Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation is proud to recognize a group of outstanding educators whose work has led to exceptional student growth and achievement across multiple grade levels and subject areas. These teachers are being recognized for their measurable instructional impact and dedication to helping students succeed.

Penn High School

Keith O’Connell – AP U.S. History

Julie Huxford – AP Language and Composition

Keith O’Connell and Julie Huxford are being recognized for outstanding student performance in Advanced Placement coursework at Penn High School. Both teachers had the highest percentage of students earning a score of 3 or higher on their respective AP exams last year.Over the past three years, AP U.S. History results have improved from -1% to +8% compared to state averages, while AP Language and Composition results have increased from +11% to +18% when compared to state performance. The two educators also teach a Seminar class together, allowing students to benefit from their collaborative approach and shared expertise. Click here to read more.

Discovery Middle School

Patrick O’Malley – 8th Grade ELA 

Patrick O’Malley achieved the highest overall growth in two of his classes from ELA Checkpoint 1 to ELA Checkpoint 2, with an average growth of 67 scale points. This marked the highest growth among all 8th grade ELA classes. Click here to read more.

Grissom Middle School

Laura Plasschaert – 8th Grade Math

Laura Plasschaert demonstrated impressive growth in 8th grade Math, achieving a 49-point variance from Math Checkpoint 1 to Checkpoint 2. Click here to read more.

Schmucker Middle School

Nancy Ladson – Advanced 7th Grade

Nancy Ladson is being recognized for exceptional student growth in Advanced 7th Grade. From Checkpoint 1 to Checkpoint 2, her class achieved a gain of 145 scale points, one of the strongest gains observed during this assessment window. Click here to read more.

Elsie Rogers Elementary School

Krystle Mauro – Grade 3 Math

Krystle Mauro is being recognized for strong student growth in Math between Checkpoint 1 and Checkpoint 2. Using average class scale scores, her students demonstrated a gain of 52 scale points, reflecting meaningful progress and instructional impact. Click here to read more.

Mary Frank Elementary School

Rachel Kelleher – Grade 4

Rachel Kelleher achieved the highest overall growth in the district for both ELA and Math in 4th grade from Checkpoint 1 to Checkpoint 2. Her classes showed an 81-point variance in ELA and a 64-point variance in Math, demonstrating exceptional achievement across subjects.

Nicole Greene – Grade 4

Nicole Greene, who teams with Kelleher at Mary Frank, achieved the second highest overall growth for 4th grade ELA with a 65-point variance from Checkpoint 1 to Checkpoint 2. Click here to read more.

Horizon Elementary School

Natalie Hapke – Grade 1

Natalie Hapke achieved the highest growth in Grade 1 from Beginning of Year (BOY) to Middle of Year (MOY), with 55% growth. Click here to read more.

Elm Road Elementary School

Melissa Barnes – Kindergarten

Melissa Barnes achieved the highest growth in Kindergarten from Beginning of Year (BOY) to Middle of Year (MOY), also reaching 55% growth. Click here to read more.

P-H-M is proud to celebrate the dedication, innovation, and instructional excellence of these educators. Their work continues to support student achievement and reflects the district’s commitment to academic excellence for all learners.

Thank you to the P-H-M Education Foundation for covering the cost for the beautiful crystal awards which teachers can proudly display in their classrooms.

Click on the links to see past impact award winners: 2023, 2024, 2025. 

Click here to view the full Canto photo gallery.

Penn High School’s Class of 2026 has earned a record-high 15 National Merit Scholarship Finalists—placing those students among the top one percent of high school students nationwide! This milestone marks the most National Merit Finalists in Penn High School history and represents a significant academic achievement for the Penn-Harris-Madison community.

The 15 students include:

• Sreeja Bhattacharjee
• Mehreen Buchh
• Balthasar Cammett
• Madeline Dunn
• Connor Geoghegan
• Zachary Girton
• Quinn Hayden
• Wasif Javed
• Sultaan Khan
• Trenton Mager
• Ishita Masetty
• Leo Ni
• Joshua Oh
• Roman Ramos
• Grant Spadafore

Approximately 15,000 high school seniors nationwide have been named 2026 National Merit Scholarship Finalists, representing the top one percent of students in the United States. Selected from more than 16,000 Semifinalists announced in September 2025, finalists must complete a rigorous application process that includes confirming high PSAT/NMSQT performance with a qualifying SAT or ACT score, maintaining an outstanding academic record (generally a 3.5 GPA or higher), earning a high school recommendation, and submitting a self-descriptive essay. Of those finalists, approximately 6,930 students will ultimately receive National Merit Scholarships, with winners announced between April and July 2026. Click here for more details.

