The Penn Choir presents “Sounds of the Season” on Dec. 4-6.

Click here for Tickets

The shows are 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4, 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 5, and 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, in the EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems) – Tania Bengtsson Center for Performing Arts.

A Photo Gallery is posted below.

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Penn High School held its annual Showcase, which allowed incoming Freshmen (current Eighth Graders) and prospective move-ins, along with their families, to tour Penn, meet with staff and students, and hear about all the college and career readiness opportunities Penn offers through its eight Academies.

A Photo Gallery is posted below.

Incoming Freshmen click here for additional details.

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The Penn High School Marching Kingsmen performed at the 6abc Dunkin’ Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025.

Photo Gallery posted below.

The parade, known as the nation’s first Thanksgiving Parade, was LiveStreamed on Hulu, Disney+ and 6abc.com.

Penn’s marching band performed “Santa’s Parade” and “Strike Up The Band”.

Mere Schneider, Julie Rice, Dakota Bengtsson, Addison Singleton and Conner Hes serve as the Marching Kingsmen drum majors.

D.J. Landoll serves as the Band Director, with Sabin Martinez and Aaron Griesser the assistant directors.

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By C.J. Vantine

Penn student reporter

Last Friday, Penn’s Early College Academy hosted their annual in the Penn cafeteria. Students from all grades within the Ivy Tech program came together to celebrate the national holiday with classmates and teachers alike.

Photo Gallery posted below.

At the event, students enjoyed a meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and two types of pie, all provided by Penn Food Services. 

Early College Junior Kole Klein gave a speech regarding his gratefulness for the program before students played a game of group trivia regarding the topic of the holiday they were celebrating.

This yearly tradition allows students to get to know their peers on deeper levels while appreciating the opportunities presented to them.

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Penn High School Assistant Principal Josiah Parker has been named the 2025 State Assistant Principal of the Year by the Indiana Association of School Principals (IASP).

“We are incredibly proud of Mr. Parker for being named the Indiana Assistant Principal of the Year,”  Penn High School Principal Dr. Sean Galiher said. “Josiah is a dedicated and committed colleague who works diligently to ensure we create engaging and authentic learning experiences for our students. Penn is a better place as a result of his creativity and commitment to all students and staff.”

Photo Gallery posted below.

Parker, who has been at Penn since 2014, was named District Assistant Principal of District 2 prior to the state honor.

District Assistant Principals of the Year are elected by their peers from 12 districts in Indiana.

Parker was one of the leaders of the heralded “Hand Of Grace” project in which Penn Robotics students created a prosthetic arm for a third-grade Madison Elementary student using 3-D printer technology.

He has been Penn’s point person strengthening the high school’s connection to the community, including helping to organize Penn’s annual College and Career Fair at Penn with the P-H-M Education Foundation.

“Community engagement has been the core of my educational philosophy,” Parker said. “This was introduced to me by my mentor and high school architecture teacher Mickey Schulze. The impact those experiences had in my life and building on those as an educator have proven again and again the importance of connecting our school to our community.”

Working with the South Bend Regional Chamber on the Work Based Learning Collaborative, Educator Externships, Career focused content creation (Manufacturing, Construction Trades, Healthcare), Parker works to make connections with community partners to expand real world career opportunities available to Penn students. Some of Parker’s other community connections include:

• South Bend Career Center Planning Committee, Elkhart Area Career Center Advisory Board, Ivy Tech Advisory Board and the creation of the Penn Partnership Team (Advisory Board)
• State and National work as an Indiana High School Education Committee member for CEMETS iLab (bringing the Swiss apprenticeship model to Indiana), a member of the US Chamber of Commerce’s TPM Academy of Indiana (advancing workforce development), Member of The 75 Million Network of Jobs for the Future (job placement and job quality)

Parker was also involved in the Innovation Challenge (local schools design innovations for groups in the community like ADEC, Lime Bike, Sibley Machining) and Mission to Engineering (creating unique designs for individuals in need like Voice for Braylen, Engineering Ella, Innovations for Isaiah, Connecting with Cooper, Project Rubber Ducky, Scooter Assist, and Zephan’s Magic Wheelchair Hulk project).

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Penn High School has received another Excellence in Education Award from the Indiana Department of Education.

Recently, the Penn Administration learned that Penn earned the Excellence in Data-Driven Support Award and a grant of $25,000. The award was presented at the IDOE’s Educational Excellence Award Gala on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025.

The award recognizes the school that has made the most progress in improving achievement for all students. Penn won the award for its increased academic achievement for students as indicated by ILEARN English/Language Arts/Mathematics assessment results, prioritization of initiatives focused on accelerating learning, and implementation of progress monitoring and evidenced-based practices for students in need of extra support.

This is Penn’s second IDOE Educational Excellence Award. In 2023, the IDOE honored Penn with the Excellence in College Readiness Award along with a $250,000 grant.

“Winning the Excellence in Data-Driven Support Award is a reflection of the incredible teamwork that happens every day at Penn,” Penn Principal Dr. Sean Galiher said. “Our teachers, staff, and students have embraced the idea that using data is about understanding each student and helping them reach their full potential. This award means a lot to our school community because it recognizes the care, intentionality, and dedication that drive our work to make sure every learner has the opportunity to succeed.”

