To help kick off National Appreciation Week, P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker surprised two very special teachers on Monday, May 2 to notify them that they had been chosen as year’s P-H-M 2022 Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year. 

Monday afternoon, Dr. Thacker stopped by Penn High School to surprise Art Teacher Mrs. Becky Hope to award her with the honor of PHM Secondary Teacher of the Year. Earlier in the morning, Dr. Thacker surprised Elsie Rogers Elementary School 4th grade teacher Mrs. Amanda Fox to inform her that she had been named Elementary Teacher of the Year. Click here to read that story.

Mrs. Hope knew something was up as soon as she opened the door to her classroom, then everyone yelled out “SURPRISE!” Mrs. Hope was so happy and touched to see her normal small quiet room full with ceramic students, fellow art teachers, Penn & PHM administrators, Superintendent Dr. Thacker and her husband, Dr. Steve Hope. In classic Mrs. Hope style–positive and funny–she quipped back “I’m guessing everyone’s here to celebrate my 25th birthday!” Watch the video below to see more of the surprise and then click here to look through the photo gallery on Penn’s website.

Her friendly and energetic personality is what Mrs. Hope is known for. People are drawn to her. She's an art teacher, comedian, colleague and mentor and loved by everyone she meets and teaches.

“She is one of the most positive, creative, and supportive people that I’ve ever worked with. She is loved by her students and coworkers alike. I can’t think of anyone else more deserving of this honor,” said fellow Penn Art teacher and nominator Ms. Barb Miller.

Mrs. Hope is the PLC Leader for Penn’s Visual Arts Department, teaches AP Studio Art class, manages the Senior Showcase, sponsor’s student Art Club. Mrs. Hope has also helped establish, run and expand P-H-M’s elementary summer Visual Arts Academy. 

“I am proud of the Visual Arts Academy which provides an opportunity for our youngest artists and P-H-M students to be creators, listeners, questioners, and writers about art,” said Mrs. Hope. “I feel fortunate every day to work with students who are willing to be challenged, to explore and investigate. … Also I am thankful for all of the fellow teachers who provide inspiration and support for all the young learners in our classrooms.”

The Visual Arts Academy partners with the University of Notre Dame‘s Snite Art Museum to share museum art pieces that students can study and use as an inspiration for creating their own art pieces and writing projects. This year the Visual Arts Academy is being offered the second, third and fourth weeks of July (click if you’d like to sign your child up for this summer’s sessions). 

The Academy has also made it possible for the high school students volunteers to participate in Notre Dame’s Apprentice Program. Mrs. Hope encourages her students to get experience displaying and selling their artwork at such events as South Bend’s Art Beat and the P-H-M Education Foundation’s Penn Student Art show at Granger’s Max Black Fine Arts Studio. She also lends her guidance and talents for numerous activities and charitable events, including making decorations and selfie stations for Exceptional Education’s annual student dances. 

Penn High School has once again been ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the nation's best high schools. Penn ranks 1st in the South Bend area, 20th in Indiana, and #1,486 in the national rankings (out of nearly 18,000 high schools nationwide). This puts Penn in the top 8% of the nation's best high schools for 2022!

Penn’s other points of distinction noted by the prestigious national magazine ranking, students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement course work and exam. At least 41% of Penn students enrolled in AP took at least one test, and 31% of those passed at least one AP exam.

The rankings are based on data collected for the 2020-2021, 2019-2020 and 2018-2019 academic years, detailed school-specific information on enrollment, graduation rates, student body demographics, location, school type, and results of state assessments as well as Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests. Click here to read more about the methodology.

Indiana high school students typically follow the Core 40 curriculum, which includes required classes in English Language Arts, math, Social Studies and Science, among others. Students who fulfill additional requirements can earn a diploma with academic or technical honors. Penn has a 97% graduation rate with approximately 78% of students in 2019 enrolled in AP, Dual Credit, and Industry certification classes.

For the 2021-2022 school year, Penn maintained the 97% graduation rate and about 76% of students in 2019 enrolled in AP, Dual Credit, and Industry certification classes. 