Penn High School Principal Rachel Fry commented on how the achievement reflects the dedication of students and the academic excellence Penn faculty provided … 

“I am incredibly proud to celebrate our 15 National Merit Scholarship Finalists, the most in our school’s history. Even more impressive, every one of our semi-finalists advanced to finalist standing, a testament to their dedication, perseverance, and academic excellence. This remarkable achievement reflects not only the talent and effort of these students, but also the commitment of our teachers, families, and school community who support them each day. It is an exciting accomplishment and I could not be more proud of this outstanding group of scholars.”

Penn-Harris-Madison is pleased to be able to offer enrollment to non-resident students on a limited basis for the 2026-27 school year.

Families living in neighboring school districts interested in having their elementary children attend a P-H-M elementary school can apply for that opportunity.

The window to apply for available non-resident seats will open Monday, March 2, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. and close on Friday, March 20, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. 

On March 2 at 8:30 a.m., P-H-M will post the schools, grades and number of seats available for the upcoming school year. Families must complete an online application between March 2 – 20.

The NRS application will be posted on www.phmschools.org/non-resident-student-enrollment/ on Monday, March 2, 2026 at 8:30 a.m.

There is no first-come, first-served advantage. 

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Friday, February 13

Click to register:

bit.ly/BooksandBots2026

Saturday, March 7, 2026   

9:15 a.m. – 11:25 a.m. 

Penn High School

for P-H-M students K – 5th grade

FREE! There is no cost for this event, but registration is required and limited.

Click here to register online today!

OPTIONAL T-SHIRT PURCHASE: If you would like to order a t-shirt, CLICK HERE to be taken to Time for Tees website to place your order. Please note, this is an OPTION and not required. 

Sponsored by the P-H-M Education Foundation, Young Authors’ Conference is an opportunity for P-H-M students in Kindergarten – 5th grade to meet and hear from well-known children’s author and speaker Jill Esbaum, participate in a variety of robotic explorations and engage in a dinosaur exploration activity. This is a FREE event thanks to the Foundation!

Jill Esbaum is the award-winning author of more than 65 children’s books, both fiction and nonfiction. A few recent titles include It’s Corn Picking Time!, Polecat Has a Superpower, and Bird Girl – How Gene Stratton Porter Shares Her Love of Nature with the World. Back in 2012 National Geographic Kids asked Jill to write a book featuring the Angry Birds and dinosaurs titled Angry Birds Playground: Dinosaurs, which gave her Dino Fever. Her dinosaur books since then include If a T. Rex Crashes Your Birthday Party, How to Grow a Dinosaur, and a three-book graphic early reader series, Thunder & Cluck. Jill lives on a family farm near Davenport. 

As part of the morning activities, students will participate in three rotations: one session with author Jill Esbaum, one dinosaur exploration session thanks to the Indiana Dinosaur Museum, and one session where students will enjoy the hands-on exploration of technology with Sphero Bots, Dot and Dosh, Bee Bots, Ozobots and more! Our amazing P-H-M teachers and volunteers will guide students and their parents through the interactive session guiding them on how develop a character and create their own puppet.

At least one parent or guardian must accompany the student(s)!  If more than one child is registering for Books and Bots, the family will stay together so only one adult is needed. Siblings YOUNGER than kindergarten may not accompany adults. This experience is for your young author(s) and the parent/guardian.

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

COST: Free!

QUESTIONS: If you have any questions, please contact Candace Cussen at ccussen@phm.k12.in.us.

Click here to register online today!

This registration opportunity is for families who

1. Live within the P-H-M district AND
2. Have students who will be five-years-old on or before September 1, 2026.

Registration will take place at the schools during the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in most cases. The offices at Elsie Rogers Elementary School and Moran Elementary School will take registrations from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. A parent or guardian must appear in person to register their child. 

Click here for more registration forms and more details on P-H-M Kindergarten Registration.

Penn-Harris-Madison also operates two preschool programs: Early Learning Academy (ELA) and Penn PALS. 

ELA registration for the 2026-27 school year also opens Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. Click here to learn more about ELA.

Penn PALS registration for the 2026-27 school year has not opened yet.

If you are a not a P-H-M resident and you are interested in enrolling your kindergartner, please click here for more information on our non-resident lottery.

