Penn High School will graduate 868 students on Friday, June 7, at Purcell Pavilion on the University of Notre Dame campus.

The Class of 2019 Senior Recognition Night ceremony was held last night (Tuesday, May 14) in the CPA. It’s a time to recognize the academic success that members of the Senior Class has achieved recognizing them for awards and honors that they’ve earned for graduation.

This year’s graduating class seniors have earned just over $11 million in scholarships!

Awards conferred at last night’s Senior Recognition included academic excellence, leadership, service to school and community, citizenship, attendance, athletic accomplishments and a whole host of other accomplishments. Click here to see the full listing of Senior Awards and Commencement Recognitions of the graduating Class of 2019.

“The honors being bestowed upon our students this evening are all certainly well-deserved and each represents a tremendous amount of hard work and commitment on the part of our students, and also the Penn faculty,” said Penn Principal Sean Galiher. “Our success is only measured by our student’s success.”

The Penn High School Principal’s Academic Excellence Award was presented to eight seniors based upon academic excellence and overall achievement: Katherine Adams, Brittney Day, Chloe Dobay, Kathryn Iapalucci, Kayla Neal, Justin Schneider, Zachary Simon, and Erik Wilcox.

The Principal’s Leadership Award is presented annually to students who contribute their talent, time, energy, and motivation to the leadership of Penn’s student body. Siddharth Das and Jenna Marshall were honored for helping to make a difference in the culture of Penn on behalf of their classmates. Principal Galiher noted that the work and dedication of Siddharth and Jenna went above and beyond that of any normal Penn student leader.

The Principal’s Citizenship and Service Award was presented to eight Penn High School students who have selflessly donated many hours to make sure that Penn High School is well represented in whatever service project they’re involved in. Principal Galiher said of these students, “Simply put, they make good things happen at Penn!” The winners of the 2019 Principal’s Citizenship and Service Award were: Madison Bansback, Olivia Coughlin, Sophia Davidson, Mia Farias, Caden Paquette, Matthew Pruitt, Brittany Stahl, and Tessa Ziwawo.

The Class of 2019 boasts 18 valedictorians and three salutatorians. This year’s valedictorians have an average GPA of 4.38 on a scale of 4.0!

The valedictorians and salutatorians will also be honored at Commencement on June 7. The Class of 2019’s 18 valedictorians include: Ammaar Basher, Amy Bernard, Ella Boardley, Charlotte Chang, Xi (Chelsea) Chen, Siddharth Das, Lucas Jerzak, Aidan Kaczanowski, Hasaan Kazi, Shurun Kim, Sabrina Kurian, Tingyi Lu, Abigail Meckstroth, Zainab Nasser, Sophia Patel, Justin Ralston, Alvin Wang, and Corey Wang. Click to read the bios of this year’s valedictorians.

The salutatorians are McKenna Hillsdon-Smith, Christian Marshall, and Zachary Simon. Their average GPA is 4.29 on a scale of 4.0!

This year eight Penn High School students designated as National Merit Semi-Finalists based upon their high PSAT scores have been named National Merit Finalists. These students advanced to Finalist standing in the Merit Scholarship competition of 2019 by demonstrating, through distinguished performance, high potential for future academic accomplishment. They are now eligible for one of the 8,000 scholarships to be awarded this spring. Penn’s 2019 National Merit Finalists are: Amy Bernard, Xi (Chelsea) Chen, Aidan Kaczanowski, Brandon King, Tingyi Lu, Corey Wang, Eric Wood, and Tinale Zhang.

The following National Merit Finalists also received a scholarship from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation: Aidan Kaczanowski, Brandon King, Corey Wang, Eric Wood, and Tinale Zhang. 

Ten students received recognition from the College Board and were awarded National Merit Commended Scholar status: Ammaar Basher, Ella Boardley, Michael Cha, Micah Focht, Noah Reynolds, Ioannis Samoilis, Carly Scopel, Jacqueline Sekan, Zachary Simon, and Alvin Wang.

Penn also has one student who was named a 2019 U.S. Presidential Scholars Competition Valedictorian Tingyi Lu was chosen from a pool of the nation’s nearly 3.6 million graduating high school seniors.