Class of 2022 included these points of distinction:

• @800 graduates earned more than $11 million in scholarships and county
• 17 valedictorians and 5 salutatorians

• 10 students have named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists, 11 were named Finalists

• 9 students were named Commended Scholars

• Valedictorian Matthew Zhang semifinalist for the 2022 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, one of only 620 nationally

• Valedictorian Hala Ansari selected as a 2022 Indiana Academic All-Star, one of only 40 students across our state to be honored

• All 4 students awarded the Community Foundation of Saint Joseph County Eli Lilly Endowment Scholarship were Penn students/valedictorians: Hala Ansari, Manaal Buchh, Salem Fitwi and Luca Nijim

The Academies at Penn High School provide the framework for student success. Through their work in each academy, students find relevant and meaningful coursework taught in a supportive environment where each student is known well by his teachers and peers. Through these “smaller learning communities,” students build relationships while engaged in relevant learning experiences.

Early College Academy was endorsed in 2019 as an “Early College High School” by The Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL) at the University of Indianapolis. In 2022, the Academy was re-endorsed as an exemplar for other high schools across Indiana implementing an Early College program. The 8 EC Core Principles (as outlined by CELL) are: 

1. Targeted Student Population
2. Curriculum & Plan of Study
3. College-Going Culture
4. Rigorous Instruction
5. Supports for Student Success
6. Collaboration & Partnerships
7. Leadership & Staffing
8. Data Collection, Analysis, and Use

Penn is a Four Star School earning the Project Lead the Way Distinguished High School distinction for 2021-22 school year, and in 2016 the STEM Academy was certified as a Full STEM Certified Program by the Indiana Department of Education. 

Click to see the full list of Indiana High Schools as ranked by US News & World Report in 2021. 

St. Joseph Health System will host a vaccine clinic this Thursday, April 14th at Schmucker Middle School from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.

To help reduce wait time, they can pre-register at www.ourshot.gov for an appointment time and they will get to bypass any walk-ins – but walk-ins are always welcome!

Click here for more information.

The information below was shared via email with P-H-M staff and families the afternoon of Feb. 25, 2022.

The CDC announced a short time ago that it will no longer require the wearing of masks on buses or vans operated by public or private school systems, including early care and education/child care programs.

Effective February 25, 2022, CDC is exercising its enforcement discretion to not require that people wear masks on buses or vans operated by public or private school systems, including early care and education/child care programs. CDC is making this change to  align with updated guidance that no longer recommends universal indoor mask wearing in K-12 schools and early education settings in areas with a low or medium COVID-19 Community Level. School systems at their discretion may choose to require that people wear masks on buses or vans. Click here to read the full update.

Therefore, P-H-M will no longer require masking on our buses and vans.

The changes were part of the CDC's overall updated guidelines for masking. Click here to read the new guidelines.
 

The email below was shared with P-H-M staff and families the evening of Feb. 17, 2022.

Dear P-H-M Families,

The past few days have been full of changes, as things with COVID have been from the very beginning.

Monday the P-H-M Board of School Trustees voted to go mask optional. I shared with you on Tuesday that per the Indiana Department of Health guidelines contact tracing and conditional masking would continue. 

Today, I’m sharing with you that the IDOH held a webinar for schools regarding COVID protocols that can be removed starting Wednesday, February 23. Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box stated schools that have already begun the transition and are able to implement optional masking and other changes can do so immediately and do not have to wait until Feb. 23rd.

When P-H-M students and staff return to school, the procedures listed below will be followed per the IDOH recommendations made today:

• Schools are no longer required to contact trace or quarantine.
• If schools are made aware of a positive case, notification is no longer required to staff and families.
• Schools do not need to report any COVID-19 case information to IDOH; both the Indiana and School dashboards will be discontinued. The P-H-M COVID Positive Dashboard will also soon be discontinued.
• Schools should continue to isolate positive individuals for at least 5 days per CDC. 
• Schools should notify their local health department and distribute exposure notification when there is a cluster of positive COVID-19 cases or an outbreak. 
• Schools should notify their local health department when absenteeism reaches 10% for COVID-like illness or when schools are concerned about the level of illness.
• If an individual tests positive, they should stay home and isolate from others for at least 5 full days.
  • People who are in isolation may return to school on day 6 as long as they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications and symptoms have improved.
  • They should wear a mask when around others at home, in public and at school for days 6-10.
• A negative test or doctor’s note is no longer required to return to school. 

