2016 P-H-M Teacher of the Year and Top 10 Finalist for 2017 Indiana Teacher of the Year John ​Gensic has been named as a state-level finalist for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST). His application will move on to the U.S. Department of Education for the next round of selection. Mr. Gensic, a Biology teacher at Penn, was a state PAEMST finalist last year as well. He will be recognized this fall at a luncheon to honor the Indiana finalists.

Three P-H-M school teams recently competed in the National TEAMS (Tests of Engineering Aptitude Mathematics and Science) Best in Nation Competition. The competition was held in Orlando the end of June.

Penn High School sent four groups to the competition. One of the two 9/10th grade teams placed in the Top 10 for engineering written competition; the other placed in the Top 10 for engineering written competition. The 11/12th grade team placed 3rd in prepared presentation and Top ten for engineering written competition.

For more information on Penn’s TEAMS, click here.

At the June 26th P-H-M Board Meeting, existing P-H-M administrators and new hires were introduced and welcomed by the School Board of Trustees.

Several of the positions were previously announced on June 20 and May 31. The following appointments were new: Derrick White to Assistant Principal of Penn High School and Lucas Fry to Assistant Principal of Schmucker Middle School.

Mr. Fry joined Penn in 2011 as a U.S. History, Government and Anthropology Teacher. He became dean of students in 2013. He now joins Schmucker Middle School as one of their two assistant principals.

Derrick White joins the P-H-M administrative team bringing 20 years of experience in the educational field, most recently as Assistant Principal at Riley High School. Before that, Mr. White served as Principal of the Navarre Intermediate Center for 10 years. He has also served as an assistant principal and dean of students at John Adams High School. He taught and Social Studies at Adams and Jackson Intermediate Center and was a seventh grade Special Education teacher at Navarre.

Mr. White has a wealth of experience in the area of instruction and professional development, participating in and leading a number of initiatives with South Bend Schools. He holds a Bachelors of Science in History and a Masters in Secondary Education from Ball State University, and earned his Administration Certification in Education Administration from Indiana University South Bend. A graduate of the Indiana Principals Leadership Academy (IPLA) and a member of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, Mr. White is also affiliated with the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and worked with Community Foundation of St. Joseph County.

Mr. White will be joining Principal Sean Galiher, who was appointed May 31^st, and the rest of Penn teachers and staff as they welcome students back to school on Wednesday, August 23, 2017.

A season of firsts for the Penn High School Girls Soccer Program just added another elite accomplishment.

Kristina Lynch, who helped the Kingsmen capture their first state championship in Girls Soccer, is the first Penn Girls Soccer player to be named a USA Today First-Team All-American. Lynch was earlier named the Gatorade Indiana Girls Soccer Player of the Year, which was also a first for a Penn Girls Soccer Player.

“To be recognized as one of the top 11 high school soccer players in the country is an unbelievable honor for Kristina, her family, our coaching staff and the entire program,” Penn Girls Soccer coach Jeff Hart said. “The honor is well deserved. She has elite talent, but it is matched by her strong work ethic, her passion for daily improvement and her team-first approach to PGS (Penn Girls Soccer).”

Hart said that Lynch and the returning captains for Penn Girls Soccer have made a tremendous impact on the program.

“Kristina and our other returning captains, Brooke VanDyck and Molly McLaughlin, are wonderful role models for younger teammates on doing things the right way on and off the field – exceptional talents, outstanding students and each with a strong commitment to their teammate and school,” Hart said.

Lynch will be a senior midfielder for the Kingsmen in 2017. The Florida State University recruit helped Penn earned the Class 2-A State Championship with a goal and an assist in the State Championship Game in which Penn defeated defending state champion Brebeuf Jesuit, 2-0, in the title game.

Lynch finished the season with 38 goals and 26 assists, and has 86 goals and 49 assists in her career. She has a 4.11 GPA on a scale of 4.0. 

Penn High School Athletics teams continued to stand tall on the Indiana High School Athletic Association landscape, as the Kingsmen combined for an 81 percent winning percentage (537-120-6) in 19 sports.

A total of 1,052 students competed in the Penn Athletics program.

In addition to winning in the arena of competition, the Kingsmen Student-Athletes also excelled in the classroom, combining for a cumulative Grade-Point Average of 3.54 (on a scale of 4.0).

Girls Soccer, coached by Jeff Hart, highlighted an exceptional 2016-2017 showing by Kingsmen teams with a State Championship, the first in Program history.

Baseball, coached by Greg Dikos, competed in the State Championship Game for the fifth time in Program history, and finished as state runner-up.

Two Penn student-athletes earned one of the IHSAA’s top honors in the 2016-17 school year. Lexi Marks (Girls Soccer) and Trevor Waite (Baseball) earned the prestigious IHSAA Mental Attitude Award in their respective sports.

