Update: Indiana no longer requires work permits for minor employees

The State of Indiana is creating an Employer Registration system for any employer that employs five (5) or more minors.

Effective 7/1/2021, Indiana will no longer require work permits for minor employees. Employers will no longer be required to complete the “Intent to Employ” form, and schools will no longer issue work permits.

Employers will be responsible for maintaining an accurate list of all minor employees. If an employer has four (4) or fewer minor employees, registration will not be required. This registration does not have any impact on the work hour requirements for minors. All employers must still comply with the Teen Work Hour Restrictions.

To read more about work permits and other services we offer please click this link.

 

Penn Teachers Buy House Built by Penn Students

Maybe most people would not have a whole lot of confidence in buying a house that was built by high school students, but Penn’s Building & Trades program has 53 years of experience building quality homes … that’s right, Penn students have been building homes for commercial sale since 1969!  A total of 28 Penn students (19 working the a.m. class shift and 9 working the p.m. class shift) collaborated to build this year’s house in the Newbury Point Subdivision. 
 
Penn FACS Teacher Kylee Wetzel and Penn PE/Health Teacher and Track Coach Chad Wetzel bought this year’s home. As the 2021-22 school year was winding down, the Wetzel’s were in high gear moving into their brand new 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom house with their three young children and dog. We visited with the Wetzel family in early summer as they were starting to get settled into their new home to find out more about the process of building their home. Click to see the full photo gallery below.
 
As Penn teachers, they were familiar with the program. They also knew many of previous Building & Trades homeowners. They decided to buy the home through the program two years ago, but due to COVID, they decided to wait until this school year.
 
Because the Wetzels prebought the home, they had the opportunity to be involved in the layout and design concept of the house working with Building and Trades Teacher Les Crooks from the very beginning. They really wanted the four main bedrooms on the main floor in a ranch style home. They couldn’t find a house with that layout, so they took the challenge to Penn Building & Trades. Kylee actually sketched the layout on a legal pad and Mr. Crooks sent it off to the architect to have blueprints made. They continued this process until the Wetzels were happy. The house also features a finished basement and a mother-in-law suite. The Wetzels say this is their forever home and they designed the home with retirement and empty nesting in mind.  
Being able to provide Penn students with a project based learning experience was an added bonus for Kylee and Chad, two teachers themselves. “We would 100% recommend and truly enjoyed working with Les and the students. We got to know them quite well and some even voluntarily helped us more,” said Kylee.
    
Interested in buying a Penn Building & Trades home, you might be in luck. For the 2021-22 school year, the program is supposed to build two home!. If you are interested, please contact Les Crooks at lcrooks [at] phm.k12.in.us ().

The Wetzels are THRILLED with their new home. Click below to see all the images of the finished product in the photo gallery below.

Building & Trades Teacher Les Crooks participates in Race Across America

Penn High School Building & Trades Instructor Les Crooks is in Day 9 of 12 biking his way across America in the Race Across America. The race started in Oceanside, California on Tuesday, June 14 and finishes in Annapolis, MD.

The extreme bike race is more than 3,000 miles, across 12 states, climbing over 170,000 vertical ft. through 3 major mountain ranges & across multiple deserts!!!

Today (Wednesday, June 22) Mr. Crooks crossed the “Mighty Mississippi” River around Noon ET and is making his way through southern Illinois and will pass through the Hoosier state sometime late evening on his trek to Maryland. Click to watch a YouTube video interview with Mr. Crooks about crossing the Mississippi River. Click to watch a story that aired on WNDU. 

There are few ways you can track Mr. Crooks’ progress and cheer him on virtually :

2022 Commencement Photos and Videos

On Monday, June 6th, 2022, Penn High School held our 63rd Commencement at the University of Notre Dame. The Class of 2022 included 833 students, and approximately 750 participated in the Commencement Ceremony. It was a wonderful time to celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of ALL of our graduates.