As a result, we have also updated our Health & Safety Plan. We are asking all staff and families to please review the updated plan and familiarize yourself with the changes. Many mitigation safety measures will remain in place such as increased ventilation, promotion of hand hygiene, sanitation and increased cleaning.

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.

Sincerely,
Dr. Jerry Thacker, Superintendent of Schools

This letter was shared with P-H-M staff and families via email the afternoon of Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Good Afternoon P-H-M Families,

Some of you may be aware that at last night’s Board of School Trustees meeting, the Trustees unanimously voted for Penn-Harris-Madison schools to go mask optional starting Thursday, February 17, 2022.

The Trustees made this decision based on several factors:

• P-H-M has made vaccinations available to all staff members and students (5 and up).
• P-H-M’s layered COVID mitigation strategies outlined in the “Health and Safety Overview Plan” have worked to contain and minimize the spread of COVID in our schools.
• P-H-M’s positive COVID cases have been steadily declining for the past two weeks. Click to view P-H-M’s COVID-19 Positive Dashboard for the past 10 days.
• Locally, St. Joseph County cases are on the decline. Click to view St. Joseph County COVID-19 Data Summary on the Health Department website.
• Statewide, COVID cases are going down. Click to view Indiana’s COVID case data on the Indiana Department of Health website.

The Board and Administration realize that there are many families that have immune compromised members and that there are some staff and students that may elect to still wear their masks. The School Trustees support that decision and encourage anyone that still chooses to wear a face covering to do so.

Please note that it is still a federal requirement that everyone (staff and students) must wear a mask while riding on a school bus (even if fully vaccinated); this federal mandate is set to expire March 18, 2022. That means that students who are transported to and from school or for any other purpose must have a mask with them and wear it for the entire bus ride. Bus drivers do keep a small supply on buses in case a student forgets one, but please make sure your child has one.

Now that P-H-M will be mask optional, the district is required per the IDOH to have students who either test COVID positive or are symptomatic close contacts and they are not fully vaccinated (or previously had COVID in the past 90 days), they will be required to quarantine per the IDOH Guidelines for schools without a mask requirement (click here to read).
 

School principals and staff will need to contact trace when they are notified of a positive case so that safety measures can be followed.

Along with last night’s vote, the Board of School Trustees also requested that principals work to eventually allow visitors back into the buildings and to resume planning for student field trips, as school buses are available. For a full summary listing of things that will be reintroduced, please click here. It can also be found on page 4 of the Health and Safety Overview Plan.

We are asking for families to please be patient as there are a lot of logistics and details that our principals need to work out with our Custodians and Facilities crews, this includes removing barriers in the lunch rooms. We also request parents understand that there will not be an instant restart of school field trips, as there are a limited number of bus drivers available to drive during the school day.
 

Please expect that principals will share more details and outline of a plan to resume many school pre-pandemic practices (as listed on the P-H-M Updated COVID plan). While the initial emails may not contain all details to all questions, information will be forthcoming. Principals will reach out to parents tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 16.

Thank you for your continued support of our teachers and staff as they work to provide the safest and best learning environment for your children.
 

Sincerely,
Dr. Jerry Thacker
Superintendent of Schools
Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation

Mark your 2022 calendars for P-H-M’s Young Authors’ Conference:

Saturday, March 5

8:30 – 11:00 a.m.

Schmucker Middle School

P-H-M Elementary students, grades K-5

Registration Fee: $5 per child

Online registration is at phm.revtrak.net. The deadline for registration is Friday, February 18, 2022.