Another valedictorian Corey Wang was also selected as a 2019 Indiana Academic All-Star. Each Indiana high school can nominate one senior for this prestigious award. Of the 90 regional winners chosen by a selection committee, 40 of these students, including Corey, have been selected and honored as an Indiana Academic All-Star. Awards were presented to the students and an influential educator of their choice at a luncheon ceremony held in April in Indianapolis. Corey chose his Calculus Math teacher Mrs. Valerie Ong to be recognized with him.

Abigail Meckstroth and Emily Morales Liddiard are being awarded the Community Foundation of Saint Joseph County Eli Lilly Endowment Scholarship based on their high academic merits and test scores. The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship provides full tuition, required fees, required books, and equipment for four years of undergraduate study leading to a baccalaureate degree at any accredited Indiana public or private college or university. Abigail plans to attend The University of Notre Dame in the fall and Emily plans to attend Purdue University.

Every year scholarships are also awarded for the Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Thacker Scholarship and the Larry Beehler Scholarship. Dr. Jerry Thacker is Superintendent of Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation and Mr. Larry Beehler is a longtime member of P-H-M’s Board of School Trustees. It was announced last night that Olivia Coughlin was the recipient of the Dr. & Mrs. Jerry Thacker Scholarship and Zachary Parcell was the recipient of the Larry Beehler Scholarship. 

Every year since 1967, Penn’s faculty vote to recognize an outstanding member of the graduating class based on service, character and leadership; the student must also, at the end of seventh semester, be in the top 10% of their graduating class. The senior selected is awarded the Paul H. Schmucker Award in memory of the distinguished member of Penn High School faculty from 1960-1967. This year’s recipient is Caden Paquette.

Each year, the graduating class also nominates a classmate who best exemplifies the qualities of service to his/her school community, school spirit, respect for classmates and Penn High School for the Kingsman of the Year Award. A tradition since 1970, the recipient is recognized for his/her leadership and willingness to accept challenge and is a great honor and show of respect from the recipients fellow classmates. The Class of 2019 Kingsman of the Year Award winner is Corey Wang.

Other Award Winners from the evening included:

Click here to download and print the full list of the Senior Awards and Commencement Recognitions of the graduating Class of 2019.

This year's Class of 2019 has 868 students, everyone of them with their own story. As part of our Excellence Happens Here series leading up to Commencement on June 7, we're going to introduce you to a handful of Class of 2019 graduates. They'll share their hopes, dreams and future plans after Penn High School.

Meet Fine Arts & Communications Academy student Sam Robinson & find out where his journey is taking him after graduation ….

Click here to watch all the Class of 2019 Graduate Profiles as part of our “Excellence Happens Here” campaign.

By JASON MIGAS

Pennant Reporter

Penn High's Baseball Team expected to play a double-header at home against Lake Central on Saturday, April 20. Then the rains hit on the morning of Friday, April 19.

As field conditions worsened through the afternoon, Penn moved the home games to Lake Central, and the Penn Baseball Team went from a home doubleheader to a 90-minute (one-way) road trip.

On Saturday, March 23, the Penn Softball Team waited nearly three hours from the regularly scheduled start of a game against Fort Wayne Carroll for the JV field to be readied for play. The Varsity field was unplayable due to weather conditions.

Next season, Penn's Baseball and Softball Teams likely won't be dealing with those types of field headaches.

The Kingsmen Baseball and Softball fields have big changes coming this Summer. During the 2019 offseason, Baseball's Jordan Automotive Group Field and Softball's May Oberfell Lorber Field will have their natural grass fields replaced with Synthetic Turf.

The Synthetic Turf Baseball Field can also be used for football, soccer and lacrosse. Click to see a photo gallery of artist renderings posted below.

This change will be happening because the Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation Administration felt that improvements needed to be made.

Aaron Leniski, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation's Chief Operating Officer, is overseeing the projects. He believes it is important to upgrade the athletic facilities because, "it will decrease annual maintenance, improve safety/security, increase aesthetics, expand use, and increase field performance."

Leniski feels that Synthetic Turf is the best choice for Penn's athletic fields. He emphasized that, "Turf provides the most consistent playing surface for our student-athletes." He proceeded to point out that, "grass fields are notorious for divots, imperfections, and fluctuation of shock-attenuation performance".

