Penn High School’s Battle of the Bands will be held on Friday, March 24, at 7 p.m. in the Penn Studio Theater. The event is free to the public.

The two bands that will be performing are “Floor Candy” and “Dav Richie and the Humble Bundle.”

This concert  version of Battle of the Bands is very popular among many students at Penn high School.   

Come out and enjoy some awesome music with your friends and family and support your fellow students who are displaying their musical talents. 

Whether it was an Advanced Placement Biology Class or participating in DECA, the international association of marketing students, senior Evan Shreiner credits Penn High School with preparing him for his transition to college.

Shreiner is also crediting his Penn High School experience with helping him attend Purdue University on a full-ride scholarship.

Shreiner has been awarded a Stamps Scholarship. Funded through a partnership between the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation and Purdue University, the scholarship covers the cost of an undergraduate degree at Purdue (approximately $165,000), and an additional $10,000 to be used for activities such as study abroad, internships, or scholastic conferences.

“I am very thankful to have received the Stamps Scholarship, as it will allow me to have greater financial freedom while I am pursuing my undergraduate degree at Purdue University,” Shreiner said. “The full-ride scholarship will also provide me with​ an enrichment fund, allowing me to participate in independent research and study abroad opportunities.”

Shreiner boasts a grade-point average of 4.3878 on a scale of 4.0. He is a two-time DECA state champion, an AP Scholar with Honor, a National Merit Commended Scholar, and was named to the Indiana Soccer Coaches Association Men's All-Academic Team.

Shreiner said that he plans to explore biomedical engineering or environmental engineering at Purdue.

“Penn High School's wide class selection was integral to my success, ​as I had the opportunity to take courses such as AP Biology, AP Chemistry, and Human Body Systems ​that ​sparked my interest in a science-oriented career,” Shreiner said. “Groups such as Penn Boys Soccer, DECA, and NHS helped me develop into a better leader, teammate, and person.” 

Shreiner also credited two teachers in particular with being influential in his academic progress.

“​I am grateful to ​Mr. Russell and Mr. Berkheiser, who ​not only supported me as teachers and role models, but provided me with letters of recommendation that helped me stand out among other finalists.” Shreiner said. 

Although Penn High School will be in session on Friday, March 24, as a snow make-up day (Black Day), the Elkhart Area Career Center will be closed on Friday, March 24, as Elkhart Community Schools are not in session on that day.

On Friday, April 14, there will be no transportation offered by Penn for students who take courses at the EACC. The EACC is in session on Friday, April 14, but Penn-Harris-Madison schools are not in session on that day.

Penn High School students will make-up the Dec. 12 Snow Day on Friday, March 24.

The make-up day is a Black Day.

Penn High School students Renee Yaseen and Amelia Atkinson won two of the top awards at the Michigan State Model United Nations Conference on Saturday, March 18.

Yaseen, a junior, won the Best Delegate for her work in the Arctic Council.

Atkinson, a senior, won the Book Award for her work in Yatsenyuk's Interim Government.

A total of 27 Penn students participated in committees ranging from Washington's Cabinet to the World Health Organization to the Pan-Kurdish Summit of 2017.

Student delegates discussed women's health, who would marry Putin's daughter, how to allocate resources in the 2099 Martian Colony, and how to save Detroit's failing public schools.

During the event, student delegates wrote papers, formed alliances, and made impassioned speeches.

“It was impressive to watch their excitement for the important issues, for finding the solutions, and for making connections with students from all over Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan,” Penn Model U.N. sponsor Lauren Kraft said.

The annual Spring Thank-a-Teacher program will run from April 10 thru April 28, 2017. This is the perfect opportunity to thank that special teacher, bus driver, office secretary, librarian, or any other P-H-M employee that has made a difference in your child's life.

The minimum donation is $20 per recipient and the money received is used to fund future grants for programs that wouldn't otherwise be possible due to budget cuts. Your special person will receive a note and congratulatory pin acknowledging your donation.  

All donations to the Foundation are tax deductible.  We are also taking credit cards as payment.  Forms can be downloaded at www.phmef.org.  

Thanks for your continued support for the P-H-M Education Foundation where our mission is to support excellence in education at P-H-M schools!  Questions can be emailed to laynabender@phmef.org.

Penn High School is hosting a Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Day for Penn High School students on Tuesday, March 21.

The event starts with a keynote speaker at 8:40 a.m. in Penn’s Center for the Performing Arts.

“This exciting event allows female students to participate in interactive breakout sessions led by real Women in STEM in our community,” Penn assistant principal and STEM Academy leader Rachel Fry said.  “Breakout sessions include an engineer and a product development specialist from Whirlpool Corporation, a Professor of Mechanical Engineering Technology from Purdue Polytechnic,  founder of the South Bend Code School, Human Resources Director at Daman Products, the Senior Director of Global STEM Initiatives for Discovery Education, and an Elkhart County conservationist. 

“Females continue to be underrepresented in STEM fields, and our goal is that Penn students lead their generation in bridging that gap,” Fry said.

The three breakout sessions last until 11:20 a.m.

Breakout session topics:

• STEM is Fun – Dr. Cindy Moss, Discovery Education
• Coding – Alexandra Liggins, South Bend Code School
• Engineering & Product Development – Beth Jackson & Ellen Dutton, Whirlpool Corp.
• Lean Manufacturing – Krysten Shoulders, Daman Products
• Mechanical Engineering – Megan McMann, Purdue Polytechnic
• A Little Dirt Doesn’t Hurt: Women in Environmental Science – Jordan Beehler, Elkhart Co. Conservationist

Penn Students click here to register.