The full ceremony was recorded and has been archived on the Penn Harris Madison YouTube channel:

In addition to the fully produced program, we set up a camera to focus only on the students walking across the stage. If you want to see your graduate walk again, you can fast forward to their name in the alphabet and watch them in the video is below:

The official photos of every graduate were taken by Inter-State Photography and are available for purchase. Photos can be accessed using the following link and password:

Unofficial photos were taken by a Penn staff photographer and have been shared on social media. A link to the unofficial photos is below:

We have also uploaded the unofficial photos to the photo gallery below.

Photos may be downloaded free of charge.

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Penn’s Early College Academy Chosen to be a UCAN School Mentor

The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) today announced the launch of the state’s Urban College Acceleration Network (UCAN), a new partnership between urban Indiana schools with the mission of increasing students’ access to postsecondary courses through the Early College High School Program.

UCAN connects established Early College High Schools and urban schools that are seeking to become Early College High Schools. The model establishes the Early College High Schools as mentors for their Partner Schools, providing the Partner Schools with guidance and support as they work to accelerate their path toward becoming an Early College High School. Through UCAN, Partner Schools will have access to coaching and support for Early College coursework, along with educator professional development at no cost.

Penn High School’s Early College Academy was chosen, along with 3 other schools in Indiana, to help the Partner Schools build a model that empowers students to earn postsecondary credits alongside their high school diploma through dual credit opportunities. The Early College High School program, led by the University of Indianapolis’ Center of Excellence in Leadership and Learning (CELL) is providing professional development and operational support to UCAN schools. 

UCAN Mentor Schools:

  • Penn High School, St. Joseph County
  • Ben Davis University High School, Marion County
  • Hobart High School, Lake County
  • Muncie Central High School, Delaware County 

UCAN Partner Schools:

  • Anderson High School, Madison County
  • Arsenal Tech High School, Marion County
  • Concord High School, Elkhart County
  • Crispus Attucks High School, Marion County
  • Goshen High School, Elkhart County
  • Hammond Central High School, Lake County
  • Herron High School and Riverside High School, Marion County
  • Irvington Preparatory Academy, Marion County
  • Morton High School, Lake County
  • Terre Haute North Vigo High School, Vigo County
  • Terre Haute South Vigo High School, Vigo County
  • West Side Leadership Academy, Lake County

“As we look forward to welcoming our tenth cohort of EC students in the Fall,” said Associate Principal Rachel Fry. “We also pause to celebrate over $10M dollars in college tuition saved by EC families to date! While this is an incredible benefit to families, students also thrive due to the Smaller Learning Community environment, teachers that loop with students, field trip experiences to college campuses and more, and leadership opportunities in our school and community.” 

UCAN follows and expands on the model of the similar successful rural school initiative, the Rural Early College Network (RECN), which is now in its third year of operation. Following this model, four geographically diverse urban Early College High Schools were selected to serve as UCAN Mentor Schools, and additional urban schools from across the state were given the opportunity to apply to serve as Partner Schools.

This program will be supported with $4.1 million in funding through the third round of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund.

In 2022, Penn’s Early College Academy was re-endorsed as an “Early College High School” by (CELL) at the University of Indianapolis. The Academy was first endorsed in 2019; it is regarded as an exemplar for other high schools across Indiana implementing an Early College program. The 8 EC Core Principles (as outlined by CELL) are: 

  • Targeted Student Population
  • Curriculum & Plan of Study
  • College-Going Culture
  • Rigorous Instruction
  • Supports for Student Success
  • Collaboration & Partnerships
  • Leadership & Staffing
  • Data Collection, Analysis, and Use

“We know that achievement gaps persist in reading, math, and educational attainment among Indiana’s racially and ethnically diverse, low-income, special education and English language learner students – gaps that were exacerbated by the pandemic,” said Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education. “I’m thrilled that through the UCAN partnership, many of our urban schools will come together to leverage their collective knowledge and experience to help close these gaps and expand pathway opportunities for every student to succeed.”

Class of 2022 Commencement Information

Commencement Livestream: penn.phmschools.org/2022PennGraduation

 

We are happy to once again be able to hold Commencement at the University of Notre Dame’s Purcell Pavilion. There is no ticket requirement—meaning families are not limited on the amount of attendees. 

