Penn High School was honored to serve as one stop on Congresswoman Jackie Walorski’s (R-IN 2nd District) Fall 2015 Education Tour. Indiana’s 2nd District congresswoman had recently announced plans to visit a number of northern Indiana schools to view programs and talk with staff and students about educational priorities.
Walorksi visited Penn High on Wednesday morning, September 2. Superintendent Jerry Thacker was joined by Board of School Trustee member Randy Leliaert, Associate Superintendent Dr. Denise Seger and Director of Professional Development Heather Short. Penn Principal Steve Hope led Rep. Walorski on a tour of Penn High School explaining Penn’s Academies, specifically highlighting the Health and Human Services Academy.
Penn’s Health and Human Services Academy is just one of the school’s four specialized academies aimed at college and career readiness. The other three are STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), Fine Arts & Communications, and Management & Business. In addition to these, the Freshman Academy offers students a cohesive first-year experience and the Early College Academy offers a dual credit Associate Degree program.
Health and Human Services Academy Leader Sarah Hickle took Walorski into Courtney Lannen’s Project Lead the Way-Principles of Biomedical Sciences class, where the Congresswoman talked to students studying forensic science. Walorski told the students about a forensic scientist from Indiana that she met while on a recent tour of Afghanistan. The scientist was working to identify shrapnel pieces that would help convict bombers that target U.S. troops. Walorski then observed Penn’s problem solving learning model in action as the students worked to solve a "crime scene" as part of their class project.
Also as part of the 45-minute tour, Physical Development Instructional Coach Lisa Pawlik showed Walorski how Penn takes an integrated approach to physical education, blending strength building, physical conditioning and health education. The Congresswoman visited the health rooms, a CrossFit class, and the Fitness Center. Walorski was amazed by the hundreds of pounds of weights the students were lifting!
Penn-Harris-Madison is very appreciative of the time Walorski took to visit the district and learn more about our outstanding programs. If you are interested in following Congresswoman Walorski on her education tour, follow her on Twitter using #WalorskiEDTour.
