This morning Penn-Harris-Madison Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker welcomed back nearly 1,500 teachers, administrators and classified support staff during the annual Kickoff Breakfast (click here to see the photo gallery below). As part of building excitement for the new school year, Dr. Thacker always takes time to praise staff and student achievements from the past year. Some of the many EXCELLENT accomplishments of P-H-M teachers, students and staff were highlighted in a video shown to staff. Dr. Thacker encouraged staff to share the great stories taking place across the District this coming year on social media using #PHMExcellence.

As part of the Kickoff Breakfast, a motivational speaker and leader in education is invited to come in and speak to P-H-M teachers. This year Dr. Joe Sanfelippo, superintendent of Fall Creek School District in Fall Cree, Wisconsin spoke to P-H-M instructional staff about “Brining School stories to the World” and telling P-H-M’s story. Dr. Sanfelippo was named an Innovative District in 2016 and 2017 by the International Center for Leadership in Education and is the author of “Hacking Leadership: 10 Ways that Great Leaders Inspire Learning that Teachers, Students, and Parents Love.” Dr. Sanfelippo is innovative school administrator who has built strong relationships with his district’s students, families and employees through engaging social media stories. Today he also encouraged P-H-M teachers to do the same and be EXCELLENT storytellers and to share the EXCELLENT things taking place every day within P-H-M’s 15 schools, telling them “You are teachers! You move people!!!”

P-H-M is an “A” rated school district and in the state’s Top 3 of public school districts with nine Four Star Schools. Excellence happens here!  Our teachers and students do amazing things every day.  Throughout this year, the community and our families will start seeing more and more of these stories. Look for and use #PHMExcellence on social media and click here for #PHMExcellence feed to catch up and see what you might have missed. 

Paul Moala scored a touchdown on a 33-yard pass from Ryan Lynch to highlight Penn’s season opener in high school football at Valparaiso on Friday, Aug. 18. Valpo won the game, 12-7.

A Photo Gallery from the game is posted below.

Kyle Riffel scored on touchdown runs of 32 and 50 yards to lead the Penn Kingsmen Freshmen Football Team to a 25-14 victory against Valparaiso on Saturday, Aug. 18.

Nick Favilla scored on a 13-yard pass from Ryan Plummer.

The Kingsmen defense punished Valpo for two safeties.

Kyle Riffel scored a two-point conversion.

Ryan Majerek kicked a point-after touchdown.

Jake Rairdon recovered a fumble, and Joey Cavinder picked off a Valpo pass.

Eddie Null fired a pair of touchdown passes to Eric Wood to highlight the Penn Junior Varsity Football effort against Valparaiso on Saturday, Aug. 18.

Valparaiso won the game, 16-12.

Wood scored on touchdown strikes of 10 and 45 yards from Null.

Penn High School’s Girls Soccer Team, ranked No. 1 in the nation, dominated in the season-opening Indian Invite held at Newton Park in Lakeville on Friday, Aug. 18, and Saturday, Aug. 19. The Kingsmen outscored three opponents by a score of 18-0.

Penn beat No. 14 Zionsville, 5-0, beat No. 15 Warsaw, 5-0, and beat Chesterton, 8-0.

First-team All-American Kristina Lynch, a Florida State recruit, led the Kingsmen against Zionsville with three goals. Maya Lacognato scored two goals. Brooke Van Dyck had two assists, and Kelsi Carrico and Lexi Scott had one assist each.

Notre Dame recruit Brooke Van Dyck blasted in three goals to power the Kingsmen to a 5-0 victory against Warsaw. Kristina Lynch and Maya Lacognato scored one goal each. McKenzie Blankenbaker, Kelsi Carrico and Kristina Lynch had assists.

Kristina Lynch stung Chesterton for three goals in Penn’s 8-0 victory. Maya Lacognato scored two goals, Lauren Cernak scored two goals, and Kelsi Carrico scored one goal. Brooke Van Dyck and Allie Lankowicz had two assists each. Kelsi Carrico, Lauren Cernak, Maya Lacognato and Kristina Lynch had one assist each.

Penn High’s Kingsmen won the championship of the Tom Heck Invitational, held at Penn on Saturday, Aug. 18.

The Kingsmen beat NorthWood 25-14, 25-21, to win the championship match.

Penn beat North Central, 25-15, 25-13, beat Lake Central 25-20, 25-10, and beat Carroll, 25-27, 25-16, 15-11 in pool play.

The Kingsmen are now 6-0 for the season.

Italia Fields (25 kills), Alyssa Torres (24) and Ally Hickey (23) powered a dominating Kingsmen attack at the net.

Rachel Hickey  sparked the Kingsmen with 58 digs. Kylee Hixenbaugh had 25 digs, and Sophia Cruz and Naomi Willis had 23 digs each.

Naomi Willis ignited the Kingsmen with 87 assists.

Julia Beers led the Kingsmen with nine assists.
 

Penn High’s Boys Cross Country Team captured the team championship of the Northern Indiana Conference Stomp Junior-Senior on Saturday, Aug. 19.

The Kingsmen placed third in the Freshmen-Sophomore race.

Penn placed five runners in the Top 15 of the Junior-Senior race.

Colton Shail led the Kingsmen showing in the Junior-Senior race with a time of 16:52.597 for fifth place overall.

Curtis Cornell placed 10th, Chad Piatt placed 11th, Nick Sergeant placed 13th, and Chandler Neal finished in 14th place.

Penn's Girls Cross Country Team started off the year with a great showing at the NIC Stomp invitational. The Junior-Senior Kingsmen Team placed second, and the Freshmen-Sophomore Team placed first.

With 14 teams in attendance, Penn's Freshman/Sophomore squad came home with the team championship and placed eight girls in the top 15, led by Sophomore Riley Keppler, who was 3rd overall in a time of 20:47.4.  Not far behind were Sophomore Brooke Neal in 4th, Sophomore Aislynn Alkire in 6th, and Freshman Haley Makowski in 8th.

Not to be out-done in the Junior/Senior race, the Lady Kingsmen placed 2nd to a highly competitive Chesterton team.  They placed three in the top 10 with Senior Lauren Frank 2nd overall in 19:40.6.  Senior Dani Spring and Junior Ellie Jankowski were also hot on the trail finishing 5th & 9th respectively.

“When I combine the two races, I see the makings of a very formidable team that is ready to make the next entry in a distinguished history of Lady Kingsmen Cross Country teams,” Penn Cross Country coach Michael Clements said.

Penn High’s Lyvia Li tied for medalist honors at the Rochester High School Girls Golf Tournament on Saturday, Aug. 19.

Li shot a 75, sharing medalist honors with Reese Wilson of Culver Academy.

Penn placed fifth in the Tournament with a score of 363. Culver won the event with a score of 325.

Abbey Hamilton shot an 86 for 10th place.

Ryen DeToro finished play with a 96, and Kate Burnett had a score of 106.

Penn High School Principal Sean Galiher conducted New Teacher Orientation for Penn’s 18 new faculty members on Friday, Aug. 18.

Galiher guided the new teachers through topics that included the improtance of Rigor, Relevance and Relationships in the classroom, Technology at Penn, and a Scavenger Hunt to help new teachers become familiar with the Penn campus.

There was also a luncheon that paired the new teachers with Academy Leaders and Instructional Leaders.

A Photo Gallery of Penn’s New Teacher Orientation is posted below: