 2006.

A ticket for the tennis state finals is $5 per person.

GIRLS SOCCER:  Penn plays Leo in the South Bend St. Joseph Semi-state at noon on Saturday, Oct, 24. If the Kingsmen win, they play the Fishers-Munster winner at 7 p.m. Saturday night for a berth to the state championship game at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Carroll Stadium in Indianapolis.

Penn defeated arch-rival St. Joe, 1-0, last Saturday to win the Goshen Regional. It was the eighth regional championship in program history, and first since 2013.

Coach Jeff Hart’s Kingsmen are 19-0-2 and have racked up 15 shutouts. Penn has outscored its competition 21-0 in state-tournament play.

Five Penn players have already committed to play college soccer.

Sophomore Kristina Lynch has committed to defending national champion Florida State, sophomore goalie Mackenzie Wood has committed to Northwestern, senior Kamra Solomon has committed to Furman, senior Jensen Stroinski has committed to IPFW, and senior MacKenzie Mason has committed to Wittenberg.

Penn has two semi-state championships in girls soccer – 1996 and 2007. The Kingsmen are seeking their first state title in girls soccer.

Tickets for the semi-state are $7 for one session, or $10 for both sessions

BOYS SOCCER: Penn takes on Fort Wayne Canterbury at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, in the Warsaw Semi-state. If the Kingsmen win, they play the winner of the Lake Central-Harrison match at 7 p.m. on Saturday. At stake is a berth to the Class 2-A state championship game at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Carroll Stadium in Indianapolis.

Penn claimed the South Bend Regional championship with a thrilling 2-1 sudden-death victory against Elkhart Memorial. It was the fifth regional championship in program history, and first since 2009.

Penn has one state championship in boys soccer (1999), and one semi-state championship (1999).

Coach Josh Nakayama’s Kingsmen are on a 12-game winning streak. Penn suffered losses in its first three games of the season, and has roared back from the 0-3 start to take a 15-4 record into the semi-state.

Mac Smith leads the Kingsmen with 9 goals and eight assists.

Cost for a ticket to the semi-state is $7 for one session, and $10 for two sessions.

Penn’s all-Northern Indiana Conference selections were:

1st Team: Colorado Kruggel (senior) defender.

2nd Team: Noah Craig (senior) midfielder; Trent Gidman (senior) goalkeeper; Anderw Fulmer (junior) defender.

Honorable Mention: Mac Smith (senior) midfielder; Riley Smith (junior) midfielder.

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY: Penn’s Lauren Frank won the individual regional championship, and the Kingsmen qualified as a team for the semi-state with a second-place finish in the Elkhart Regional.

Coach Michael Clements’ Penn girls cross country team competes in the semi-state at the Plexx athletic complex in Fort Wayne on Saturday. The semi-state race is slated to start at 1:45 p.m.

Penn is seeking its first championships in girls cross country at the semi-state and state levels.

Admission to the semi-state is free.

Each of Penn’s seven runners earned all-NIC honors this season:

Lauren Frank – first team; Conference MVP, Individual NIC & Regional Champion.

Ellie Jankowski – first team all-NIC.

Emma Jankowski – first team all-NIC.

Sybil Kurian – second team all-NIC.

Lorena Daugherty – second team all-NIC.

Stella DiMarzio – second team all-NIC.

Danielle Frank – honorable mention all-NIC.

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY: Penn stunned Northridge by one point to win the Elkhart Regional championship and qualify for the semi-state. Penn finished with 61 points, and Northridge came in second with 62 points.

It was the 15^th regional championship in program history, and Penn’s second boys cross country regional title in a row.

Semi-state action at Fort Wayne’s Plexx athletic complex is set for 1 p.m on Saturday, Oct. 24.

Penn is seeking its first semi-state championship in boys cross country on Saturday. The Kingsmen are also pursuing their first state championship in boys cross country.

Sophomore Colton Shail led Penn’s regional championship effort by placing third in the race. Shail was named the Northern Indiana Conference MVP after placing first in the conference meet.

Admission to the semi-state is free.

Coach Tom Miller’s Kingsmen placed all seven runners on the all-NIC team:

Colton Shail – first team all-NIC and Conference MVP, Individual NIC Champion.

Matt Evans – second team all-NIC.

Chad Piatt – second team all-NIC.

Curtis Cornell – second team all-NIC.

Daniel Hardman – second team.

Nick Scheel – honorable mention.

Cameron Nagle – honorable mention.

The 2015 Superintendent’s Luncheon took place October 13 at Windsor Park. With the largest attendance ever (345 advance tickets were sold), the Superintendent’s Luncheon has become a popular event where teachers, parents, business leaders, elected officials and representatives from an array of community groups come together to get an update on the state of Penn-Harris-Madison schools from Dr. Jerry Thacker, the Superintendent himself. In this unique setting, members of the larger community engage with the educational community to learn more about P-H-M—its mission, the value to our region, and ways to support the district. 