Penn’s commitment to Excellence in Data-Driven Support is reflected in measurable growth across multiple indicators of student success. By intentionally aligning efforts around progress monitoring, evidence-based practices, and accelerated learning opportunities, Penn has elevated achievement for students at all levels. Penn’s targeted Advanced Placement (AP) and SAT preparation has yielded clear improvements in both participation and performance, while the AP program continues to grow in both the number of students served and the individual success of those students.

Penn leads the state in dual-credit attainment. Equally important, Penn is committed to ensuring students on free and reduced lunch and students with an IEP make meaningful growth across benchmarks, underscoring our belief that every learner can thrive when given the right support. Together, these achievements demonstrate Penn’s relentless focus on using data to guide decisions, support student needs, and ensure that every learner has access to rigorous, high-quality opportunities that prepare them for the future.

Penn High School boasts a robust plan to ensure that all students are given the best possible opportunity for growth and success on standardized assessments, including Biology iLearn, PSAT/NMSQT, school-day SAT, and AP Exams.

Focused preparation for the PSAT & SAT begins in ninth grade for all students. Ninth, 10th, and 11th graders participate in a minimum of two benchmark assessments, using the paid Progress Learning (formerly Horizon Education) platform. In addition, they take the PSAT 8/9 in the Spring of freshman year, and the PSAT/NMSQT in the Fall of sophomore and junior years.

Since implementing data-driven learning supports, Penn’s number of National Merit Scholars has increased from six to an anticipated 15 this year. Schoolwide SAT results also reflect growth as a result of efforts to accelerate learning. Forty percent of Penn juniors met the benchmark in math in the first year of the digital format, which increased to 43% in 2025. Even more impressive, Penn’s English-based reading and writing results increased from 65% to 72% of students meeting the benchmark last school year. The percentage of Penn students who met the benchmark on both parts of the SAT was 19% higher than the Indiana state average. 

In 2023, 7.9%, 7.9% and 14.5% of students with an IEP passed both Math, and the English portions of the SAT respectively.  In 2025, 8.5%, 11.3% and 23.9% passed both Math and the English portions of the SAT, reflecting an improvement across each data point. This growth moved Penn High school from ranking No. 27 in 2024 to No. 15 in 2025 when compared to other public school corporations in the state of Indiana.

AP participation grew from 639 students (1,289 exams) in 2021 to 873 students (1,791 exams) in 2025. Success rates rose from 60% to 83%, nearly doubling the number of students scoring a 3+ (385 to 724) which demonstrates significant growth in the number of students participating in this challenging level of coursework, necessitating varying levels of support.  Most importantly, students who are on free and reduced lunch participating in an AP course at Penn High School have more than doubled in the last 5 years from 50 students in 2021 to 108 students in 2025.   Additionally, 55 of the exams taken by free/reduced students in 2021 scored a 3+ with 142 exams receiving this same score in 2025.

In Penn’s most recent accreditation review in 2023, the Cognia evaluation team affirmed that “Leadership is unwavering in its commitment to all parents, community members, and most importantly, the students. Learners’ well-being is at the heart of all decisions the organization makes.” 

This commitment, paired with Penn’s use of evidence-based practices, progress monitoring systems, and inclusive course design, has positioned Penn as a model of data-driven support where equity and achievement go hand in hand. As a result, in September of that school year, Penn was named a Cognia School of Distinction. Cognia is a global nonprofit school improvement organization accrediting 40,000 schools across 90 countries, yet only 96 schools worldwide received this distinction and Penn High School was one of them, the only high school in Indiana to earn this prestigious recognition that year.

The Penn High School Marching Kingsmen will perform at the 6abc Dunkin’ Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, Nov. 27).

The parade, known as the nation’s first Thanksgiving Parade, is scheduled to start at 8:15 a.m.

The parade will be LiveStreamed on Hulu, Disney+ and 6abc.com

Penn’s marching band will perform “Santa’s Parade” and “Strike Up The Band”.

Mere Schneider, Julie Rice, Dakota Bengtsson, Addison Singleton and Conner Hes serve as the Marching Kingsmen drum majors.

D.J. Landoll serves as the Band Director, with Sabin Martinez and Aaron Griesser the assistant directors.

The Penn Marching Kingsmen have placed in the Indiana State Finals Contest 21 times and have been a Bands of America Regional Finalist five times. The band has also performed in the Orange Bowl Parade, the Fiesta Bowl Parade, the Hollywood Christmas Parade, the Tournament of Roses Parade, in addition to the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Penn Theatre presents the fall play production, “A Seussified Christmas Carol.”

A Photo Gallery is posted below.

Shows are Thursday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m., Friday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 15, at 3 p.m. Performances are in the Studio Theater. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults. Tickets can be purchased online at HomeTown Ticketing or at the door.

Written by Peter Bloedel, “A Seussified Christmas Carol” is the classic story of Scrooge meeting ghosts who show him the value of goodwill unto all and caring for his fellow man… all in the rhyming and silly language of Dr. Seuss!

Audience members are encouraged to get in the spirit and dress up in Seuss or Holiday wear.

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Penn High School celebrated 16 student-athletes who signed to continue their academic and athletic careers at the collegiate level on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025.

Penn-Harris-Madison Supt. Dr. Heather Short, Penn Principal Dr. Sean Galiher and Athletic Director Jeff Hart honors the students and their families at a ceremony in Penn’s Main Arena.

A Photo Gallery is posted below.

Student/University/Sport/Coach

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