On Wednesday, January 14, members of the P-H-M Board of School Trustees, P-H-M and Penn High School administrators and coaches, P-H-M Education Foundation Board Members, community partners, student-athletes, guests and members of the media gathered to officially open the 80,000-square-foot multi-use student facility (click here to see a brochure with specs & details). It was also a time to honor retired, long-serving Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker and his wife Donna Thacker. 

Click to see a full photo gallery of all the pictures from the event.

Built for P-H-M Students

The Fieldhouse will serve Penn High School students across athletic programs, academic, and extracurricular programs, including marching band, color guard, and robotics events (elementary, middle and high school). Academic use of the facility will include physical education classes and secure large-scale assessments, for example PSAT, SAT, and AP testing.

In addition, the Fieldhouse will support P-H-M middle school students through Future Kingsmen Athletics and Marching Band, helping students build both athletic and fine arts skills while safely preparing for the next level at Penn High School.

“The Fieldhouse is about investing in students and the experiences that help them grow,” said Superintendent Dr. Heather Short. “From academics to athletics and the arts, it will support learning and opportunity across our district for generations.”

The Fieldhouse will be open for student use beginning Tuesday, January 20th.

A Community Investment—Without Raising Tax Rate

The Fieldhouse project was identified as a priority in P-H-M’s 2022 District Master Facilities Plan and was completed without raising tax rates for residents of Penn, Harris, and Madison Townships. P-H-M continues to maintain one of the lowest tax rates in St. Joseph County while delivering strong academic outcomes. The groundbreaking for the project was May 2024 (click here for those details). 

Click to watch the video below that includes time lapse video of the project–start to finish–and highlights from the ceremony.

The total project cost is $18 million, reflecting the district’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and long-range planning.

“This Fieldhouse is the result of years of thoughtful, long-range planning and sound fiscal stewardship by the Board,” said P-H-M Board of School Trustees President Chris Riley. “By following our District Master Facilities Plan, we were able to make a meaningful investment in students while maintaining one of the lowest tax rates in St. Joseph County and without increasing the tax burden on our community.”

Designed for Versatility and Excellence

Located just off McKinley Highway, the 80,000-square-foot Dr. Jerry and Donna Thacker Fieldhouse expands Penn’s campus and provides much-needed indoor space to support year-round student programming across academics, athletics, and extracurricular activities.

“The design of this Fieldhouse reflects thoughtful planning around flexibility, safety, and long-term use,” said P-H-M Chief Operating Officer Dr. Sean Galiher. “Every element, from academic and training spaces to event amenities, was intentionally designed to support students, staff, and large-scale programming.”

The multi-use facility includes indoor space for these athletic teams:

*Track and Field: six-lane, 200-meter indoor track, pole vault, long jump, high jump, and shot put areas

*Indoor Hitting: Drop-down batting nets for baseball and softball indoor hitting practices

*Wood courts: two multi-purpose courts for basketball, volleyball

“The Fieldhouse gives Penn student-athletes a first-class, year-round training environment,” said Jeff Hart, Penn Athletic Director. “From indoor track and field to court sports and speed and agility training, this facility allows our programs to practice, compete, and prepare regardless of weather—supporting performance, safety, and student development.”

Beyond athletics, the Fieldhouse will accommodate marching band rehearsals, smaller scale robotics events, school dances, and other large student gatherings, further expanding opportunities for student engagement and districtwide events.

Additional amenities include four locker rooms, two classroom/conference spaces, a student commons area, a physical trainer and rehabilitation space, equipment storage, an observation hallway serving the second floor, a concession stand, security office, event parking, and future bleacher seating for more than 800 spectators.

“This Fieldhouse is truly a space for all Penn students, expanding opportunities for connection, creativity, and school pride,” commented Penn High School Principal Rachel Fry. 

Honoring a Legacy of Leadership and Giving

The Ribbon Cutting will commemorate that the Fieldhouse has been named in honor of retired P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker and his wife Donna Thacker, recognizing their decades of leadership, service, and philanthropic support of Penn-Harris-Madison schools and the P-H-M Education Foundation (PHMEF).

Dr. Thacker served as P-H-M’s Superintendent from 2006 to 2025. Under Dr. Thacker’s leadership, P-H-M became one of Indiana’s top school districts with the schools, students, teachers, and staff achieving countless recognitions, at the state, national and international level (click here for more background information on Dr. Thacker’s tenure).

“This Fieldhouse is an investment in students today and in the future of our district,” said Jennifer Turnblom, PHMEF Executive Director. “The Naming Rights Campaign directly benefits the Foundation’s endowment which in turn provides classroom grants for P-H-M teachers benefiting generations of students for years to come.”