More than 800 members of the Class of 2022 will graduate Monday, June 6 at 7:00 p.m. Click here for the most up-to-date senior information emailed out on Monday, May 23. Click here to read the comprehensive list of senior information mailed to homes in April.

Senior Recognition Night (students receiving honors and awards have already received their invitations) was held Tuesday, May 10. Click here for a recap of all the senior awards handed out.

A livestream of Commencement will again be provided to friends  and family not in attendance. All Families have to do is return to this webpage on Penn’s website, https://penn.phmschools.org/2022PennGraduation, Monday, June 6 at 7:00 p.m. The placeholder graphic will be replaced by the embedded livestream from YouTube.

Penn students illustrate books written by Mary Frank students

P-H-M teachers look for opportunities to give their students experiential learning experiences. Through project-based learning students get “Rigor, Relevance, & Relationships.” That’s just what Penn Graphic Arts teacher Miss Alex Dunfee had in mind when she reached out to Mary Frank 3rd grade teacher Ms. Lindsay Helman.

Ms. Helman students were practicing narrative story telling and had written longer format stories. Miss Dunfee thought it would be good experience for her students to illustrate the 3rd graders’ books using their artistic skills. Through a Penn PTO grant, Miss Dunfee was able to get the books “published” and today (Friday, May 27) the Penn artists delivered the books to the Mary Frank authors.

Take a look at the photo gallery below at the amazing work created as a part of this collaboration …

Exceptional Education Academy Graduation 2022

Today a Commencement for Exceptional Education Academy students who are members of the Class of 2022. This special ceremony is a celebration and honors the students for their amazing achievements and accomplishments.

Today’s event was also very special because student Ellie Crawford, who passed away in March, was honored posthumously; her parents were on hand to accept her diploma. Friend and fellow Class of 2022 member Taylor Przybysz painted a portrait of Ellie, from the picture below, as a gift to Ellie’s parents.

Ellie Crawford's parents Ellie Crawford portrait Ellie Crawford picture

“Pennstock” culminates Junior U.S. History course study of the 1960s

Before the Pandemic, it was an annual tradition for Penn juniors taking American History classes to participate in “Pennstock”–Penn’s version of Woodstock. Students studying the 60s get to act out some form of performance whether it be musical, a speech, or some other experiential learning demonstration. Students really get into it, even dressing the part. Pennstock has come to be a springtime favorite for Penn students and teachers alike because they get out to enjoy the sunshine, weather permitting. 

See a picture of your 60s clad student? You can download high-resolution JPG files from the photo gallery below, just simply click the “DOWNLOAD” button on the bottom right-hand corner of the photo while viewing it in the Photo Gallery function. We are happy to provide this service to you, free of charge!

Penn announces Valedictorians, Salutatorians for Class of 2022

Penn High School Principal Sean Galiher announced the Valedictorians and Salutatorians for the Class of 2022.

Click here for information Penn’s Commencement Ceremony, 7 p.m., Monday, June 6, 2022, at Notre Dame’s Purcell Pavilion.

Hala Ansari, Parnasi Bandyopadhyay, Manaal Buchh, Alexander Du, Salem Fitwi, Arthur Haines, Jedidiah Kim, Amrita Kulkarni, Jason Kwok, Luca Nijim, Nadia Ranginwala, Jeremiah (J.R.) Roach, Shelley Shen, Gurkirat Singh, Aisha Sirajuddin, Saniya Zackariya and Matthew Zhang were named Valedictorians.

Nikita Amin, Marin Chester, Kennedy Chester, Evan Nayee and Claire Shive were named Salutatorians.

“I am very proud of the accomplishments of our 2022 Valedictorians,” Galiher said. “Their commitment to excellence in the classroom and with their extracurricular endeavors is impressive, and I am excited to see what they will accomplish as they move forward with their future plans.”

