P-H-M’s annual Community Tailgate is a tradition and a great way to kick off the start of the Kingsmen football season. This year’s home opener will be against Valpo on Friday, August 23rd.

Gates open at 5:30 p.m. You must have a ticket to the football game to enter. Once inside the stadium head down to the white tents in the south end zone at the Zolman’s Tire Concessions Stand.

At 6:15 p.m. a special dedication for recently retired Penn Head Football Coach Cory Yeoman. Penn-Harris-Madison  Superintendent Dr. and Mrs. Thacker donated $10,000 to the P-H-M Education Foundation Naming Rights Campaign to name the plaza located at Penn High School’s Everwise Freed Field the Yeoman Family Plaza, after former Penn High School Head Football Coach Cory Yeoman and his family.

The Yeoman Family bleeds black and gold. Coach Cory’s father Wally Yeoman was an assistant coach with legendary Chris Geesman. Coach Cory played for Penn, earning all-state honors at defensive tackle. In 1979, he led a Kingsmen defense that only allowed 33 yards rushing a game. That Kingsmen team finished 11-1, winning an NIC Championship before losing to Hobart in the second round of the playoffs. Cory graduated from Penn in 1980. 

Cory Yeoman played for Miami (Ohio) University. He was a roommate and teammate of the Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl winning head coach, John Harbaugh. He joined the Kingsmen coaching staff after graduation from Miami, and has been on the Kingsmen sidelines for 40 seasons.

In his first season after replacing legendary Coach Geesman, Yeoman guided Penn to the 2003 State Championship Game. Yeoman also led Penn to Semi-state titles in 2017, 2015 and 2011. In addition to winning four Semi-state Championships, the Kingsmen have won nine regional crowns under Yeoman’s leadership, 13 sectional titles and 17 Northern Indiana Conference championships. 

Yeoman retired at the end of the 2023-2024 school year after 40 years with P-H-M.

Male members of Yeoman family and those who married into the family have either played for or coached for the Long Black Line at some point.

The dedication of the plaza in the name of the Yeoman Family is a great way to honor such strong supporters of the Kingsmen Family and all they’ve contributed to the Penn Football program!

Dr. Thacker has been superintendent of Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation since 2006 and has supported the Education Foundation wholeheartedly. Over the course of 18 years, Dr. and Mrs. Thacker have donated $232,500 to the P-H-M Education Foundation. Most of this money has either been unrestricted donations or used as matching funds for fundraising initiatives.

Dr. and Mrs. Thacker have made five donations since 2021 totaling $65,000 as part of the Naming Rights Campaign, recognizing the contributions P-H-M employees have made to the community:

1. Chris Geesman Kingsmen Athletic Center (formerly the Kingsmen Athletic Center), $25,000 donated in December 2021 ($5,000 per year over five years, for an overall period of 12 years)
2. Al Rhodes Kingsmen Court, $10,000 donated in October 2023 (one lump sum)
3. Arthur M. Klinger Planetarium (formerly the  P-H-M DVT & Planetarium), $10,000 donated in January 2024
4. Yeoman Family Plaza, $10,000 donated in March 2024 
5. Greg Dikos Field, $10,000 donated in August 2024 

On July 22^nd, the Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees approved the $10,000 gift from School Superintendent Dr. and Mrs. Thacker to the P-H-M Education Foundation Naming Rights Campaign to name the field at Penn High School’s Jordan Automotive Baseball Stadium as the Greg Dikos Field.

This makes the fifth donation Dr. and Mrs. Thacker have made as part of the Naming Rights Campaign, recognizing the contributions P-H-M employees have made to the community:

1. Chris Geesman Kingsmen Athletic Center (formerly the Kingsmen Athletic Center), $25,000 donated in December 2021 ($5,000 per year over five years, for an overall period of 12 years)
2. Al Rhodes Kingsmen Court, $10,000 donated in October 2023 (one lump sum)
3. Arthur M. Klinger Planetarium (formerly the  P-H-M DVT & Planetarium), $10,000 donated in January 2024
4. Yeoman Family Plaza, $10,000 donated in March 2024 
5. Greg Dikos Field, $10,000 donated in August 2024

Dr. Thacker has been superintendent of Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation since 2006 and has supported the Education Foundation wholeheartedly. Over the course of 18 years, Dr. and Mrs. Thacker have donated $232,500 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.

