Penn Boys Soccer Team opens season with a 1-1 tie vs. Northridge

Penn High School's Boys Soccer Team opened the 2017 campaign with a 1-1 tie against host Northridge on Tuesday, Aug. 15.

Daniel Gries scored the Kingsmen goal. Brandon Stahl contributed the assist.

Penn Girls Golf improves to 6-0 in NIC

Penn's Girls Golf Team improved its record to 6-0 by defeating Bremen and South Bend Clay on Tuesday, Aug. 15.

Penn edged Bremen, 184-186. Clay finished third at 315.

PENN 184: Lyvia Li 43, Grace Szklarek 44, Abbey Hamilton, 47 Ryen DeToro 50, Kelsey Collins 67.

New Ticket Center at Penn’s TCU Freed Field to be named after Larry Beehler

In recognition of Larry Beehler’s 31 years of service on the Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees, anonymous donors have established a naming rights partnership with the P-H-M Education Foundation to name the newly constructed ticket center at TCU Freed Field.

The ticket center is part of the facility updates that took place over the summer at Penn High School’s football field. P-H-M’s Board of School Trustees voted to approve  the naming at their meeting (Monday, August 14, 2017) to name it the Larry Beehler Ticket Center.

Mr. Beehler is a graduate and class valedictorian of then Madison Township High School (Wakarusa), which is now Madison Elementary School, one of P-H-M’s 11 elementary schools. Larry and his wife of 55 years, Judy, are lifelong residents of the Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation. In July of 1986, he was elected to the Board as the Madison Township representative and is currently serving his 31st year as a Board Member. During his time on the Board, Mr. Beehler served in leadership roles as Board Secretary for three years, Board Vice President for nine years, and Board President for six years. He has also served as P-H-M’s representative on several different Indiana School Boards Association (ISBA) boards, including as Board Policy Liaison and Legislative Liaison. He is also an active member of the National Schools Boards Association (NSBA).

“Working with Larry Beehler is such a privilege,” said Board President Gary Fox. “He has profound knowledge not just of Indiana law, education policies and best practices, but also of the school district’s history. He tirelessly serves the children and families of P-H-M; and although there is no one more humble, there is also no one more deserving of this honor than Larry Beehler.”
 

During his time on the Board, Mr. Beehler’s roles have ranged from also serving on District Strategic Planning Committees to Smaller Learning Communities Achievement Design Committee for Penn High School. Mr. Beehler was nominated and received the Penn High School Distinguished Staff Award in 2010 sponsored by the Penn High School Alumni Association.

“Larry has dedicated thousands of hours of his personal time serving on several P-H-M school committees, always looking out for what’s best for the students of P-H-M,” said Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker. “Our students have no greater champion than Larry Beehler! I’m thrilled that others in community also feel this way and we’ve found a way to honor Larry as the champion that he is!”

Aware of the P-H-M Education Foundation’s ongoing naming rights campaign, anonymous donors contacted the P-H-M Education Foundation wishing to contribute to the Foundation’s endowment. Wanting to also find a way to honor Mr. Beehler’s three decades of civil service and dedication to P-H-M, the naming rights partnership for the new ticket center was suggested. Per the agreement, the donors have donated $25,000 to the P-H-M Education Foundation endowment.

When a donor partners with PHMEF on the naming rights fundraising initiative, 80 percent of the donation goes into the Foundation’s endowment. This in turn provides 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 education and training of educators is a major priority for P-H-M School District. The key to providing an excellent education is having excellent teachers. P-H-M teachers are excellent at what they do because of their passion, but also because of the ongoing professional development the District provides.

“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,” said PHMEF Executive Director Mari Linn Wise. “PHMEF enthusiastically does whatever we can to support education throughout the District through awarding innovative teaching grants, scholarships to students, staff development and other corporation-wide initiatives.”

Click here to see a fact sheet and timeline of the Education Foundation’s Naming Rights Initiative.

Penn Girls Golf shoots season-low 344 at Western Invitational

Penn’s Girls Golf Team shot a season-low 344 to finish in seventh place in the power-packed Western Invitational on Saturday, Aug. 12.

Lyvia Li and Grace Szklarek each finished in the Top 10 of the Western Invitational. Li shot a 78, and Szklarek shot an 84.