CLASS OF 2022 VALEDICTORIANS 

Hala Ansari

HALA ANSARI

  • Parents: Adeela Alizai and Asad Ansari
  • Elementary School: Northpoint
  • Middle School: Discovery
  • College/career plans: Indiana University; Accounting/Finance
  • Honors/activities: NHS, Key Club, MSA, TEAMS, Math Academic Superbowl, Freshmen Mentoring, Chess Club

 

Parnasi Bandyopadhyay

PARNASI BANDYOPADHYAY

  • Parents: Moumita Bandyopadhyay and Piyas Bandyopadhyay
  • Elementary School: Northpoint
  • Middle School: Discovery
  • College/career plans: Indiana University; Biology Professor
  • Honors/activities: Marching Band (Saxophone Section Leader), French Club (Club Officer), Freshmen Mentoring (Executive), Girl Up (Treasurer), National Honor Society, Kingsmen Court, 2022 Rising Star of Indiana, AP Scholar with Distinction

 

Manaal Buchh

MANAAL BUCHH

  • Parents: Asima Rashid and Basharat Buchh
  • Elementary School: Stanley Clark
  • Middle School: Stanley Clark
  • College/career plans: University of Notre Dame; physician
  • Honors/activities: Activities/Memberships: Executive Board for Kingsmen Court, Captain of Speech and Debate Team, Executive Board for Muslim Student Association, Student Representative on Superintendent’s Advisory Council, Student Ambassador to the School Board, National Honors Society member, Key Club Member, PEAC member, TEAMS member, and Kingsmen Tutor Leader, Recipient of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship, Recipient of the Wells Scholarship, National Merit Finalist, AP Scholar with Distinction

 

Alexander Du

ALEXANDER DU

  • Parents: Hui Liu and Wenhui Du
  • Elementary School: Northpoint
  • Middle School: Discovery
  • College/career plans: Purdue University; Aerospace Engineering
  • Honors/activities: Model UN, National Honor Society, TEAMS, Key Club, Symphonic Orchestra, National Merit Scholarship Finalist

 

Salem Fitwi

SALEM FITWI

  • Parents: Neima Mohammed and Abrar Fitwi
  • Elementary School: Prairie Vista
  • Middle School: Schmucker
  • College/career plans: Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania to study finance; Hedge Fund/Investment Banking/Asset Management; Hedge Fund/Investment Banking/Asset Management
  • Honors/activities: Coca-Cola Scholar Semifinalist, Lilly Endowment Scholar, National Merit Scholar Finalist, Indiana Rising Star, AP Scholar with Distinction, Schmucker Middle School MathCounts Head Coach, MSA Executive, MUN Executive, DECA Public Relations & Fundraising Officer, TEAMS Captain, Financial Research at the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame QuarkNet Internship, Notre Dame Leadership Seminar

 

Arthur Haines

ARTHUR HAINES

  • Parents: Sandy Smith and Mark Haines
  • Elementary School: Horizon
  • Middle School: Discovery
  • College/career plans: The Ohio State University, Double Major in Finance and Economics; Investment Banking/Private Equity
  • Honors/activities: DECA PR/Fundraising Officer, Kingsmen Tutoring Leader, Model UN, TEAMS, National Merit Scholarship Finalist, DECA District and State Champion and International Finalist, TEAMS State Champion

 

Jedidiah Kim

JEDIDIAH KIM

  • Parents: Kyungphil Kim and Hansol Kim
  • Elementary School: Town Center
  • Middle School: Discovery
  • College/career plans: Northwestern University; Financial Economics; Investment Banking
  • Honors/activities: TEAMS, DECA, Economics and Investments Club

 

Amrita Kulkarni

AMRITA KULKARNI

  • Parents: Alakananda Kulkarni and Gurudutt Kulkarni
  • Elementary School: Stanley Clark
  • Middle School: Stanley Clark
  • College/career plans: Washington University in St. Louis for a 4-year bachelor degree in Economics and Political Science; interested in pursuing a career as an economics and policy analyst for government or independent agencies
  • Honors/activities: Speech and Debate Team for all four years of high school and for the last two years, team captain; 2021 and 2022 National Qualifier in Lincoln-Douglas (LD) Debate, the 2021 Indiana State Runner-Up in LD debate; placed in the top 50 out 450 competitors at the 2021 National Debate Tournament, 2022 District Champion in LD debate; involved in Kingsmen Court, National Honor Society (NHS), and Quiz Bowl (two-year captain); part of Dr. Don Westerhausen’s campaign team, interacted with more than 400 voters in the district, volunteer at St. Margaret’s House for the last four years, providing educational, technological, and job search assistance for women in South Bend

