Camden Bohn stood in the end zone at Lucas Oil Stadium after leading Penn High School’s effort in the Class 6-A state championship football game on Saturday, sweat dripping off of his red face, passing off the credit for a proud moment in Penn’s storied football history.

Bohn, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound senior who will continue his academic and athletic careers at Harvard University, was named the Indiana High School Athletic Association mental attitude award winner. The Indianapolis Colts will present a scholarship of $1,000 to Penn High School in Bohn’s name.

“The mental attitude is a great honor,” Bohn said. “It goes to Penn High School, and the opportunities it has offered me. This award goes to the entire Penn community. It’s a great honor to receive it. Penn High School has a great atmosphere. The administration, the teachers, the students, the community has made it a great place. It’s really prepared me for this experience and the future.”

Penn-Harris-Madison Supt. Dr. Jerry Thacker said that he was proud of Penn’s effort in the championship game, and of Bohn for being named the mental attitude award winner. Bohn is the 22^nd student-athlete in Penn history to earn the coveted IHSAA award.

“Tonight was a special moment,” Dr. Thacker said. “Our Penn football team was showcased in this state championship event. We came up a little bit short, but I couldn’t be prouder of them. And then to realize that we have the mental attitude award winner in Camden Bohn … what a marvelous scholar-athlete he is.

“When I think of the preparation that he’s had at Penn High School, with all of the opportunities that he’s had through the academies, the rigor, relevance, relationships … he’s a great role model,” Dr. Thacker continued. “We have that triangle of success in place, definitely, when you think of our student-athletes, when you think of Camden Bohn, with the parents being actively involved, great teachers and a highly motivated student.”

Penn High School principal Steve Hope lauded Bohn’s selection as the IHSAA mental attitude award winner.

“Camden Bohn is about the best example of a student-athlete you could ask for,” Hope said. “He is an amazing quarterback with great athleticism, passing and running for over 1,000 yards this year. Like all athletes at Penn, Camden concentrates on his studies first, exemplifying what it means to be a student-athlete. He is one of the best students in his class and has committed to Harvard, one of the finest learning institutions in the world.”

Penn athletic director Aaron Leniski said that Bohn has been an outstanding representative of Penn High School.

“Penn High School is very proud of Camden Bohn,” Leniski said. “As a senior leader for the Kingsmen, he exemplifies what it means to be a student-athlete.  Camden has achieved excellence in the classroom as well as on the athletic field and this recognition is very well deserved for his efforts.”

Cory Yeoman, the head football coach at Penn, said that Bohn has been an inspiring representative of Penn football.

“What a great role model, what a great leader,” Yeoman said of Bohn. “To do everything he does in the classroom and the community, and have the success he’s had and still be so humble and be a good person … he’s a special individual. He’s got it figured out.”

The Harvard-bound Bohn is on track to be a valedictorian at Penn. The son of Kevin and Sharon Bohn of Granger, Bohn is also a member of the National Honor Society and won the President’s Academic Award and AP Award. He plans to become an orthopedic surgeon.

Penn’s IHSAA mental-attitude award winners

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, Girls Soccer (2-A), Kamra Solomon

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

Penn High School’s football team waged a valiant effort against No. 1-ranked Center Grove in the Class 6-A state championship game Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Penn came up short on the scoreboard as Center Grove captured a 28-16 victory, but the Kingsmen were never short on heart or fight.

“I sleep well at night knowing that our kids are going to battle,” Penn head coach Cory Yeoman said. “I know we’ll never back down, and we’ll keep rocking back. That’s exactly what we did tonight.

“We made some great plays, we did some things, we just couldn’t make enough of them, but it wasn’t because of lack of preparation, or lack of effort. I’m forever grateful and thankful for this senior class and how they led this football team.”

A community celebration of Penn’s season will be held at 6 p.m. Sunday in the Penn High School main arena.

Penn closed to 14-3 when Sam Scholtes kicked a 21-yard field goal with 3:10 left in the second quarter.

An 11-play, 77-yard march to open the third quarter allowed the Kingsmen to pull within 14-10. James Iapalucchi hauled in a 15-yard TD strike from Camden Bohn for the score.

Bohn blasted through the Center Grove defense for a 10-yard TD run with 8:38 left in the fourth quarter to help Penn close to 21-16.

Bohn was 12-of-18 passing for 139 yards, and he rushed 16 times for 88 yards to lead Penn’s “Gold Rush” offense.

