Today (Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015) 10 teams of Penn students (47 students in all) competed in the 5th annual Whirlpool Innovation Challenge at the World Headquarters in Benton Harbor, Michigan.

 

The annual Whirlpool Innovation Challenge provides Penn STEM students with real world problem solving learning opportunities. Whirlpool provides the students with several challenges of which to choose from and then develop a product based on the chellange. This year’s theme centered on water filtration.

At the beginning of the semester, STEM students decide to participate in the Whirlpool Innovation Challenge or another type of problem based learning project. For months, the teams have worked on their concepts. Two weeks ago all the teams competed for the opportunity to be among the top 10 finalists teams that would make their pitch before Whirlpool Executives. Today was the culmination of months of work.

At today’s final pitch, all 10 teams gave a short time presentation and then answered questions from the Whirlpool panelists. Then during an “exposition”-type fair, students answered questions about their projects from Whirlpool employees. Anyone was able to vote. Winners were chosen from the votes along with input from teachers and the Whirlpool executive judges.

The 2^nd place team, “Team R” was made up of students from Mr. Jim Langfeldt’s class: Katie Lo, Jack Neubauer, Zach Simon and two other students. Their challenge was “Elevating Water.”

“Team W” members won 3^rd Place, also from Mr. Langfeldt’s class, were Cassidee Centilli, Sydney Cole, Nathan Doshi, Grant Harrington and Justin Ralston. They chose the “Traveler Edition Water Filtering Solution” as their team challenge.

Mr. Sauer’s “Team C,” made up of Alex Dobbins, Andrew Fair, Andrew Fuller, Logan McGuire and Emmanuel Smith won Best Presentation and Employee Choice Awards for their idea for the “EveryDrop Auto-filling Pitcher” challenge.

All teams walked away with a certificate from Whirlpool and prizes like EveryDrop gortex jackets, water bottles, reusable hot/cold grocery bags, cell phone chargers and some pretty cool sunglasses! But more importantly the great opportunity to participate in a real-world business competition.

Holiday tunes will cascade throughout the Penn High School Center for Performing Arts on Thursday, Dec. 10 (7 p.m.), Friday, Dec. 11 (7 p.m.), and Sunday, Dec. 13 (3 p.m.) with the Penn Fine Arts Academy presentation of “Sounds of the Season” holiday concert. The concert is directed by Andrew Nemeth and Brent Holaway, accompanied by Andrew Napolitan.

Tickets are $6 and are on sale at all Penn lunches, at the box office one hour before each show, or online at www.ticketracker.com.

Two holiday concert traditions include a men's 4-part a cappella piece, "Shepherds Awake!", and the "Hallelujah Chorus" by Handel. 

Other featured songs include “Masters in This Hall”, “Wassail Song”, “Sleigh Ride”, “There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays”, “Carol of the Bells”, “Do You Hear What I Hear”, and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”.

Penn music teacher Brent Holaway said that the students started working on the concert in September, and have put in extra rehearsal work in December.

Penn High School senior Ben Knutson said that the set design is as outstanding as the music.

“As always the choir staff has done a fantastic decorating the stage and creating a terrific visual presentation for the concert,” Knutson said. “A Penn Choir tradition, the combined choirs will process into the CPA to begin the concert giving the audience an up close and personal experience with the choirs.”

Holaway said that the preparation for the concert is always meticulous.

“We try to do everything in a professional manner – from program design to stage and lobby decorations that fit our "Theme" for the year,” Holaway said. “This year we are featuring gingerbread men and a gingerbread house for some whimsical holiday fun.”

Knutson said that Penn students appreciate the support they receive from the community, and they appreciate the opportunity to perform before an audience.

“Performing in public allows for the students to gain skills that are necessary for today's work world of being able to perform and present in front of crowds of people and being able to perform at the highest level,” Knutson said.

Knutson added that choir helps students develop skills such as creativity, collaboration and organization.

“Choir is a team endeavor,” said Knutson, a 6-foot-8 offensive tackle who earned a football scholarship to the University of Virginia. “Choir works together to reach a common goal, just as the Penn athletic teams do. Choir is the epitome of the pursuit of excellence that is the theme of the Kingsmen Athletic teams.”

Knutson said he also appreciates Penn’s commitment to the Arts as a vital part of education.

“The Arts are what make life worthwhile,” Knutson said. “While Math and English are important, without the arts, there would be no purpose behind the arts of others.”

Viva Voce, Penn High School’s auditioned advance chorale ensemble that is dedicated to performing the music of living composers, will showcase its talents at 8:40 a.m. on Sunny 101.5 FM on Monday, Dec. 7.

Andrew Nemeth, a music instructor in Penn High School’s Fine Arts Academy, came up with the idea for Viva Voce at Penn.