Penn Athletic Director Jeff Hart is excited about the installation of Synthetic Turf for the Baseball and Softball Fields.

"This upcoming project is extremely exciting for all of us charged with providing our student-athletes and students at large a positive experience at Penn,” Hart said. “The two new turfed fields will have a great benefit to our school community beyond the advantages of allowing us to play baseball and softball in less than ideal weather conditions.  

“They will also provide us greater flexibility in allowing our other athletic teams, clubs, P.E. classes, marching band, middle and elementary schools, etc. use of these facilities without numerous hours of field preparation required,” Hart continued. “I anticipate that both the Baseball and Softball complexes will get a great amount of use throughout the year, much like TCU Freed Field does now."

The No. 1-ranked Penn Baseball team is also very excited about getting a new field.

Kingsmen Baseball Head Coach Greg Dikos is a big fan of the new turf because of the reduced man hours.

"I'm excited because field maintenance will be reduced drastically," Dikos said. He also mentioned the convenience of playing through adverse weather.

One of the main advantages Dikos mentions is that the team will be able to get on the field earlier in the spring, and that, "Rainouts are a thing of the past."

Synthetic Turf fields will be an improvement from a player standpoint as well. As an infielder, Junior shortstop Kyle Kline can't wait for the turf.

Kline "loves playing on turf" because "there are no bad hops in the infield." He also added that there is "no bad flooding and games will be played more often."

The Penn Kingsmen Softball team is equally ready for the new turf for many of the same reasons. Sophomore Pitcher Addy Kois is a self-proclaimed "huge fan" of the turf.

"Turf is a lot easier to pitch on," Kois said.

Softball Head Coach Beth Zachary is also ready for this change. Since some of the teams they play against have turf fields, she believes, "the girls are ready to play on (turf)."

Zachary said that the turf will bring, "an advantage, because we will have more time to practice and prepare during the offseason." She continued to say that she believes it is, "a good move and the right move" for the future of Penn Athletics.

"We are all really excited about it," Zachary said of the move to Synthetic Turf.

The Summer of 2019 will be very important to the Baseball and Softball Teams of Penn High School, as the installation of Synthetic Turf will be a major step toward player safety and giving the Kingsmen a competitive edge.

Today (Friday, May 10) was a big day for Penn’s Early College Academy Class of 2019 … this morning the Academy hosted its first-ever College Signing Day for the graduating seniors; and this evening those students who earned enough college credits to receive their Associate of General Studies (AGS) degrees or Statewide Transfer General Education Core (STGEC) will have the opportunity to walk in Ivy Tech Community College’s Commencement Ceremonies at Notre Dame’s Purcell Pavilion.

At the time of Commencement (June 7, 2019) The ECA Class of 2019 is expected to include:

• 100 total students

• 50 earning AGS degrees thru Ivy Tech 

• an additional 34 earning STGECs

• 14 earning at least 15 college credits or more

• 2 will have earned less than 15 college credits

This was big cause for celebration! So the ECA faculty organized today’s College Signing Day not only to honor and recognize the accomplishments of the 2nd cohort’s, but also to show the freshman, sophomore and junior ECA students how all their hard work will eventually pay off and be worth it! P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker was also on hand to congratulate the students on their success.​ Click to see the full photo gallery below.

The Signing Day was the brainchild of Mrs. Sarah Dwigans, ECA English teacher, who wanted “to create a ‘positive defining moment’ that served as a rite of passage for the seniors, as well as one that planted a seed of inspiration in the underclassmen.” She got the idea from a book “The Power of Moments.” The result was a touching display of heartfelt thankfulness and gratitude and a tremendous sense of accomplishment. 

ECA English Teacher Mrs. Mary Nicolini served as the “emcee” injecting lots of humor and plenty of hugs! Eleven graduating seniors were invited to speak and share not only their college or career plans after Penn, but also answering the question “How did the Early College Academy help you get here today?” The featured students included those who earned college credit and are pursuing their higher education careers at colleges and universities such as Purdue University Fort Wayne, Ball State, Bethel University, Michigan State University, and Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

The other students who spoke included one going into the Marines, another who will be doing an apprenticeship with the Intl. Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and another who is going to work for the National Park Service in Yellowstone. Click to see a full listing of the Class of 2019 and their college and career plans after graduating from Penn.