John Ohlson caught six passes for 75 yards, and Brice Voorde caught four passes for 43 yards.

Kobe Woods led Penn’s “Wild Bunch” defense with 13 tackles. Parker Adkins had 10 tackles, Paul Moala nine, Reece Treber eight, Will Vakalahi six and Jason Alexander five. Will Vakalahi and Zach Main made a tackle for loss each.

Penn finishes the 2015 season with a 12-2 record, winning semistate, regional, sectional and Northern Indiana Conference championships.

After the game, Penn’s Camden Bohn said that the entire senior class played a leadership role in the Kingsmen success.

“I think the senior class is great,” Bohn said. “A lot of players go unnoticed, and you don’t hear their names on Friday or Saturday night, but those are some of the true leaders. They lead the team in practice, and that allows us to perform well.”

Penn High School students must depart from the south section of the school by 3:50 p.m. after the school day. This section would include the commons area near Door A, the IMC, Guidance and the LGI rooms area, the 190’s hallway, the 100’s hallway and the 120’s hallway, and the Tech area, as well as the corresponding areas on the second floor.

Students may be picked up at Door B, or doors in the Arena/athletic facilities area in the north section of the school after 3:50 p.m.

Any student in the south section of the school after 3:50 p.m. must be under the supervision of a teacher or administrator.

On Sunday, November 22, the Indiana Association of School Principals (IASP) recognized Steve Hope, Principal of Penn High School, with its highest honor … 2015 State High School Principal of the Year! (Penn High School celebration’s took place on Dec. 1)

Hope was nominated by staff at Penn High School and elected by his fellow area principals as District 2 High School Principal of the Year in the spring. However, the state award Sunday night came as a surprise. The recognition ceremony was a part of the 2015 Principals of the Year Recognition Celebration during IASP’s annual Fall Professional Conference in Indianapolis.  All District winners were recognized at the dinner with the state winner being announced in a special ceremony. One principal from each of Indiana’s 12 districts was honored. Northern Indiana’s District 2 is made up of Elkhart, Fulton, Kosciusko, La Porte, Marshall, Pulaski, St. Joseph and Starke Counties.

Known to his students as an attentive and compassionate leader, Hope also serves as a mentor to Penn’s 194 teachers and staff. During his time as principal, Penn’s graduation rate accelerated from 79% in 2008 to 97% in 2014. Indiana’s Department of Education named Penn an A-rated school, a 4-Star Award winner and a 90-25-90 high school. U.S. News and World Report named Penn an Outstanding High School in 2009 and again in 2015.

Hope has been able to achieve milestones such as these by turning what could seemingly be an overwhelming high school of 3,500 students into seven smaller schools within one large one. Penn’s academy structure is a result of a $1.7 million dollar federal grant in 2010. Hope used the Smaller Learning Communities grant to lead the reorganization of Penn from a traditional high school to one that offers supportive environments that cultivate creativity and rigor where each student is known by his teachers and peers. The personalized approach starts with all students being enrolled in the Freshman Academy, which helps middle school students acclimate to high school. Penn’s other six academies support college and career readiness and pair students to their academic and professional interests:  Fine Arts & Communications, Management & Business, Health and Human Services, STEM, World Languages and the Early College Academy.

Penn’s smaller learning community structure is successful because Hope has led the effort to not just focus on the students’ success, but the teachers’ as well. Hope realized that in order for the students to excel they would have to be taught by highly engaged and trained teachers and staff. Part of Hope’s vision at Penn has been to focus on professional development, implementing a comprehensive plan for all Penn teachers with special emphasis on new teachers.

Hope started his nearly 20 year career at Penn High School as an art teacher in 1996 before being named Dean of Students in 1998. Hope then served as Director of Counseling for two years and was named Assistant Principal in 2003, Associate Principal in 2005 and became Principal of Penn High School in 2008.

Hope is a native of Holt, Michigan and started his education career as a teacher at Waycross High School in Waycross, Georgia after graduating from Western Michigan University. He has a Master’s of Science and Secondary Education and Educational Leadership from Indiana University South Bend and is currently pursuing his doctorate in Education Leadership from Purdue University, which will be completed in May 2017.