“There was no choir that existed for students who wanted a choir that studied and performed difficult concert music in a small choir setting,” Nemeth said.

Penn’s Viva Voce performed a concert this Fall that included works such as “Salmo 150” (Ernani Aguiar), “If Music Be the Food of Love” (Henry Purcell) and “Alleluia” (Ralph Manuel).

Currently, 27 students are involved with Viva Voce at Penn.

Nemeth said that he loves the way Viva Voce has made an impact on learning at Penn.

“I love the dedication and passion of my students,” Nemeth said. “Viva Voce is comprised of singers that want to go beyond what is sung in our normal choir classes; they have a desire to learn more and at a deeper level. I appreciate this group of students because they have learned an incredible amount of music, largely music at the collegiate level, and they are enjoying the process of making music together. 

“Viva Voce enhances student learning because it gives the students (and audience/community) exposure to high-quality vocal music not typically found in the high school setting,” Nemeth continued. “Students get a real-world look at what a choir concert typically looks like at the collegiate and professional levels. It gives the students a goal for which to achieve in rehearsal and performance.”

Viva Voce is a special feature that makes Penn’s Fine Arts Academy stand out.

“Viva Voce is truly unique,” Nemeth said. “Viva Voce specializes in the music of living composers, primarily to remind ourselves and our audience that choral music is alive and thriving. The name "Viva Voce" is Latin, meaning "Living Voices." Even when we program music from composers who are no longer living, we bring back to life, in a sense, the composer and the message set to music. It's truly a beautiful experience.

“Another way that Viva voce stands out is by commissioning music from composers, a rather unusual (though exciting) process for a high school choir,” Nemeth said. “The commissioning of new music is important because it ties the entire meaning of Viva Voce together – music is a living, breathing art form, and how better to prove this than by being trusted enough to perform the world-premiere of music written by composers specifically for our group, Viva Voce? By commission new music written for our group, we strengthen the larger choral community adding yet another quality piece to the already-rich library of choral music available world-wide.”

Penn’s next choir concert is the Sounds of the Season, scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 10 (7:30 p.m.), Friday, Dec. 11 (7:30 p.m.), and Sunday, Dec. 13 (3 p.m.). Tickets are $6 a person for the concert, and are available during all lunch hours at Penn this week, online at www.ticketracker.com, or one hour before each show at the ticket office.

The next Viva Voce concert is on Tuesday, March 22, at 7:30 p.m., and it will be a collaboration between Viva Voce and the Penn Jazz Band. Will Todd's “Mass in Blue”, a unique setting of the Latin Mass text set in a jazz style, is scheduled to be performed. Tickets for this event will be $6 in advance, or $8 at the door. All concerts will be held in Penn High School’s Center for the Performing Arts.

 Jostens will be here for the last time on Wednesday, December 9th during lunch to take graduation products and cap and gown orders.  If you have not yet placed your order, please bring your completed form and deposit to the order table Wednesday.  You can also order online at jostens.com. If you have any questions regarding your order, please call 1-800-Jostens or see the representative on Wednesday.

Creativity will be on the clock when Penn High School students take on the challenge of a 24-hour Theatre this weekend.

Penn students will begin the unique process on Friday night at 7 p.m. with auditions.

“We anticipate seven shows to be written and edited after auditions at 7 p.m. on Friday, December 4,” said Penn High School English teacher Michael Coffee, who is coordinating the event. “The seven shows are to be rehearsed during the morning and afternoon of Saturday, December 5.”

“The seven shows are to be performed at 7 p.m. in the Studio Theatre the night of Saturday, December 5,” Coffee said. “Tickets to the performances are $5.”

Tickets are online at www.ticketracker.com or can be purchased one hour before each show at the ticket office

Penn student Camille Arnett is signed on to be a writer at the event.

"It sounds like a ton of fun, if I’m honest,” Arnett said. “I like projects that are high-octane and full of adrenaline like this is … I also love the idea of writing for actors after meeting them, because they are inspiration themselves." 

Penn student Billie Bennett will be directing one of the performances.

"I've been a part of Penn Theatre since freshman year, and never before have we taken on a project that is so adrenaline-pumped and unusual," Bennett said.

Coffee and Penn drama teacher Courtney Qualls met with Bethel College’s Theatre Chair, Don Hunter, to develop the 24-Hour Theatre concept for high school students.

An organizational meeting was held for students in late October.

“This is an experience that hopes to draw in more participants than our traditional student-written and directed plays in that this experience demands the writer and director be different people,” Coffee said. “It is an opportunity to more fully immerse our Creative Writing participants in activities within the Fine Arts Academy, and our success this year may lead to collaboration with other artistic communities within the school. As the writers write, I intend to look for young playwright contests seeking submissions.