The seniors who spoke shared their fond memories of ECA, gave shout-outs to their friends, thanked their teachers and of course gave the underclassmen some words of wisdom and advice about school … “stick with it, it’s all going to be worth it, and Early College got me where I am today!”

At the end all 91 members of the Class of 2019 got on stage to commemorate their achievement and to thank not only Mrs. Dwigans for organizing today’s “ceremony,” but to thank all of their ECA teachers!

It was clear that all the ECA students, and faculty alike, are truly a family!

To 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.

The Penn Boys Track Team won the Northern Indiana Conference Championship by winning the conference meet on Thursday, May 9, 2019.

A Photo Gallery is posted below.

Penn hosted its first ever Unified Track and Field Meet yesterday (Wednesday, May 8). Exceptional Education student-athletes and their partners from both Penn and Elkhart Central High School competed in various competitions such as long jump, shot put and track races.

The clouds and rain cleared out giving way to warm weather and sunny skies for the after school event hosted at Penn’s TCU Freed Field. Click to see the photo gallery below.

It was also a special night of recognition for these three seniors:

• Erin Darr
• Hunter Hines
• Andre Northern

P-H-M’s amazing Exceptional Education staff and teachers were also honored for their contributions to the “Triangle of Success.” P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker, Penn Principal Sean Galiher, Exceptional Education Director Gena Todd, Ex Ed Program Supervisor (Middle School) Rebecca Allen, Penn Athletic Director Jeff Hart, and Penn Asst. Principal Josiah Parker were on hand to say “Thank you!”

Many of Penn student-athletes from various Varsity teams came out to volunteer for the event as time keepers, measuring jumps and throws, etc.

Unified Track and Field is the newest Indiana High School Athletic Association sport in the Champions Together format. It is partnered with Special Olympics. Unified Track and Field pairs student-athletes with intellectual disabilities with partners without disabilities giving the student-athletes the opportunity to compete for a varsity sport. This is the first year for Penn’s Unified Track Team. Penn’s team this year had eight athletes and 14 partners. Click learn more. 

So far Penn’s Team has competed in three meets:  April 24 at Elkhart Memorial, May 3 at Goshen, and May 8 at Penn. The Kingsmen team will also participate in the IHSAA State Tournament, starting with the Sectional on Saturday, May 18, in Griffith at 11:00 a.m. EST.

Penn teacher Bennett Blazo is the head coach of Penn’s Unified Track Team. Pam Walters, Karen Tagliaferri, Noah Lipsky and Francisco Cardoza are assistant coaches.

To 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 Rugby won the Midwest Regional Championship on Sunday, May 5, 2019.

Penn rallied from a 12-0 deficit to defeat the Indianapolis Cathedral Royal Irish 21-17.

A Photo Gallery is posted below.

Penn High School will hold its 2019 Commencement ceremonies on Friday, June 7, at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center on the campus of the University of Notre Dame.

Parents and guests are to enter through the south main entrance of the Purcell Pavilion between Gates 8 and 10. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Handicapped facilities are available throughout the Joyce Center.

Tickets are not required.

GRADUATES: Report to Gate 10 of the Field House at the Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center (click here to view the ND campus map) no later than 4:45 p.m.! Doors for students to enter Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center will be open at 4:30 p.m. Seniors arriving after 5 p.m. will not be in alphabetical order and may be required to be seated at the end of the line or may even be excluded from Commencement.

Seniors are required to wear their caps and gowns and to have appropriate attire under their caps and gowns. Those who do not comply with the standard of dress that is outlined earlier in this letter will not be allowed to participate. Also, no decorations on the caps and gowns will be allowed. 

Click here for more graduate information in the Class of 2019 Senior Letter.

Students will be able to pick up their diplomas beginning Wednesday, June 19, from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Pick-up will be outside the Main Office inside Door A.

HR Imaging Partners will be positioned to take individual pictures of seniors with their diplomas. Every student will be photographed and all photographs will be available for purchase on a protected website. The website is http://shop.hrimaging.com; select the orange tab, which is ‘order prints from special events’.