The Young Authors’ Conference is for P-H-M students in grades K-5. The event, sponsored by Corporations for Education, a division of the P-H-M Education Foundation, provides an opportunity for students and their parents to meet and hear from a well-known children’s authors. Click here to view the photo gallery of the 2019 event.

This year students and their parents will meet and hear from well-known children’s author, teacher, and speaker, Gabrielle Balkan. Mrs. Balkan is best known for non-fiction books that delight readers ages 3-12 with curious and essential facts about the United States, animal record-breakers, and ground-breaking artists. Mrs. Balkan will share her experiences as a writer and illustrator during her engaging, grade-level  presentations.

Participants and parents will also enjoy an interactive, up-close animal experience from the Potawatomi Zoo staff.   As part of the morning activities, students will share their own writing piece in small, adult-led group sessions with students from other P-H-M elementary schools. While students are meeting with their peers, parents will join P-H-M Teacher and writing expert, Mary Nicolini, as she explores how writing can be a method for remembering and preserving events using real-life stories, drawings, and photographs. Elementary student attendees will also work in small adult-led breakout sessions sharing their own writing pieces with other P-H-M students.

COST: The registration fee of $5.00 per child is used for conference expenses. There is no cost for the parent. One parent only must accompany students!  However, keep in mind that students and parents will separate for a portion of the day.  YOUNGER siblings may not accompany adults. This experience is for your young author and parent.

REGISTRATION: Online registration will be available at phm.revtrak.net. If you don’t have a P-H-M Revtrak account, you will need to create one. There is a fee for using this service. The deadline for registration will be Friday, February 18.

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

QUESTIONS: If you have any questions, please contact Lindsay Schirripa at lschirripa@phm.k12.in.us.

Discovery 

Tuesday, Feb. 22 and Wednesday, Feb. 23

4:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Schmucker 

Monday, Feb. 28 and Tuesday, March 1

4:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Grissom 

Monday, March 14 and Tuesday, March 15

4:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation is nationally recognized as one of the “Best Communities for Music Education” offering choir, band and orchestra at Schmucker, Discovery and Grissom Middle Schools.

Every P-H-M 5th grader who will be attending a P-H-M middle school as an incoming 6th grader in the Fall 2022 has the opportunity to join an instrumental music class, which includes either band or orchestra. “Instrument Selection Night” is when students and families get to make their choice!

At “Instrument Selection Night,” a music professional will be available to give students advice about which instrument may be best suited for them. They will be allowed to “try out” instruments from various instrument groups. Click here to download, view and print more information on Instrument Selection Night.

In order to join 6th grade band or orchestra, students must select an instrument that they will learn, practice and perform for the school year.  Click this link to sign-up for your appointment at your designated school and date. 

As part of the P-H-M Education Foundation naming rights campaign, Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Thacker have generously donated $25,000 to the Education Foundation to have the Kingsmen Athletic Center at TCU Freed Field named after Penn’s legendary championship coach, Chris Geesman, renaming the facility the Chris Geesman Kingsmen Athletic Center.

The donation commitment is $25,000, which will be paid at a rate of $5,000 per year over five years. The naming rights will last for 12 years.

The Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees voted to approve the sponsorship agreement Monday, Dec. 13, Board meeting.

“Donna and I are truly honored to have the Kingsmen Athletic Center named after this legendary coach who guided the Kingsmen to five state championships and three state runners-up,” said Dr. Thacker.

Geesman, a Hall of Famer coach, came to Penn 1973. The previous season, Penn had a 0-10 record. In Geesman’s first season, the Kingsmen posted a 5-5 record. Geesman led Penn to 309 wins, and the Kingsmen never had a losing season during the span of his 30-year career as head coach of the Kingsmen. Geesman coached the Kingsmen through 2002.

Penn’s Geesman Athletic Center is a 13,264 square-foot facility that was completed in October, 2018. It houses three locker rooms to be rotated during the Fall and Spring sports seasons: Football (Varsity, JV and Freshmen), Track & Field (Boys & Girls) and Girls Lacrosse. All three locker room areas have adjacent coaching staff office space and an on-site training room, giving Penn athletic trainers access to equipment and medical treatment supplies. Click here to read more details about the Athletic Center when it first opened.