 

Jason Kwok

JASON KWOK

  • Parents: Christina Kwok and Chu Kwok
  • Elementary School: Hums
  • Middle School: Discovery
  • College/career plans: Indiana University; Optometrist
  • Honors/activities: Executive on Kingsmen Court, the Co-President of Chinese Club, a freshmen mentor, and a member of Quiz Bowl, Key Club, and Medical Club

 

Luca Nijim

LUCA NIJIM

  • Parents: Allison Nijim and Sharif Nijim
  • Elementary School: Home-schooled
  • Middle School: Discovery
  • College/career plans: University of Notre Dame, majoring in Mathematics with a concentration in Computing
  • Honors/activities: Marching band section leader, FRC Robotics, Lilly Scholarship honoree, TEAMS National Champion, Eagle Scout, All-State Band, South Bend Youth Symphony Orchestras

 

Nadia Ranginwala

NADIA RANGINWALA

  • Parents: Mubashira Ranginwala and Amjad Ranginwala
  • Elementary School: Northpoint
  • Middle School: Discovery
  • College/career plans: Indiana University; Neuroscience
  • Honors/activities: Penn Environmental Awareness Club Co-Founder, Penn Advocates for Thinking Health President, Quiz Bowl Varsity Member, Chess Club, Model United Nations, Muslim Student Association, TEAMS, Medical Club, Volunteering at St. Joseph Medical Hospital, AP Scholar with Distinction, Indiana University Provost Academic Scholarship

 

Jeremiah Roach

JEREMIAH (J.R.) ROACH

  • Parents: Clare Roach and Brandon Roach
  • Elementary School: Prairie Vista
  • Middle School: Schmucker
  • College/career plans: Stanford; Engineering/Computer Science
  • Honors/activities: NHS, Jazz Band, Jazz Combo, Robotics, Teams Captain and National Champion, Spell Bowl, Quarknet, Math ASB, Chinese Club Vice-President, National Merit Scholar, MathCon national qualifier

 

Shelley Shen

SHELLY SHEN

  • Parents: Qing Li and Dengke Shen
  • Elementary School: Northpoint
  • Middle School: Discovery
  • College/career plans: Northwestern; Biology and Computer Science
  • Honors/activities: Rising Stars of Indiana Class of 2022, AP Scholar with Distinction; Key Club President, Science Academic Super Bowl Captain, National Honor Society Blood Drive Chair, Quiz Bowl, Kingsmen Tutor, Freshmen Mentor, Kingsmen Court

 

Gurkirat Singh

GURKIRAT SINGH

  • Parents: Arvinder Kaur and Satinder Pal Singh
  • Elementary School: Prairie Vista
  • Middle School: Discovery
  • College/career plans: Villanova University/Finance
  • Honors/activities: Mathnasium math instructor, brand ambassador of WeGoal, Mathcon finalist, Quarknet, TEAMS captain, Indiana Math League competitor, Spell Bowl State Champion, AP Scholar with distinction

 

Aisha Sirajuddin

AISHA SIRAJUDDIN

  • Parents: Atiyakhanam Sirajuddin and Mohammad Sirajuddin
  • Elementary School: Northpoint
  • Middle School: Discovery
  • College/career plans: Indiana University; Neuroscience
  • Honors/activities: National Honors Society, Freshman Mentoring, Key Club, Model U.N., Kingsmen Court.