He serves on a number of boards including the South Bend Museum of Art, Indiana Mock Trial Association and Indiana University of South Bend. Hope is also a member of the Indiana Association of School Principals and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

IASP State President Kelly Andrews and Executive Director Todd Bess presented Hope with the award. Penn-Harris-Madison Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker was present along with Hope’s wife Becky. IASP notified P-H-M beforehand that Hope would be chosen as the 2015 Principal of the Year making it possible for Hope’s three daughters Mairede, Cecilia and Savannah along with his mother, brother, sister, brother-in-law and son-in-law to be present at the ceremony for the announcement.

The Indiana Association of School Principals is a not-for-profit, professional association serving over 2500 building level administrators in the state of Indiana. 

A 15-pound turkey was placed in the oven at 8 a.m.

As the morning progressed, cheesy potatoes, green bean casseroles and corn casseroles were warmed.

When students in Penn High School’s Nutrition and Wellness/Foods arrived in Room 134 last Thursday at 11:30 a.m., they were greeted by a symphony of mouth-watering aromas from a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

Students of Cara Watt and Amy Rice studied the foods involved in the Thanksgiving meal, the proper preparation techniques, and then planned and created the meal.

For a class of 25, that meant tasks such as peeling and preparing seven pounds of potatoes, and whipping up pumpkin bars. In the process, the students developed life-long skills, ranging from creativity and organization to problem-solving and planning.

“It is always great to get an invitation to a Thanksgiving dinner,” Penn High School principal Steve Hope said. “As impressive and tasty as the food was, I was even more impressed with the student effort and the student learning.

“The students in this class told me about how much better food tastes when made from scratch,” Hope said. “They also noted that when they make dishes from scratch, that they are then aware of everything that is contained in their food, unlike packaged food. Students were also quick to share that food made from scratch has more nutrients and fewer preservatives.

“Lindsy Kline added that it is more economical than buying fast food or pre-packaged food. It was great to see our students embracing the slow-food movement and moving away from the less healthy fast-food alternatives.”

Kline said that the Foods class will have reach far beyond her days at Penn High School.

“I’m glad Penn offers this kind of class. It’s fun, and it prepares you for real-world things,” Kline said. “This class will be helpful, because we learned the different terms and when to use them, and it will be helpful with Thanksgiving coming up, because I can contribute more than what I have in the past.”

Watt said that the Thanksgiving feast is incorporated into the Foods class Poultry Unit.

“Students plan the lab on day one, prep the food the next class, and eat the following class,” Watt said. “I also have a couple students carve the turkey.”

Watt pointed out the long-lasting impact of the Foods class.

“The skills we use for this lab as well as all other labs are lifelong skills that students will be able to use in their post-high school life, regardless of the path they choose to take,” Watt said. “Whether they attend a college or university, go right into the workforce, join the military, etc. … they will use the everyday skills they learn in class.”

Whether a student knows their way around the kitchen, or they are a novice, Watt and Rice teach the students the basics of measuring, equipment and proper use, equivalents, and cooking terms.  

“The class is a great way for students to get hands-on experience in the kitchen, work as a team and learn how to prepare simple and challenging recipes,” Watt said. “It's a non-traditional learning environment, welcoming to all grade levels, genders, personalities, etc. …  and the best part is…THEY GET TO EAT EVERYTHING THEY MAKE!!!”

TICKET SALES AT THE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CENTER ARE NOW CLOSED—TICKET SALES AT PENN WILL END AT 1:00 PM WEDNESDAY NOV. 25—TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AT THE STADIUM DAY OF GAME

Who: Penn (12-1) vs. Center Grove (13-0)

What: IHSAA Football 6-A State Championship

When: Saturday, November 28th

Where: Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)

Time: Kickoff is set for 7:05 p.m. (the Class 2-A state championship game is scheduled for noon, and the Class 4-A state championship game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.).

Gates Open: 11:00 a.m.

Ticket Price: $15.00 per day. Seats are all general admission.  Purchase tickets at Penn! School is reimbursed $1.00 for each ticket sold at school. Tickets also available at the stadium.

Ticket Availability: Tickets are on sale at the Penn Athletic Office starting Thurs. Nov. 19, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Ticket sales at the Educational Services Center (just north of the high school) start Friday, Nov. 20, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  

Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, 500 S. Capitol Avenue, Indianapolis

Television:  Fox Sports Indiana Plus

Radio: IHSAA Championship Network (locally 91.1 The Globe)

Webstream: IHSAAtv.org

Twitter: @The_Pennant

Just in case you haven’t heard … the Kingsmen football team is heading to the STATE CHAMPIONSHIP on Saturday, Nov. 28!!!