Coach Dikos owns an 839-298 record in 37 seasons.

Penn has won six State Championships during Dikos’ tenure as head coach: 1994, 1998, 2001, 2015, 2022 and 2023. Coach Dikos has also led Penn to seven Semi-State Championships, 13 Regional Championships, 21 Sectional Championships and 22 Northern Indiana Conference Championships.

A graduate of Swartz Creek High School (Mich.) and Ball State University, Coach Dikos was selected by the Atlanta Braves as a third baseman in the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft in the 31st round. Coach Dikos was inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011.

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 the education and training of teachers is a major priority for P-H-M School District.

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.

With the start of the 2024-2025 academic year, P-H-M is switching to ParentSquare, a new unified, user-friendly, communications platform designed with parents and guardians in mind. CLICK HERE TO GET ALL THE INFO YOU NEED TO GET STARTED.

ParentSquare provides a centralized location for families to receive communications from school principals, teachers, coaches, and front office staff on all their students, in all schools, in all classrooms! CLICK HERE TO GET ALL THE INFO YOU NEED TO GET STARTED. 

Parents/guardians receive alerts, updates, and posts on:

• important notifications, such as school closings and delays
• attendance
• principal & teacher newsletters
• school & classroom calendar of events
• volunteer & RSVP for events
• fill out permission slips & other forms
• … ALL IN ONE LOCATION!

Families chose their preferred mode of communication for non-urgent notifications– app, text, email, phone. Parents/guardians can also chose to have all communications automatically translated to their preferred first language.

As we approach the first day of school (Wednesday, August 21), principals and teachers will be using ParentSquare to share important “Back to School” information. Parents and guardians are asked to activate their accounts by Monday, August 12, 2024.

PLEASE NOTE: If your child is transitioning to a new building from last school year, the information will be updated later this summer. You are still able to register for ParentSquare.

To activate parent/guardian accounts, parents need to check their email for the welcome and introductory email.

The email was sent between Thursday, July 11 and Friday, July 12, 2024 with the subject line: “Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp. is now using ParentSquare.” 

The sender of the email will appear as “Penn-Harris-Madison via ParentSquare” with a donotreply @parentsquare.com email address, similar to this … donotreply+01d8d49e-b6f1-47f3-ac23-d45abf67b233@parentsquare.com

Before Penn’s Commencement on June 3, 13 seniors were recognized as a part of Elkhart Area Career Center’s Student Recognition Night, held May 14.

These are the awards and scholarships the students won:

• Grayce Spadafore: Teachers Choice Award – Cosmetology 
• Madison Trosper: Teachers Choice Award – Culinary Arts, Culinary/Baking Scholarship
• Emma Heintzelman: Teachers Choice Award – Exercise Science
• Arianna Holiday – Turner Scholarship Winner – Criminal Justice

	Dylan Brown: Teachers Choice Award – Automotive Service Technology
	Christian Nelson: Teachers Choice Award – CNC Machining
	Joshua Morrow: Teachers Choice Award – Diesel Services Technology
	Joshua Morrow (2nd from right): Gateway Mile Autofest Toolbox and Tool Scholarship Award – Diesel Service Technology Alex Valentiny (far right): Gateway Mile Autofest Toolbox and Tool Scholarship Award – Motorsports
	Gracie Goss (far right): SkillsUSA State Gold Winner – Commercial Photography
	Reid Ohlson (far right): Future Farmers of America (FFA) State Finalist – Small Engines
	Isabel Botham (far right): Turner Scholarship Winner – Computer Networking

After months of planning, on Sunday, May 19 and Monday, May 20, Penn High School teachers Mr. Steven Sanders (Earth and Space Science, Environmental Science) and Mrs. Amy Tiebout (Project Lead the Way Biomed and AP Biology) drove 27 students to Suttons Bay, Michigan for a once in a lifetime science experience. Click to see the photo gallery below.