Penn High School’s Academic Super Bowl teams earned first place in three categories in the ASB Invitational at Valparaiso High School on Tuesday, March 14.

Science, Math and Interdisciplinary Academic Super Bowl teams from Penn were awarded first place in the Invitational.

Fine arts placed second and English placed third.

Social Studies did not place.

Penn High School’s Playschool Experience is now accepting applications.

Child Development students create intellectual, social, emotional, and physical lesson plans and games to engage children ages three and four.

“It is a wonderful, hands-on experience for these eager students to incorporate all that we have discussed throughout the school year,” Penn Child Development instructor Kylee Wetzel stated. “In addition, it is also a great way for our community to get a full grasp on the positive things happening in our school and for young children to have interaction with fellow peers.  Also, the children truly seem to enjoy receiving instruction from high school students.”

Playschool is open to toddlers ages 3-and-4, and they must be potty-trained.  There is a one-time enrollment fee of $10 per child (to provide snacks).

Click here for registration forms, dates and times.

A square robot wheeled up to a docking station and loaded up with about a dozen neon balls. The robot pivoted and launched the balls into a bronze cylinder that towered eight feet tall, and then continued to place gears on the airship in the center of the field.

After that, the robot raced along the green turf that carpeted Penn High School’s main arena, fighting its way past competitors’ robots, to the next task.

Penn’s event attracted 34 teams, ranging from Lafayette, Ind., to Birmingham in suburban Detroit. A crowd of more than 2,000 fans roared as robots took center stage at Penn for the Indiana FIRST Robotics District event on Saturday, March 11, and Sunday, March 12. Watch the highlight reel below …

Penn High School principal Steve Hope praised the community-wide effort to host the Robotics District.

“The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics District Competition held at Penn High School this past weekend was a huge success,” Hope said. “It was great to see so many community leaders like Mr. Jeff Rea, South Bend Community Chamber President, and Indiana Senator, Mr. Ryan Mishler, in attendance to get a first-hand look at STEM education in action.

“Penn High School and the Penn STEM Academy were proud to host this event,” Hope continued. “Months of planning from Penn Assistant Principal for the STEM Academy, Mrs. Rachel Fry, and from STEM Academy Leader, Mr. Josiah Parker, made the event one of the best for Indiana FIRST.

“The competition itself is a fast-paced and exciting battle of robots,” Hope said. “However, the real excitement is the learning in our classrooms when students and their mentors, engineers in the community, work together to solve problems. This is the work our students will encounter in college and in business and industry. The skills they use from engineering to communications to fundraising are the skills they will use for life. “

Penn High School assistant principal Rachel Fry appreciated the learning benefits for Penn students.

“The entire atmosphere at Penn High School this past weekend was incredible!,” Fry said.  “It was fascinating for many to observe the wide range of collaborative work done by Robotics students, which is preparing them well to succeed in their futures beyond our walls. 

“While the District Robotics Competition certainly provided ample opportunity to promote STEM from young to old, it was so much more than that as a true community event,” Fry added. “The amount of work and volunteer time that went into making this happen cannot be numbered.  I am honored to work in a corporation with so much pride, as evidenced by the number of former teachers I met and Penn alumni we welcomed back. I appreciate the amount of support shown to our students by our governmental representatives, our school board, our administration, and our community at large!”

Penn’s Team 135 reached the semifinal round. (click here for all the results). Next up for Team 135 is another district event at Perry Meridian in Indianapolis as the Kingsmen try to qualify for the state finals in Huntington (April 6-8) and the World Championships in St. Louis (April 26-30).

As the Kingsmen made significant strides toward qualifying for state and the worlds this season, the impact that Penn Robotics made by hosting the district event is far reaching. Penn is the first northern Indiana school to host a major Robotics event, giving the technology-based competition an important presence in the region.

“This event was amazing for not just Penn, but all of northern Indiana and our whole region,” Penn STEM Academy leader Josiah Parker said. “Not only did we bring in all of the teams around us, but we brought in sponsors to the area.

We brought a lot of people in to show them what FIRST Robotics is,” Parker said. “We showed them what Penn can do, what Penn has, what Penn offers. I’ve heard nothing but amazing things from people, how amazed they are at what we have here, and how well we host an event.”

Penn Robotics coach Jim Langfeldt said that hosting the event was a tremendous experience for the students.

“This has been an exciting weekend for our students,” Langfeldt said. “They’ve worked really hard this year. I think it’s been fun for them to see people come to their high school to compete in their main arena, and to celebrate the wonderful facility and the great technology and resources that we have here at Penn.

“A Robotics event is really hard to understand until you see it,” Langfeldt continued. “I think bringing the community into our event, finally, after 20 years, has really been a special part of the weekend. Going forward, it’s going to help us make some new connections, new community partners. We’re excited to see what happens.”

Parker said that Penn students developed a great sense of pride from their involvement in hosting the event.

“Our students have been hearing from everybody here how amazing the event was, how well run it was,” Parker said. “They heard great things about Penn’s venues and facilities from the people who came here for the event. I think they developed a great sense of pride from this, because they can show off now to the entire FIRST community.

Penn senior Chris Dell appreciated the opportunity for a ‘home’ event.

“I thought it was nice, because it was our chance to give back to the FIRST community,” Penn student Chris Dell said. “This event brought more awareness to the Penn Robotics program, and FIRST. After being involved in FIRST Robotics for 8 years, it was a dream come true to be able to compete in an event at Penn High School for my senior year."

As the Penn students tore down the stations and packed up the equipment, the enthusiasm from the weekend was already focused on the future.

“We’ve already talked about what we can do for next year,” Parker said. “We’d like to open up a bid for the state championship next year.”