Penn Robotics Team 135 is planning on spreading a little holiday cheer this year!

They’re calling on Penn and P-H-M students, families, staff, and members of the public to drop off toy donations. They are requesting electronic toys that have lights, make sounds, or have movements when a button is pressed. New toys in original packaging are preferred.  The team will then take these toys and “adapt” them as part of the Team’s Adapt-a-Thon event on Sat., Dec. 14 for children with disabilities. The team’s goal is to collect 300 electronic toys that can be made compatible with a sensitive button that people with disabilities can activate.

Toys can be dropped off at Penn High School, inside Door A, during school hours of 8:00-3:30 (avoiding bus drop-off and pickup times are highly recommended). There will be a collection box inside Door A. Members of the public can gain admittance through the security at Door A to drop of the toys.

Penn Robotics will also set up bins outside of the CPA and the Main Arena so that students, families and patrons attending events at Penn High School Dec. 2-13 can drop toys off then as well.

Toys will be accepted at Penn through Friday, December 13.

On Saturday, Dec. 14, Penn Robotics students will be working to adapt the toys in an event that is free and open to the public:

Adapt-a-Thon

Saturday, Dec. 14

11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Beacon Health System’s Pfeil Innovation Center​,  420 N Niles Ave., South Bend

*Toy donations will also be accepted at this event.

*Families of children with disabilities are welcome and encouraged to attend the Adapt-a-Thon event. Those who have toys at home who’d like them to be adapted are welcome and encouraged to bring them. Those families who do not, can receive one free adapted toy per child. Supplies will be limited.

Thank you to Beacon Healthcare for sponsoring the event and providing the location.

For more details, please click here to visit Team 135’s website.

This year’s annual Winter Dance will be held on Sunday, Jan. 19. This Year's theme is "A Night in the Tropics."

Tickets are $25 per person and will include admission, dancing, unlimited desserts and snacks, unlimited drinks (water, lattes, Frappuccino’s, Italian sodas, etc.). Special prize items will also be raffled off.

Click here for more details and to purchase tickets online.

Tickets will also be sold at Penn outside the Cafeteria during all lunches on Thursday, Jan. 16, and Friday, Jan. 17. Confirmations will be sent to students via email after the ticket purchase and included in that email will be a link for students to make music requests. 

Shoes are allowed!!!

Penn students MUST their tickets and school ID to enter.

Please note students from other high schools are welcome, but MUST be accompanied as a date of a current Penn High School student. Guests MUST also be 20 years old or younger, but middle school students are NOT allowed. All guests must have their school ID or state issued license to enter. 

Parent volunteers are needed. Interested parents can click here to volunteer.

Be sure check #KingsmenNation in the coming weeks for more details!

Monday, Dec. 9, 2019

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Penn High School

Incoming Freshmen (Current Eighth Graders)

6:00 p.m. – Welcome Session, Center For Performing Arts (CPA)

Please enter at Door C

Current Freshmen, Sophomores, & Juniors

You do not need to attend the Welcome Session. Enter at Door C, pick up a map, and start your tour with either the Live Classrooms, or visit the Academy Booths in the Cafeteria

Penn High School is filled with so many opportunities the choices can be overwhelming. We want to help match the right opportunities with your student's goals. The administration and staff of Penn High School extend a welcome to you and your student to attend the upcoming Penn Showcase which will allow you to investigate the many opportunities available. This Showcase night is for all students who will be attending Penn during the 2020-21 school year to come tour and learn more about Penn High School. This is a great time to speak to teachers and current students about course options. Some classes will be available to see live in action!

Elective Areas To Tour (Live Classrooms):

• Visual Art
• Business
• Family and Consumer Science
• World Languages
• Performing Arts
• Health & Wellness
• STEM

Besides the Live Classrooms, students and parents are encouraged to visit the Academy booths, which will be set up in the Cafeteria, to gain information into the academy structure at Penn High School. Teachers representing both academy and elective classes will be available to answer questions and provide information. We will also have representatives of the Early College Academy, Exceptional Education and the Elkhart Career Center.

Penn High School Clubs and activities will be featured in the Commons area inside of Door A.

Penn Guidance Counselors will be on hand as well to answer questions and meet with students and families.

Your involvement in your child’s education is vital to making the Penn experience a positive one. We value your participation in decisions related to planning your child’s class schedule.

A collaborative effort between parents, students, teachers, and counselors is essential to student success and is the model of P-H-M’s “Triangle of Success!”