Under the PHMEF Naming Rights Campaign structure, 80 percent of naming rights donations are placed into the Foundation’s endowment to support long-term student programs, while 20 percent directly funds professional development for P-H-M teachers.

Longtime PHMEF donors and supporters Gary and Tammy Fox donated $10,000 to the PHMEF Naming Rights Campaign to have the fieldhouse honor Dr. Jerry and Donna Thacker. Gary Fox served on the P-H-M Board of School Trustees with Dr. Thacker as the Superintendent from 2001-2020 before stepping down. He was re-elected to Harris Township, Seat 4 in November 2024. 

“Dr. Thacker’s leadership helped shape P-H-M into one of Indiana’s premier school districts,” said Gary Fox. “Naming the Fieldhouse in honor of Jerry and Donna Thacker recognizes a legacy rooted in student success, community partnership, and long-term vision.”

During his time as Superintendent, Dr. Thacker and his wife contributed $300,000 in lifetime donations to the Foundation.

“It has been our greatest joy to watch generations of P-H-M students learn, grow, and benefit from the opportunities a quality education provides,” said Jerry Thacker and Donna Thacker. “We are deeply honored to have the Fieldhouse named in our honor, and we hope it becomes a place where students continue to discover their potential for generations to come.”

Project Partners

Construction of the Fieldhouse was completed by R. Yoder Construction Inc., with architectural design by Fanning Howey, a longtime P-H-M partner with more than 40 years of service to the district. Structural engineering was done by Magnus Engineering. Civil Engineering by Danch, Harner & Associates Inc.

In 2024, Penn High School Robotics Coach Kyle Marsh and students came up with an idea on how to help students with ADHD, on the Autism Spectrum, or who just need help concentrating at school. Their idea was to use 3D printers to create and produce fidget tools for students. The key to making these tools more accessible and quickly available to the elementary students who needed them was to put a 3D printer at all 11 of P-H-M’s elementary schools.

Fortunately, P-H-M teachers and staff members can apply for classroom grants  through the P-H-M Education Foundation to pay for innovative ideas like this. Marsh was awarded a $5,000 grant to bring his idea to fruition. Penn High School students also benefit on this project because Marsh’s Robotics students not only install the 3D printers at the elementary schools, but they also help Marsh manage the project.

This inspiring story was recently featured on WSBT “Operation Education” highlighting the program in action at Elsie Rogers Elementary School where Marsh’s son Cooper attends third grade. Elsie Rogers was highlighted as of P-H-M’s 11 elementary schools with the 3D printers. Click to watch the story below on WSBT’s YouTube channel.

Keep up with all Penn-Harris-Madison news on our social media accounts as we cover #PHMExcellence in our 15 schools:

 Penn Harris Madison Schools

 @phmschoolcorp

  Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation

At the Monday, November 10, 2025, Board of School Trustees meeting, the Penn-Harris-Madison Board formally approved the 2025–26 teachers’ agreement between the district and the P-H-M Teachers Association. Click here to review it.

“P-H-M is a premier, high-performing school district because of our educators and the academic excellence they provide,” said Superintendent Dr. Heather Short. “This agreement reflects our continued commitment to attract and retain the best teachers for our students and to invest in the people who make our schools thrive.”

Developed through a collaborative process between P-H-M Administration and the P-H-M Teachers Association, the agreement provides an overall base salary increase of approximately 3.45% for teachers. 

The starting salary for new teachers will now be $50,000 (up from $48,370), with the maximum salary increasing to $86,777 (up from $84,204). The salary adjustments are retroactive to July 1, 2025, and extend through June 30, 2026.

Additional highlights of the agreement include:

• A one-time $650 stipend for eligible teachers rated Effective or Highly Effective who served at least 120 school days during the 2024–25 school year.
• A 2% increase in stipends for teachers who coach or lead extracurricular activities, retroactive to the start of the school year.
• A $250 base salary increase for teachers who have earned their Early Literacy Endorsement.

The Board also approved a 3.45% pay increase for classified and administrative employee work groups. 

Employee contributions for the medical insurance premiums will increase a marginal 3%. PHM is moving from a 2-tier to a 4-tier medical plan through our current carrier Anthem. P-H-M will join Anthem’s HealthSync network, offering additional savings to members. The corporation will also provide matching funds for those who choose health insurance Plan “C” in the amount of $600 for Single and $1,200 for the other tiers.