 

Saniya Zackariya

SANIYA ZACKARIYA

  • Parents: Mehafareed Zackariya and Khaleelus Zackariya
  • Elementary School: Northpoint
  • Middle School: Discovery
  • College/career plans: Purdue University; Engineering, Psychology
  • Honors/activities: Kingsmen Court Executive, Penn’s Environmental Awareness Executive, National Honors Society, Key Club, English Academic Super Bowl, Model UN, English Super Bowl State Champion 2021, AP scholar with distinction

 

Matthew Zhang

MATTHEW ZHANG

  • Parents: Na Qi and Wenhui Zhang
  • Elementary School: Northpoint
  • Middle School: Discovery
  • College/career plans: Princeton; Computer Science; Software Entrepreneur
  • Honors/activities: Football Kicker/Punter, WHME-46 Student Athlete of the Week, Academic All-State, DECA President, Robotics, Key Club, Chinese Club, Model U.N., Spell Bowl, Math ASB, TEAMS, NHS, Kingsmen Tutor, Freshmen Mentor, QuarkNet, Presidential Scholars Semifinalist, National Merit Finalist, National AP Scholar with Distinction, Rising Star, DECA ICDC Finalist.

 

CLASS OF 2022 SALUTATORIANS

 

Nikita Amin

NIKITA AMIN

  • Parents: Ekta Amin and Nikesh Amin
  • Elementary School: Northpoint
  • Middle School: Discovery
  • College/career plans: Purdue University; Actuarial Science
  • Honors/activities: National Honor Society Tutoring Chair, Key Club, Med Club social media manager, Penn Environmental Awareness Club, Posse Foundation Scholar, Freshman Mentor, Model United Nations

 

Kennedy Chester

KENNEDY CHESTER

  • Parents: Kristal Chester and Chad Chester
  • Elementary School: Prairie Vista
  • Middle School: Discovery
  • College/career plans: University of Florida; Genetic Counselor or Doctor in the field of pediatrics or Neonatology.
  • Honors/activities: Penn Competition Poms for 4 years, team captain as a senior; Key Club for four years, NHS for two years, Girl Up for two years as a public relations executive, Freshman Mentoring for three years, Freshmen Mentor  executive senior year; dancer at Legacy Dance Studio; received Silver Key Scholastic Art Award, AP Scholar with Distinction award, accepted into the National Honor Society, and four in the state for AAA Poms competitions three years, high school honor roll for all four years.

 

Marin Chester

MARIN CHESTER

  • Parents: Kristal Chester and Chad Chester
  • Elementary School: Prairie Vista
  • Middle School: Discovery
  • College/career plans: University of Florida Honors Program Majoring in Zoology; Zoologist/Wildlife Biologist
  • Honors/activities: Vice President of Animal Outreach Club, Co-Officer of French Club, Member of National Honors Society, Member of Key Club, Member of Quiz Bowl, Penn Orchestra Leadership Team, 1st Violinist in Symphonic Orchestra, Employed as a Lead Instructor at Mathnasium: The Math Learning Center since October 2019, Went to ISSMA State with Violin Quartet 2022, Performed with the Penn Symphonic Orchestra during the 75th Annual Midwest Clinic in Chicago in December 2021, performed at the 2022 National Orchestra Festival/American String Teachers Association in Atlanta, performed at Disney Performing Arts OnStage, Orlando, in April, 2022; earned 1st Place in Hunter/Jumper Equestrian Competitions hosted at Cedar Lodge and Willowbrooke Stables, 2020 Interscholastic Equestrian Association Regional qualifier

 

Evan Nayee

EVAN NAYEE

  • Parents: Laura Nayee and Anish Nayee
  • Elementary School: Northpoint
  • Middle School: Discovery
  • College/career plans: Indiana University; physician
  • Honors/activities: Boy Scouts (Eagle Scout), FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics, FIRST Dean’s List Finalist, FIRST Indiana Robotics Student Board of Directors, Key Club, National Honor Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society, Freshman Mentor, Symphonic Orchestra, Penn High School Orchestra Leadership Team, Medical Club, Mathnasium Instructor, Chinese Club, AP Scholar with Honor, National Merit Finalist

 

Claire Shive

CLAIRE SHIVE

  • Parent: Sophie Shive
  • Elementary School: Stanley Clark
  • Middle School: Discovery
  • College/career plans: Cornell University; study biology and chemistry, veterinary science
  • Honors/activities: Dressage w/ Grainger Dressage, 1st violinist in Penn symphonic orchestra, solo violin and viola.