In an effort to build school and P-H-M community support, the Penn Football Mom's Club designed "the shirt" for our Kingsmen.

The t-shirts are $10.00 each. Click here to order and pay online or paste this into your browser http://www.gottogettees.com/index.php?route=common/home.

PLEASE NOTE: on the order form where it asks for player’s last name, no players names will be added. #WINSTATE will be on the back of all shirts. Please put #WINSTATE in this area of the form.

Please also put the name of your school building next to your name on the order form so that shirts can be distributed.  

Student Distribution 
The Football Mom's Club will be at all Penn lunches Tuesday, Nov. 24 and Wednesday, Nov. 25 for student t-shirt pick-up.  A limited number of t-shirts may also be on hand for cash sales.

Staff Distribution
P-H-M teacher and staff members should include their school next to their name on the order form. The Penn Football Mom's will deliver t-shirts to your school offices by the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 25 .

Show your Kingsmen pride and support the team … GO PENN!!!

Game Information:

Who:                Penn vs. Center Grove

What:               IHSAA 6A State Football Championship

When:              Saturday, November 28th

Time:               7:05 p.m. Kickoff

Where:             Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis

Tickets:           $15.00 each.  Tickets are currently on sale in the Penn Athletic Office. Starting on Friday, Nov. 20, tickets can be purchased in the Athletic Office or at the Educational Services Center (55900 Bittersweet Rd., Mishawaka)

The following events have been changed due to the Penn High School football team advancing to the state championship game on Saturday, Nov. 28, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis:

BOYS BASKETBALL: Penn’s game at Carroll, originally scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 28, has been moved to Saturday, Jan. 16, at Carroll. The junior varsity game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m., and the varsity game is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m.

BOYS BASKETBALL: Penn’s game at Valparaiso, originally scheduled for Friday, Dec. 4, is now scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 22. The JV game is scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m. ET, with the varsity game set to start at 8:30 p.m. ET.

GIRLS BASKETBALL: The time of Penn’s home game against Elkhart Central, scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 28, has been changed. The junior varsity is now scheduled to tip-off at 9 a.m., and the varsity is set to start at 10:30 a.m.

WRESTLING: Penn’s junior varsity matches scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 28, at North Newton and at Munster have been cancelled.

WRESTLING: Penn’s home meet against South Bend Clay has been moved from Thursday, Dec. 3, to Tuesday, Dec. 8. The meet is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

Penn High School’s Fine Arts Academy presents the Kaleidoscope Concert Series on Wednesday, Nov. 18, and Thursday, Nov. 19, at the Penn High School Center for the Performing Arts.

Kaleidoscope I will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 18 in the Penn High School Center for the Performing Arts. This concert will feature the combined eighth grade bands from Discovery, Grissom and Schmucker Middle Schools, along with the Penn Advanced Jazz Ensemble, the Penn Symphonic Winds and the Penn Marching Kingsmen in an unique standstill performance.

Kaleidoscope II takes place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 19 in the Penn CPA. This concert will feature both Intermediate and Advanced Jazz Ensembles, the Freshmen Intermediate and Freshmen Advanced Concert Bands, as well as the Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Symphonic Winds and the marching band.

"The first Kaleidoscope concert is a fun way to introduce our 8th grade bands to each other, and to the opportunities that await them at Penn,” said Penn High School Fine Arts Academy leader Glenn Northern. “We are so thrilled to have these students with us for this event"

Tickets for each Kaleidoscope performance is $5 in advance and $6 at the door.

Ticket sales will be conducted on Tuesday, Nov. 17, during all lunch hours in the Penn cafeteria.

Tickets may also be purchased online at www.ticketracker.com and one hour before each show at the box office.

The tournament draw last weekend determined that the Kingsmen will take on the LaPorte Slicers in the first round of IHSAA 6A sectional play, Friday, October 23.

Penn will host that match-up; kick off at TCU Freed Field is scheduled for 7:30pm EDT/6:30pm CST.

Pre-sale tickets are $6 and will be available starting Monday, Oct. 19 at both the Penn High Athletic Office and the Educational Services Center, 55900 Bittersweet Road, Mishawaka.

The Kingsmen have some business to take care of ahead of sectionals, however, and that is meeting the Mishawaka Cavemen in the last regular season game. Mishawaka will host “the backyard brawl” on October 16, with kick-off at 7 p.m.