The annual event is hosted by the P-H-M Education Foundation and supported by presenting sponsor, Teachers Credit Union.  This year’s Patron Sponsors included Crowe Horwath LLP, LL Low Associates and May Oberfell Lorber. WSBT-TV 22 morning news anchor and P-H-M parent Bob Montgomery served as emcee for the program.

The Kingsmen String Ensemble played as guests browsed the tabletop displays highlighting how PHMEF grant monies have been used in the past year. PHMEF Executive Director Mari Linn Wise noted that $80,154 was distributed in the 2014-2015 grant cycle, and more than $520,000 has been given toward innovative classroom projects in total.

The 2015-2016 school year marks Dr. Thacker’s tenth year as district superintendent. His vision of excellence in education has resulted in a true legacy of success that has benefited tens of thousands of P-H-M students. With seven 4-star Schools (Horizon, Mary Frank, Northpoint, Prairie Vista, Grissom, Discovery and Penn), P-H-M is ranked 4th highest in Indiana out of nearly 300 school districts. Dr. Thacker noted that P-H-M’s success is a team effort and applauded the contributions of other key district administrators, as well as noting the leadership of the school principals. For example, Penn High School now boasts a 97% graduation rate, a complete turnaround from its 79% graduation rate in 2007. Eight years ago, 33% of Penn students graduated with academic honors; last year 51% of students earned an academic honors diploma.

Dr. Thacker also took time to convey direction for the future with a focus on continued academic progress of all students, expanding online learning experiences, continuing to build a technology-rich learning environment, along with expansion of STEM and Early College programs.

Mr. Andrew Berlin, South Bend Cubs owner, followed Dr. Thacker as the featured speaker this year. As Chairman and CEO of Chicago-based Berlin Packaging, Mr. Berlin has worked hard to set a very high standard of product quality and customer service within the packaging industry.  He attributes much of that success to innovative practices and a focus on customer satisfaction, practices he’s put into place at the South Bend Cubs. The franchise set a set an all-time attendance record this past baseball season exceeding 300,000 fans for the first time in its history by drawing 348,000 fans.

Mr. Berlin noted that both the SB Cubs and P-H-M are meeting the needs of their customers and the community.

P-H-M Teacher of the Year Sheila Toth was also recognized at the luncheon. PHMEF honored her with the gift of $1,000 to be spent in her science classroom at Discovery Middle School.

Upcoming PHMEF events are the Foundation’s 20th Anniversary Gala that’s planned for April 23, 2016, followed by The Silver Mile extravaganza to be held on May 7, 2016.

Keep up with the Foundation’s events and news at www.phmef.org

Two Penn-Harris-Madison schools make the grade in national rankings of the nation’s top public schools … Northpoint Elementary came in at #27 of the 2015 list of “50 Best American Public Elementary Schools” by TheBestSchools.org and Discovery Middle school came in at #50 of “50 Best American Public Middle Schools.”

Northpoint was cited for its academic performance, the strength and richness of its programs, and for earning National Blue Ribbon School status in 2010. Other rankings for Northpoint include:

• “A+” grade by LocalSchoolDirectory.com
• a grade of 97 by City-data.com
• Rated 10 out of 10 by Education.com
• “A” grade by K12.Niche.com
• Ranked 4 out of 1014 schools with a 5 star rating by Schooldigger.com

Discovery is also an “A” rated school. Best Schools recognized Discovery for students participating in the Horizons STEM Conference, Academic Team Competitions, National Junior Honor Society and the Discovery Scholastic Art Competition. Other rankings for Discovery include:

• Ranked #4 in the state by SchoolDigger.com
• Rated 10 (on a scale of 10) by GreatSchools.com
• Rated 10 (on a scale of 10) by Education.com

Overall, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation is an “A-rated” school district from the Indiana Department of Education.

P-H-M performed in the top 5% of all Indiana districts on ISTEP+, with an overall passing rate of 91% in English/Language Arts and 93% in Math in 2014.

91% of P-H-M third graders passed the IREAD-3 proficiency exam on the first attempt, compared with 84% in the state overall.

P-H-M has seven Four Star schools, as named by the IDOE. They are: Horizon Elementary, Mary Frank Elementary, Prairie Vista Elementary, Northpoint Elementary, Discovery Middle, Grissom Middle, and Penn High School. Thirteen P-H-M schools earned an ‘A’ grade from the Indiana Department of Education.

Penn High School is again an elite 90-25-90 school. Penn’s performance far exceeds each of these three academic benchmarks, with a 97% graduation rate

On Sept. 29, 2015, Prairie Vista Elementary School was among the 335 schools awarded National Blue Ribbon School status for 2015. Prairie Vista was recognized as an “Exemplary High Performing School.”  This makes the second time that Prairie Vista has been named a Blue Ribbon school; the first award was given in 1996-97. And for the past seven years, the Indiana Department of Education has also recognized Prairie Vista as a Four Star School. Prairie Vista’s 2015 recognition makes the eighth time that a P-H-M school has received the National Blue Ribbon designation: Penn High School in 1994, 1995 and again in 2001; Discovery Middle School in 2006 and 2013; Northpoint Elementary School in 2010; and Prairie Vista received the award for the first time in 1996.