Martin Ufkin & Megan Buckler Win Spring 2026 Impact Award

Penn-Harris-Madison Schools is proud to recognize outstanding educators whose instruction leads to meaningful academic growth for students.

The P-H-M Teacher Impact Award celebrates the impact of strong instruction and student dedication. The award is presented each semester to teachers whose students demonstrate the greatest academic growth, highlighting excellence in teaching and learning across the district.

Superintendent Dr. Heather Short and Penn High School Principal Rachel Fry surprised two Penn teachers today in their classrooms to recognize their students’ significant growth:

• Martin Ufkin’s English 11 students demonstrated exceptional academic growth from the PSAT/NMSQT in October to the SAT in March. An impressive 61% of his students showed measurable growth between the two assessments, the highest percentage among English 11 classes across the district.

• Algebra II teacher Megan Buckler’s students also showed exceptional growth over that same period. An impressive 79% demonstrated measurable growth, the highest percentage among Algebra II classes across the district.

Thank you to the P-H-M Education Foundation for providing the beautiful engraved awards that the teachers keep in their classrooms as a reminder of what they and their students accomplished.

Click to see the Martin Ufkin photo gallery in Canto.

Click to see the Megan Buckler photo gallery in Canto.