Penn also dominated in the Northern Indiana Conference, accomplishing a combined 92 percent winning percentage (260-22).

Highlights for the 2016-17 school year include:

• Penn teams earned 15 Sectional Championships in 19 IHSAA Championship Tournaments.
• The Kingsmen hoisted a Regional Championship Trophy in eight sports.
• Penn won two Semi-State Championships.
• Penn teams combined to win 14-of-19 Northern Indiana Conference Championships.

Kristina Lynch, who led Penn to a State Championship in Girls Soccer, has been named the Gatorade Indiana Player of the Year in Girls Soccer.

Lynch is the first Penn student-athlete to be named the Gatorade Girls Soccer Player of the Year in Indiana.

"Kristina has been an elite player and athlete since I first saw her play as a 6-7 year old,” Penn Girls Soccer head coach Jeff Hart said. “She's developed her skills, however, through quiet determination, an unbelievable work ethic and a strong belief in herself. She puts in a great deal of work when nobody is watching.”

Lynch, a 2017-18 incoming senior midfielder and a Florida State University recruit, led the Kingsmen to a 22-0-1 record and the Class 2-A state championship last season as a Junior. She scored 38 goals and passed for 26 assists, tallying one of each in Penn’s 2-0 win over Brebeuf Jesuit High in the state final. Lynch recorded 12 goals and 13 assists in Penn’s seven-game postseason run to the state title. A two-time Indiana Soccer Coaches Association First Team All-State selection, she concluded her junior year with school records of 86 goals and 49 assists in her prep soccer career.

“Kristina is obviously a star, but is coachable and she always plays within our team-first framework,” Hart said. “She continues to improve as a soccer player and her dedication and focus is also evident in school (a 4.11 GPA on a scale of 4.0) and in the numerous community activities that she participates in."

The Gatorade award recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, and distinguishes Lynch as Indiana’s best high school girls soccer player.

Lynch is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year award, which will be announced in June.

"For Kristina, or any of our players, to be recognized for an award like this is incredibly exciting for our program and a career highlight for me as a coach,” Hart said. “This is a kid who starting playing locally as a young girl, played in our local travel clubs, practiced for endless hours on her own in her yard and along the way developed a passion for the game.

“She is now being recognized as the state's top high school player and has bigger and better days ahead of her.  It is also confirmation that team success helps lead to individual recognition. With Kristina and other elite players leading us by example every day, we feel very good about the future of our program."

As a Gatorade Player of the Year, Kristina will be able to select a national or local youth sports organization to receive a grant as part of the Gatorade Play It Forward program. Every Gatorade Player of the Year state winner receives a $1,000 grant to donate and will have the opportunity to enter for an additional $10,000 spotlight grant by writing a brief essay explaining why their selected organization deserves additional support. There are 12 spotlight grants – one for each sport – and those will be announced throughout the year.

Penn High School’s Baseball Team turned a Championship effort in the State Championship Game, rallying from a 3-1 deficit in the sixth inning to force extra innings, but the Kingsmen were defeated by unbeaten Indianapolis Cathedral, 4-3, in eight innings on Saturday, June 17.

Trevor Waite won the IHSAA Mental Attitude Award.

Waite got the Kingsmen started in the first inning, smacking a triple. Waite scored on a grounder by Niko Kavadas.

Penn rallied in the sixth inning to erase a 3-1 deficit. Nolan Metcalf singled and Ryan Lynch reached on an error that advanced Kingsmen runner Brock Boynton to second base. Payton Kerr hammered a double to score Boynton, and Nathan Lovisa’s sacrifice fly scored Lynch.

Nolan Metcalf led the Kingsmen effort with three hits.

Penn finished the season with a 27-7 record.

Penn High School’s Trevor Waite earned the IHSAA’s Mental Attitude Award at the State Baseball Championship Game on Saturday, June 17, 2017.

Waite completed his academic career at Penn with a 3.9 grade-point average (on a scale of 4.0) while taking a challenging Advanced Placement curriculum. The Kingsmen leftfielder was Penn’s lead-off hitter in Baseball. He led the Kingsmen with a .474 batting average,  an .810 slugging percentage, six homers and 40 RBI’s. He also hit seven doubles and seven triples.

As a Sophomore, Waite helped lead the Kingsmen to a State Champion. Penn finished State Runner-up in 2017.

Waite will continue his academic and athletic careers at the University of Dayton.

The IHSAA Executive Committee presents the Mental Attitude Awards to the outstanding senior participant in each classification of boys and girls state championships.

The recipients of these awards, who were nominated by their principals and coaches, must excel in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability in basketball. Presenting sponsors, which include the Indianapolis Colts, the Indiana Pacers and the Indiana Fever, donate a scholarship to each school in the name of the recipient.