Dr. and Mrs. Thacker’s donation to name the Athletic Center after the storied head coach was a natural decision, said Dr. Thacker. “It’s only fitting that a facility built to provide Penn student-athletes with the best on field playing experience be named after the coach that led Kingsmen Football to so many wins.”

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. PHMEF supports education through awarding innovative teaching grants, scholarships to students, staff development and other corporation-wide initiatives.

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

“Our goal is to provide our students with an outstanding education to prepare them for college and career success,” said P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Thacker. “We do this by making sure our students are receiving the best education possible from the best educators. P-H-M’s ‘Triangle of Success’ is built upon students, teachers and parents. Community partners are vital to sustaining P-H-M excellence in education.”

Dr. Thacker has been superintendent of Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation since 2006 and has supported the Education Foundation wholeheartedly. Over the course of 15 years, Dr. and Mrs. Thacker have donated $192,500 to the P-H-M Education Foundation, including this most recent donation of the naming rights. Most of this money has either been unrestricted donations or used as matching funds for fundraising initiatives. This is the first time they have made a donation to the naming rights campaign.

“The Foundation Board and I are so appreciative of Dr. and Mrs. Thacker’s generosity through the years,” said Jennifer Turnblom, Executive Director of the P-H-M Education Foundation. “Their unwavering support has been a tremendous help to us fulfilling our mission. The Thacker’s donations alone have made it possible for the Foundation to fund approximately 20% more classroom grants, activities and programs possible for the students of all P-H-M’s 15 schools. Their impact has been nothing less than incredible!”

At the start of the 2022-2023 football season, a ceremony will be held at TCU Freed Field with Coach Geesman and his family.

About Penn Athletics
Penn boasts 21 IHSAA team state championships and 26 Penn student-athletes have been named winners of the IHSAA mental-attitude award. Penn Athletic Teams earned a remarkable seven Sectional Championships in the eight sports offered by the IHSAA in the 2021 Fall Sports season.

About P-H-M Education Foundation
In pursuit of excellence in education, the P-H-M Education Foundation has partnered with P-H-M School Corporation to grow the Foundation’s endowment in order to provide permanent additional funding of programs for outstanding students and teachers.

Naming rights is a 12-year partnership, payable over five years, that highlights a commitment to excellence in P-H-M. Signage will include name and/or company logo that will be associated with a specific property or program within the Corporation.

We invite you to be a part of a large and diverse group of individuals, professionals, and companies who support excellence in education. For more information, click here or please contact Executive Director Jennifer Turnblom at jturnblom@phmef.org. 

Ready to look ahead?  You can add these 2022-2023 dates to your family’s calendar now! 

Click to view and download the one-page 2022-2023 School Year calendar.

IMPORTANT DATES FOR 20122-2023

• First day of school – Wednesday, August 17, 2022
• Labor Day Recess/No School – Monday, September 5
• Fall Recess Days/No School – Friday, October 21 and Monday, October 24
• Election Day/No School – Tuesday, November 8
• Thanksgiving Day Recess/No School – Wednesday, November 23, Thursday, November 24 and Friday, November 25
• Winter Break/No School – Friday, December 23, 2022  – Friday, January 6, 2023
• School Resumes following Winter Break – Monday, January 9, 2023
• Martin Luther King Jr. Recess Day/No School – Monday, January 16
• Presidents’ Day/No School – Monday, February 20
• Spring Break/No School – Monday, April 3 – Friday, April 7
• Election Day/No School – Tuesday, May 2
• Memorial Day Recess Day/No School – Monday, May 29
• Last Day of School for Students – Thursday, June 1

   

Remember to check the online version of the district calendar located on our home page throughout the year for updated information and more event details. As dates for school events are determined, they will be posted to the online Google calendar that is displayed on each school’s website. You can easily visit the school websites by clicking on SCHOOLS in the menu bar at the top of this page.