Penn High School's Spell Bowl Team captured the State Championship with a score of 85 points out of 90 in the Spell Bowl State Championships at Purdue University on Saturday, Nov. 16. Terre Haute South placed second with a score of 84.

‪David Wang, Yewon Oh, Salem Fitwi, Matthew Zhang, Tasneem Ahmed & Karen Wang were perfect spellers! for Penn.

‪Maria Kallookulangara, Deena Baki and Tyler Mueller were near perfect spellers..

Gurkirat Singh scored a 7 for Penn.

The Kaleidoscope Concert will take place in Penn High School's Center for the Performing Arts. Please enter at Door C.

Tickets are $5 in advance and $6 at the door. Purchase tickets online at https://www.ticketracker.com/store/events/1529 or one hour before each show at the Penn box office.
 

The Kaleidoscope I Concert on November 20th will feature:

• Combined PHM 8th Grade Band
• Penn Advanced Jazz Ensemble
• Penn Symphonic Winds
• Penn Marching Kingsmen

The Kaleidoscope II Concert on November 21 will feature:

• Intermediate Jazz Ensemble
• Advanced Jazz Ensemble
• Freshman Band
• Concert Band
• Symphonic Band
• Symphonic Winds

P-H-M students, both girls and boys, in grades 4-12, are welcome to attend the Penn Winter Guard Open House on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019.

Come be a part of this incredible performing arts group!

Click here to download and print the flyer.

Penn High School hosted a National Signing Day ceremony for 21 Kingsmen student-athletes on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019.

A Photo Gallery is posted below. Click here for the complete list.

The message below was sent to all P-H-M parents from the Superintendent's Office the morning of Friday, Nov. 15, 2019:

Penn-Harris-Madison’s outstanding teachers are a critical component to P-H-M’s Triangle of Success providing excellent instruction to our students. In support of teachers and fair funding for public education, P-H-M has strong track record of working with State Legislators.

As momentum has grown for the “Red for Ed” action day at the State Legislature next Tuesday, Nov. 19, more Penn-Harris-Madison teachers have expressed interest to travel to Indianapolis to participate. 

We fully support their efforts. Therefore, all 15 P-H-M schools will be closed next Tuesday, Nov. 19. Administrative offices will remain open. Principals will adjust extracurricular activities as needed and will communicate any changes to their building parents and staff.

We will make up the day at the end of the school year. This will make the last day of school for P-H-M students Thursday, June 4.

Thank you for all you do as families to support our teachers.

Penn High School Orchestra Director Anne Tschetter and Principal Sean Galiher announced that three Penn students – Maya Kvartskhelia (First Violin, Assistant Concertmaster), Erica Cheng (Second Violin) and Joey Krachenfels (Viola) – have been named to the Indiana All-State Orchestra. Tschetter said that the Indiana All-State Orchestra will perform at the iconic Embassy Theater on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020, at the Indiana Music Educators Association Convention.

“The Indiana All-State Orchestra is a prestigious performance opportunity available to the hard-working and talented high school musicians across our state,” Tschetter said. “Each year orchestra students experience a distinguished conductor and perform professional level music.  This year the musicians get to work with Maestro Jeffrey Grogan and perform Tschaikovsky's Symphony No. 5.”

According to Tschetter, Orchestra students who aspire to be chosen for All-State Orchestra have several steps they must travel before they can participate in this most esteemed event.  Students make the decision to audition early in the school year, download the application on the Indiana American String Teachers Association (IN-ASTA) website, review the requirements, pay the $20 application fee, practice the music alone and with their private lesson teacher, then send in their audition for review.

“Our Penn Orchestra students who audition for All-State Orchestra log in many hours of practice in order to submit their audition of specific music excerpts at specific tempos,” Tschetter said. “We are blessed each year to have many talented students who are selected as All-State Orchestra members. 

“We are proud of all our students and thrilled that our program is ranked among the best orchestras in the state,” Tschetter said.
 

Penn High School’s Marching Kingsmen placed ninth in the state at the ISSMA Marching Band State Championships at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019.

The Band, under the director of Director Glenn Northern and assistants Aaron Griesser and D.J. Landoll, performed a set titled, “Unbalanced”.

Drum Majors for the Marching Kingsmen were Caleb Vrydaghs, Nathaniel Clay, Taylor Gibson and Braden McMillen.

“The Band gave a great performance,” Northern said. “We were pleased with how the season ended.

“This year’s Marching Kingsmen really grew a lot,” Northern said. “They overcame a lot of obstacles dealing with the show design and preparation.”