“The majority of our writers are coming out of our Fine Arts Academy's Creative Writing classes, which are taught by Caelea Armstrong,” Coffee continued. “Our directors, actors, and technical crew have a range of technical and acting experience within the Fine Arts Academy under the guidance of Courtney Qualls, David Dutton, and Adam Callender at Penn High School, but our students also have experience within the community.”

Coffee hopes to see the cutting-edge event develop into a Penn Fine Arts Academy tradition.

“We hope to expand this opportunity further down the line and partner with local organizations,” Coffee said. “Both Melissa Gard of South Bend's Acting Ensemble and Lucinda Moriarty of Michiana PlayMakers have applauded our efforts and look forward to hearing how it goes.”

It was a packed house for Tuesday’s (Dec. 1) celebration for Principal Steve Hope. Penn’s Main Arena was filled to the rafters with the student body of nearly 3,500 students. With the Marching Band playing, the students roaring applause and cheers, it felt more like a Pep Rally then an all-school assembly! But it’s not every day that your principal wins the highest honor in the state (a first time honor for P-H-M School Corporation) … Indiana’s 2015 Principal of the Year! And the local TV news stations were on hand to capture all the excitement. Students and faculty snapping, Tweeting and reTweeting pictures on their smartphones and the students using the strobelight effects all added to the “paparazzi” and electric atmosphere.

Executive Director of the Indiana Association of School Principals Mr. Todd Bess was on hand to make the official presentation of the award to Mr. Hope. He modestly accepted the award and noted that his honor was Penn’s honor and would not have been possible without his great students and all Penn’s teachers and staff. Mr. Hope thanked his mentor P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker, Board of School Trustee members: Larry Beehler, Chris Riley and Randy Leliaert, fellow P-H-M principals, P-H-M administration Cabinet members, as well as past colleagues and a former student–all of whom were in attendance. Local officials Indiana State Senator Ryan Mishler (R-9) along with a representative from U.S. Congresswoman Jackie Walorski’s (R-2) office were also in the audience for the big celebration. Mr. Hope first learned he won the award at the Nov. 22^nd IASP Conference.

Click here to see more pictures from the all-school celebration in our online Photo Gallery.

Click here for pictures from P-H-M’s Twitter feed.  

Click here to see ABC 57’s coverage of the event.

Click here to see WNDU’s coverage.

Penn High School, one of Indiana’s premiere centers of learning, will feature its educational opportunities for incoming and current students during the Penn Showcase, being held Monday, Dec. 7 and Tuesday, Dec. 8.

Named a Four-Star School by the state of Indiana, Penn High School is a heralded 90-25-90 school, surpassing the benchmarks of excellence by having a graduation rate of more than 90 percent, having more than 25 percent of students taking Advanced Placement classes, and having more than 90 percent of students passing ISTEP. One of the many reasons why Penn High School Principal Steve Hope was recently named the 2015 Indiana Principal of the Year.

Current P-H-M students and families, along with those who live within P-H-M boundaries but maybe attending other nearby schools, are invited to attend. This is an opportunity for community members, students and families to learn more about all the amazing programs Penn High School has to offer.

All visitors should enter Penn High School at Door C on Dec. 7, and Dec. 8.

Here is a schedule of the nights’ events:

• Welcome and orientation for current eighth-graders will be held in the Center for Performing Arts starting at 6:30 p.m.
• Welcome and diploma track overview for current students is scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m. in the Studio Theater.
• Honors/ACP/AP/Dual Credit Class Presentations will be from 7:10 to 7:35 p.m. in LGI-A.
• Early College presentations are scheduled from 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Center for Performing Arts.

At the conclusion of the Welcome sessions, students may visit the cafeteria, where teachers representing the Academies and elective classes will be available to answer questions and provide information. Representatives of Penn Exceptional Education Academy will also be available to answer questions.

Elective areas to tour and meet teachers include:

•             Visual Arts
•             Business
•             Family and Consumer Science
•             World Language
•             Performing Arts
•             Health & Wellness
•             Technology  
   

There will also be a Prospective Families Panel in the library where interested parties can hear from Penn parents and teachers.

The Elkhart Area Career Center will also have staffers available to provide information in the Commons area.

Representatives of Penn’s Counseling Center will also be available to provide support in the course selection process.

According to Penn High School Fine Arts Academy leader Glenn Northern, the purpose of the Showcase is two-fold.

“One purpose is to best illustrate for our eighth-grade families exactly what is available for them at Penn High School,” Northern said. “We want to help them understand their options for required courses, elective courses, as well as the large variety of clubs and activities that Penn High School has to offer.”

“We are also offering our current Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors information that will help them to navigate the best course for themselves as they move through Penn High School,” Northern said. “This includes information on elective courses, the Elkhart Area Career Center and our own Achievement Academies.”