Abbey Hamilton shot an 88 and Ryen DeToro shot a 94.

Girls Golf places fourth at Crown Point Invite

Penn High's Girls Golf Team shot a 355 at the Crown Point Invitational, placing fourth in the event. The Kingsmen were only 14 strokes behind Lake Central, which won the match with a score of 341.

Lyvia Li led the Kingsmen with an 81, followed by Grace Szklarek with an 82.

Abbey Hamilton shot an 87.

Ryen DeToro shot a 105, and Camryn Murphy shot a 122.

Penn Girls Golfers place 6th at New Prairie

Penn's Girls Golf Team placed sixth at the New Prairie Invitational at Legacy Hills Golf Course.

Valparaiso won the event with a score of 321. Penn's golfers shot a 398.

PENN (398): Lyvia Li 83, Abbey Hamilton 92, Ryen DeToro 102, Kelsey Collins 121, Hannah Urbanski 123.

Li & Szklarek each shoot a 42 as Penn beats NIC rivals

Penn’s Grace Szklarek and Lyvia Li each shot a 42 on the Knollwood Back East course, leading the Penn Girls Golf team to a sweep of Glenn and Adams in Northern Indiana Conference action on Monday, Aug. 7.

Penn finished the match with a 176, followed by Glenn with a 234 and Adams with a 256.

Li and Szklarek each shot a 42. Abbey Hamilton shot a 45, Ryen DeToro shot a 47, and Kelsey Collins shot a 59.
 

Watch the Solar Eclipse safely

One of the most exciting celestial events is coming up the afternoon of Monday, August 21 and

P-H-M wants our students to be prepared and experience the Great American Solar Eclipse. 

What makes the Great American Solar Eclipse so great? This is the first major total solar ceclipse across the continental U.S., West to East Coast, since June 8, 1918!

The northern Indiana area is not in the total eclipse pattern. However, starting at 1:00 p.m., moving east, we’ll be able to see maximum coverage (about 88%) at around 2:22 p.m. with the eclipse concluding about 3:46 p.m. Still something extraordinary for our students and families to witness!

Because the first day of the 2017-18 school year is not until Wednesday, August 23, PTOs from all our 15 schools partnered with the P-H-M DVT and Planetarium to send home free “eclipse shades” with all of  our 10,700 students the last week of school back in June. DVT Director Melinda O'Malley also prepared this P-H-Mstudent/parent fact sheet and guide for watching the eclipse safely.

We encourage our students and families to experience this wonderful event, but to do  so safely! If your child has misplaced their “eclipse shades,” here are some resources to find/purchase new ones (some of these resources, but not all, are providing solar watching glasses for free; some payment and pre-orders may be required):

P-H-M DVT/Planetarium Director Mindy O'Malley will be in Carbondale, IL on August 21 for the GreatAmericanEclipse. She'll be posting pictures and video that you won't want to miss! Be sure to click here to like and follow PHM DVT & Planetarium Facebook page and then logon on August 21 to experience the eclipse with Mrs. O’Malley.

Be safe and enjoy the viewing, the next total solar eclipse viewable in North America is not until April 2024!

Lyvia Li places third at State Preview to lead Kingsmen

Penn’s Lyvia Li placed third and the Penn High School Kingsmen Girls Golf Team placed 10th as a team in the prestigious State Preview at the Prairie View Golf Course in Carmel.

A Photo Gallery provided to the Penn Athletic Department is posted below.

Westfield won the event with a score of 309. Penn placed 10th with a score of 348.

Li placed third with a score of 73.

Penn (348): Lyvia Li 73, Grace Szklarek 86, Abbey Hamilton 85, Ryen DeToro 104, Kelsey Collins 134.

Photo gallery of the Penn Boys Tennis Team

Coach Eric Bowers’ Penn High School Boys Tennis Team will be looking to continue its tradition of excellence.

Penn owns 15 consecutive Sectional Championships, and 22 in program history.

A Photo Gallery of the Penn Boys Tennis team at practice is posted below.

Penn opens the 2017 Boys Tennis season at Warsaw on Thursday, Aug. 17. Click here for the 2017 Penn Boys Tennis schedule.