NO ONE EXCEPT SCHOOL & P-H-M PERSONNEL WILL BE ALLOWED ON THE ARENA FLOOR TO TAKE PICTURES!

Senior Recognition Program will be at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14, in the Penn High School Center for the Performing Arts by invitation only.

Penn High School was ranked 13th in Indiana—the only Top #20 high school in the Michiana area—in US News & World Report’s 2019 U.S. News Best High Schools listing. 

Penn’s other points of distinction noted by the prestigious national magazine ranking, students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement course work and exams. The AP participation rate at Penn High School is 47 percent.

With the release of the Spring 2018 ISTEP+ results, overall Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation ranks in the state’s Top 5% of public school districts for grade 10 ISTEP+ scores. And Penn High School ranks in the Top 5% of all Indiana public high schools. Click to read more about Penn’s Performance Report from the Indiana Department of Education.

Indiana high school students typically follow the Core 40 curriculum, which includes required classes in English Language Arts, math, Social Studies and Science, among others. Students who fulfill additional requirements can earn a diploma with academic or technical honors. At Penn High School, more than 85% of students graduate with High Honors, Academic Honors or Technical Honors. Learn more about the Core 40 Curriculum on the Indiana Department of Education website.

The Academies at Penn High School provide the framework for student success. Through their work in each academy, students find relevant and meaningful coursework taught in a supportive environment where each student is known well by his teachers and peers. Through these “smaller learning communities,” students build relationships while engaged in relevant learning experiences.

Penn’s Early College Academy has received an endorsement as an Early College High School by The Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning. As an endorsed Early College High School by the CELL, Penn’s Early College Academy is regarded as an exemplar for other high schools across Indiana implementing an Early College program.

Penn is a Four Star School earning the Project Lead the Way Distinguished School distinction in 2017-18 (for the 2016-17 school year), and the STEM Academy has been certified as a Full STEM Certified Program by the Indiana Department of Education. 

Click to see the full list and find out more how US News & World Report ranks the Best High Schools. 

Click to watch Class of 2018 student profiles from each of Penn’s seven academies (video profiles about the Class of 2019 graduates will soon be added. Commencement will be held June 7 at Notre Dame’s Purcell Pavilion).

Penn High School will host a Summer Work Opportunities Fair through May 10.

Companies and organizations are invited to visit Penn during lunch to recruit and potentially hire students. We are looking for any type of work experience for students – welding, fast food, construction, grocery stores, banking, summer camps, paid, unpaid, etc.

The Details:

– Please fill out this form to attend the fair.

– Dates: Now-through-May 10.

– Time: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. EDT

– We will have 5-8 companies/organizations per day at Penn.

– Each company/organization will be given two days minimum, more if space allows.

– We will provide you with a space on the stage in our cafeteria during all four lunches, a 6-foot table and chairs.

– We ask that you provide a one page information sheet for all the positions you have available.  Please include company, a job description, any requirements like age, pay or range if applicable, responsibilities, and any other important information. Please include the document in the above form or email them to Penn High School Assistant Principal Josiah Parker. (jparker@phm.k12.in.us)

– We will communicate with students what companies/organizations will be at lunch each day and provide your information via a page on our website. Your company information and job postings will be included on the website. We will also promote this to our students at school, in our newsletter, and via our social media.

– A background check from each person attending is required before anyone comes to school. Please allow a few days for processing. You may download the form here and return it to Assistant Principal Josiah Parker via email at jparker@phm.k12.in.us.

– It is up to you how you use these days. If you would like to hold interviews, you can be provided with a quiet area. You may just provide information, speak with students and ask them to apply later, have applications for students to fill out, request interviews with students at a later date, whatever works for you.

– Penn High School is only helping to create the connections between you and students. Unless you require Student-Learner exemptions described, below we will not be a part of this hiring and working process.

Additional Legal Comments:

– Workers under 18.

The department of labor allows for many exemptions with Student-Learners under the age of 18 as long as they are enrolled in a school course. If you fall within those limitations we will offer a summer internship course through the high school for students so they can qualify for these  exemptions. Here is more information.

Liability.

If you have concerns on the liability of student coverage, contact Assistant Principal Josiah Parker.