With a graduation rate of more than 97 percent, Penn High School offers exceptional opportunities for college and career readiness through its academies – STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), Health and Human Services, Management and Business, Fine Arts and Communications, Early College, and Freshman Academy.

Penn stresses the Penn-Harris-Madison Triangle of Success – rigor, relationships, and relevance – while also being dedicated to a technology-rich learning environment. Each Penn student is issued a personal Chromebook.

Persons with follow-up questions or persons who want more information about Penn High School can email Mr. Hope at shope@phm.k12.in.us.

When Penn High School English 11 teacher Jeff Reed guides his students through the fictional writing process, he tells them that they have to virtually become the thing they are writing about.

For Reed, that meant hours and hours of watching films and videos of whales for the book that he authored, Sea of Echoes, which was recently published.

Reed is the author of Sea of Echoes, the story of Finn, a whale calf that must survive alone after its mother is killed by whalers. Reed and the book’s illustrator, Ruthie Briggs Greenberg, created a piece of literature that makes readers aware that whales are sentient beings that, despite living within the beauty and the majesty of the sea, still must undergo a constant struggle for survival.

On Sunday, Dec. 6, Reed and Briggs Greenberg will be at Barnes and Noble from 1 to 3 p.m. for a book signing at Barnes & Noble at the University Park Mall. Reed will be available to chat and sign copies of the book Sea of Echoes. Ten percent of the proceeds from the book signing will be donated to Penn High School.

Reed immersed himself in research of whales in order to write the book, which is designed to appeal to a wide range of elementary school readers.  Pre-schoolers will be engaged by the artwork of Briggs Greenberg. Reed has crafted rhyming couplets for each illustration, so parents can read the short version to younger children, while older children can read the 3,000 words of the entire book.

“It’s kind of a hybrid that we hope will grow with the child,” Reed said.

Penn High School principal Steve Hope said that Reed’s writing experience will benefit his students.

“I feel incredibly lucky to be working with Jeff Reed,” Hope said. “Few teachers have the wealth of knowledge about literature and the connections between literature and life that Jeff possesses. Jeff has such a kind and gentle personality and he has done a great job with all of our students. He has that unique ability to be able to challenge our very best students while supporting our more challenging students.

“The process of authoring a book is difficult, as it takes many years and a collaborative relationship with an editor,” Hope said. “Jeff now has a level of expertise and first-hand knowledge that will help many of our budding authors.”

Reed published Sea of Echoes under the name J. Mac Reed.

Reed said that the idea for the book was generated by Briggs Greenberg, who has also written and illustrated “Felicity the Dragon” which just came out in September.  It is also published by Taylor Trade. 

“It was really great to work with someone like Ruthie who is so involved in children’s literature,” Reed said. “I’m used to working with high school students, so her expertise in writing and illustrating for elementary readers was invaluable.”

Reed developed a complete English/Language Arts Common Core Curriculum that includes questions and activities matched to individual standards for kindergarten through fifth grade.

Teachers can access the curriculum for free by going to the Rowman and Littlefield Publishers website and entering Sea of Echoes in the search bar. Click on “Features” on the Sea of Echoes webpage and the curriculum.

Even though Indiana no longer has the Common Core, teachers can easily adapt the curriculum to Indiana standards. 

According to Reed, Sea of Echoes celebrates the beauty and the wonder of the oceans.

“We also want readers to understand that whales are sentient beings with emotional intelligence and abstract reasoning that are as close to that of humans as any other creatures on earth,” Reed said. “That is not anthropomorphism.  That is a known scientific fact.”

Reed said that he loved the writing process, especially when he got into the state where it felt like someone or something else was writing the book.

“A lot of writers have that,” Reed said. “It’s called “automatic writing”.  It’s like you’re the vessel and something else takes over.  I would sit at my keyboard at the beginning of the evening and just wonder where the story of “Sea of Echoes” would take itself. I was just along for the ride.”

Reed worked on the book for three years, and there was never a guarantee of the work being published.

“When the publisher tells you they are going to publish your book, it’s so far into the future that it doesn’t seem real,” Reed said. “Also, they can halt the project at any time, so even then it’s not definite.

“When I did get excited was when I finally saw the galley proofs,” Reed said. “Ruthie’s paintings for the book are so beautiful and it was amazing to see my words paired with her great works of art. Taylor Trade (our publisher) did a fantastic job on the layout. Ruthie and I always wanted our book to be a physical work of art, like the classic picture books from Victorian times, and Taylor Trade really made that dream come true for us. 

“The best part of the entire three-year creation process was when I got home last Monday, October 26, and there were three boxes of Sea of Echoes books sitting on my front porch. It’s not quite as good as seeing your children born, but it’s right up there!”

Next up for Reed is a historical-based novel.