Through partnership with the Inland Seas Education Association, students were able to participate in a four-hour long science sailboat voyage on Suttons Bay using professional limnology equipment along with analyzing data previously collected. While on the sailboat, groups of students worked with professionals to focus on specific research topics while gaining skills in science sampling procedures. After all of the sampling and data collection, students shared their newly acquired knowledge with other groups to help reinforce their new knowledge to make this a very educational experience. 

In addition to the “Schoolship” experience, students were able to visit Harbor Bay Beach at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Sunday evening to enjoy sunset in nature and explore the town of Suttons Bay on Monday morning. The work of Mr. Sanders and Mrs.Tiebout made this trip much more accessible and affordable for students and their families. Mr. Sanders spent a week of his summer during 2023 getting professional development from Inland Seas that reduced the cost to families of the program by $825 and the cost of accommodations by $840. He also wrote a PTO grant to help cover miscellaneous expenses on the trip by $500. Therefore, families were only responsible for $10 of this trip because of all Mr. Sanders did in preparation. 

Students left this experience with a greater appreciation for science as a force for good in the world by directly connecting the science

concepts from the classroom and research on the boat with the importance of stewardship for our shared environmental resources. All of this helps students better understand what it means to “Take Care of this Place.”

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On Monday, June 3, 2024, Penn High School held our 65th Commencement. The ceremony was held at the University of Notre Dame. The Class of 2024 is made up of approximately 854 students. It was a wonderful time to celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of ALL of our graduates! Click here to see the photo gallery below with photos that can be downloaded for FREE!

The full ceremony was livestreamed and has been archived on the Penn Harris Madison YouTube channel. You can watch it below. This is the direct link: https://youtube.com/live/5gWg5mbUuqc

Click here to download a copy of the Commencement Program.

Click to see video and pictures of some of the Senior Parades that took place Thursday, May 30th and Friday, May 31st.

Highlights from the Class 0f 2024 include:

• nearly $16 million in scholarships
• 442 earned Academic Honors diplomas
• 325 earned High Honors diplomas
• 72 earned Technical Honors diplomas
• 119 Early College Academy students
  • 113 earned a credential through Ivy Tech Community College
  • 98 earned an Associate’s Degree from Ivy Tech 
• 21 Valedictorians
• 4 Salutatorians

Click here for more information about the Class of 2024.

The official photos of every graduate were taken by InterState Photography and are available for purchase. Please refer to the Senior Parent Communications for the link and password.

The photos in this photo gallery are unofficial candid photos were taken by Penn-Harris-Madison School Communications Department staff. We have uploaded these candid photos to the photo gallery below. To download  these high-resolution jpg files for FREE from the photo gallery below, just simply right click and select “Save image as” and save it to your desktop or device.

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Commencement is Monday, June 3 at at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. The ceremony begins promptly at 7:00 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 for attendees.

For those wishing to watch the livestream, click here. 

Students are to enter Gate 10. Doors open at 4:30. Seniors arriving after 5:00 will not be in alphabetical order and may be required to be seated at the end of the line or may even be excluded from Commencement. Click here for more student related information.

Please refer to the map below for parking locations.

Clear bags are preferred, but not required. Notre Dame reserves the right to search purses/bags. Backpacks, totes, and duffel bags are not allowed. Please see ND’s list of prohibited items include (or click here):

• Alcohol
• Animals (Service Dogs are permitted)
• Artificial noisemakers (including whistles)
• Cameras with lenses longer than six (6) inches
• Cans or glass bottles (including aerosols)
• Drones or Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)
• Fireworks or explosives
• Food or beverage (except unopened plastic water bottles). Food is allowed as a medical necessity with proof.
• GoPro or selfie sticks
• Halloween-style masks
• Laser or pen pointers
• Signs, banners, and balloons
• Stadium chairs or seat backs (unless medical reason with documentation)
• Strollers
• Throwing of any object at any time (including footballs)
• Water vessels of any kind, including water bottles
• Use of tobacco products and e-cigarettes
• Use or possession of marijuana, and other illegal drugs
• Weapons/Firearms. WEAPONS OF ANY KIND ARE PROHIBITED ON CAMPUS
• Any other items deemed dangerous or inappropriate 

It’s also highly recommended that families make prior arrangements as to where to meet their seniors after the graduation ceremonies have ended. Please do not interrupt the procession as the graduates exit the Joyce Center. The graduates will be released to meet with family and friends after re-entering the field house.