Penn student-athletes have been named IHSAA Mental Attitude Award Winners 25 times:

1983-84, Football (4-A), Mark Plencner             

1989-90, Football (5-A), Eric Kline       

1992-93, Girls Cross Country, Jill Nace            

1995-96, Football (5-A), Matt Geesman             

1996-97, Football (5-A), Scott Becker 

1997-98, Baseball (4-A), Blake Gaugler

1997-98, Football (5-A), Brad Monhaut              

1999-00, Boys Soccer, Matthew Abbott           

2000-01, Football (5-A), Justin Smith  

2002-03, Girls Tennis, Lauren Woodward

2003-04, Girls Golf, Casey North

2003-04, Football (5-A), Wade Iams

2004-05, Girls Cross Country, Laura Carr

2005-06, Boys Tennis, Chris Jordan

2010-11, Girls Basketball (4-A), Ashley Lutz

2011-12, Girls Golf, Deanna Song

2011-12, Volleyball (4-A), Kaitlyn Hickey

2011-12, Football (5-A), Patrick Adkins

2014-15, Wrestling, Chase Osborn

2014-15, Baseball (4-A), Tim Lira

2015-16, Soccer (2-A), Kamra Solomon

2015-16, Football (6-A), Camden Bohn

2015-16, Softball (4-A), Alyssa Griman

2016-17, Soccer (2-A), Alexis Marks

2016-17, Baseball (4-A), Trevor Waite

Throughout the year Penn STEM Academy students worked hard to raise money from   private donors and from the Gene Haas Foundation for scholarships that could support their fellow STEM students graduating in May 2017. On Wednesday, June 14, the scholarships will be awarded to those student recipients.

Gene Haas Foundation and Penn STEM Academy Scholarship Winners:

• Connor Christ: Ivy Tech Community College, Welding
• Chris Dell: Iowa State University, Mechanical Engineering
• Adam Dewey: Purdue University, Mechanical Engineering
• Nathan Petrie: Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Computer Engineering
• Blake Witchie: Purdue University, Engineering

Selection Criteria: Penn High School seniors who will be pursuing a career in a manufacturing or engineering related field after graduation. Students must have been enrolled in an Engineering & Tech course while at Penn High School and could communicate their experiences, leadership, activities, and future plans. A committee of Penn Engineering & Tech teachers selected the scholarship recipients.

About the Gene Haas Foundation: Gene Haas is the owner Haas Automation, Inc., America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools, which he started in 1983. Haas Automation is a now a billion dollar company. In 1999, Haas started the Foundation to fill the manufacturing gap projected in reports, like “The Skills Gap in U.S. Manufacturing 2015 and Beyond,” that nearly three and a half million manufacturing jobs will need to be filled over the next decade. The Gene Haas Foundation focuses on manufacturing education in the form of scholarships for CNC machinist training. To date, more than 4000 charitable (501 C 3) organizations and schools have received funds totaling more than 50 million dollars from the Gene Haas Foundation.

Penn Robotics Scholarship Winners:

• Lizzie Heisler: Vincennes University, Nursing
• Mia Heisler: Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Nursing
• Nathan Petrie: Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Computer Engineering
• Connor Swift: Purdue University, Engineering
• Frank Salek: Purdue University, Engineering

Selection Criteria: Penn High School seniors who were on the Penn Robotics Team and are pursuing an engineering or robotic related field after graduation were eligible. Students communicated their experiences, leadership, activities, and future plans. A committee of Penn Robotics coaches, Penn Engineering & Tech teachers and private donors selected the scholarship winners.

About Penn Robotics, Team 135: The Black Knights, have a large community footprint. Team 135 has been competing and serving the Michiana area for 20 seasons! This year they decided to help their own student members by raising funds for the first Penn Robotics Scholarships. Through private donations they were able to present five robotics students with funds to use toward continuing their education.

Tickets for the IHSAA Class 4-A State Championship Game that features the Penn Kingsmen are on sale for $10 each.

Tickets may be purchased in the Penn High School Athletic Office from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday (June 14-15), and from 8 to 10 a.m. on Friday (June 16).

Penn (27-6) takes on Indianapolis Cathedral (28-0) at @5 p.m. on Saturday, June 17, at Victory Field (501 W. Maryland St.) in Indianapolis. 

Click here for the media notes.

Can’t Make it to the Game?

• Come out and support the Kingsmen as part of the
  Community Send-off
  Saturday, June 17 at 8:00 a.m., 
  The Jordan Automotive Group Baseball Field at Penn High School
• Watch it on TV or online! All four state championship games will air live on Fox Sports Indiana. Also, South Bend's WHME Channel 46 will carry all four championship games for viewers in the Michiana area.  For viewers outside of the Fox Sports Indiana coverage area, a live stream will be available at IHSAAtv.org. *For those within the FSI coverage area, the stream will be available only on delayed basis following the conclusion of the telecast.

Click here for details on the IHSAA website.