We wish everyone a wonderful Commencement evening!

Mr. Art Klinger, the man credited with being the “father” of P-H-M’s DVT & Planetarium, was honored today when the facility he helped create 44 years ago was officially renamed in his honor. The new P-H-M Arthur M. Klinger Planetarium sign now hangs on the exterior of Bittersweet Elementary School, where the facility is housed. It was unveiled to cheers and applause on the afternoon of May 14, 2024. Click to watch the video below.

On hand for the unveiling and dedication were Klinger’s wife, son, and longtime friends. Also present was P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker, Executive Director of P-H-M Education Foundation Jennifer Turnblom, members of PHMEF Executive Board, P-H-M School Board Members Jim Garrett and Ryan McCullough, P-H-M Administrators, and current Planetarium Director Melinda O’Malley. P-H-M former Superintendent Dr. Dean Speicher also attended. It was under Dr. Speicher’s leadership that Bittersweet school and the Planetarium opened in 1980. Bittersweet first grader teachers and students added to the celebration. The students made a banners to mark the occasion.

PHM School Trustee VP Ryan McCullough, former PHM Superintendent Dr. Dean Speicher, Art Klinger, current PHM Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker, & PHM School Trustee Jim Garrett

Click to see the full photo gallery on P-H-M’s website.

Klinger began his 45 year career with P-H-M in 1970.  He taught Earth and Space Sciences at Schmucker Middle School, a position held for 10 years before taking over the Planetarium as its first director. Klinger’s interests in astronomy, aviation, and space travel made him a natural for the position. He was a pilot receiving his private pilot’s license in 1974. He was a member of the Great Lakes Planetarium Association and the International Planetarium Society. Klinger even authored an Introductory Astronomy text book that was used in Penn High School and IUSB astronomy classes; the last revision was August 2020. 

It was Klinger’s interest in the space travel history and NASA that really transformed the Planetarium. Astronaut Col. James Irwin, Lunar Module Pilot of Apollo 15 (8th man to land on the Moon), was the honorary speaker at the Planetarium’s public dedication in February 1981. He was the first of six astronauts to visit the Planetarium over the years; a Russian cosmonaut even visited in 1994. With every visit, personalized autographed photos were donated.

The Planetarium’s Space Museum came about through a connection Klinger made with the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum because of his application for the “Teacher in Space Project” in 1984. From that connection, 47 artifacts, including 16 that have actually been on the Moon, were loaned to the museum. Klinger eventually secured autographed pictures of all flown astronauts. He even obtained the autographed photos of the scientific minds behind the “Space Race,” like Wernher von Braun and Yuri Gagarin. Klinger states that according to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, P-H-M is the only public school district that not only has artifacts from the space program, but also has items that have been on the Moon. Click here to watch a video of Klinger talking about the importance of space exploration.

Klinger served as Director of P-H-M’s DVT, Planetarium Space Museum for 35 years retiring in 2015 after working at P-H-M for 45 years.

Dr. and Mrs. Thacker donated $10,000 to the Penn-Harris-Madison Education Foundation to rename the Planetarium the Arthur M. Klinger Planetarium.

This $10,000 donation is among four donations to PHMEF that Dr. and Mrs. Thacker have made as part of the Naming Rights Campaign. All recognize the contributions P-H-M employees have made to the community:

• Chris Geesman Kingsmen Athletic Center (formerly the Kingsmen Athletic Center), $25,000 donated in December 2021 
• Al Rhodes Kingsmen Court, $10,000 donated in October 2023 
• P-H-M Arthur M. Klinger Planetarium, $10,000 donated in January 2024
• Yeoman Family Plaza, $10,000 donated in March 2024 (dedication still to come)

Per PHMEF’s Naming Rights fundraising initiative, 80 percent of the donation will go into 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 the education and training of teachers is a major priority the School Corporation.

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, staff development and other corporation-wide initiatives.