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. 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, Monday, June 5, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. The placeholder graphic above will be replaced by the embedded livestream from YouTube.

Share this link with family and friends who want to watch: https://penn.phmschools.org/2023PennGraduation

Families have received Commencement communication directly from Penn High School. Please click here to view those communications. 

Commencement is Monday, June 5 at at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. The ceremony begins promptly at 7:00 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 for attendees. Click here for details on student arrival time.

Due to parking lot construction project, the Joyce Parking Lot will NOT be available for parking. Please refer to the map above, or click here, to identify other parking lots. Notre Dame will be running shuttle buses from the various lots with drop off at Purcell Pavilion. Please factor this into your arrival time.

Please also note that Notre Dame requires ALL purses/bags to be searched before entering the arena. Backpacks, totes, and duffel bags are not allowed. Please see ND’s list of prohibited items include (or click here):

• Alcohol
• Animals (Service Dogs are permitted)
• Artificial noisemakers (including whistles)
• Cameras with lenses longer than six (6) inches
• Cans or glass bottles (including aerosols)
• Drones or Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)
• Fireworks or explosives
• Food or beverage (except unopened plastic water bottles). Food is allowed as a medical necessity with proof.
• GoPro or selfie sticks
• Halloween-style masks
• Laser or pen pointers
• Signs, banners, and balloons
• Stadium chairs or seat backs (unless medical reason with documentation)
• Strollers
• Throwing of any object at any time (including footballs)
• Water vessels of any kind, including water bottles
• Use of tobacco products and e-cigarettes
• Use or possession of marijuana, and other illegal drugs
• Weapons/Firearms. WEAPONS OF ANY KIND ARE PROHIBITED ON CAMPUS
• Any other items deemed dangerous or inappropriate 

It’s also highly recommended that families make prior arrangements as to where to meet their seniors after the graduation ceremonies have ended. Please do not interrupt the procession as the graduates exit the Joyce Center. The graduates will be released to meet with family and friends after re-entering the field house.

We wish everyone a wonderful Commencement evening!

Penn started a tradition a few years ago having seniors go back to their elementary (and sometimes middle schools too) to say hello to their old teachers, visit their old classrooms, playground and even play a game or two! Click here to view some of the pictures we took at the Senior Parades that took place May 31 and June 1 at Bittersweet and Elm Road Elementary schools, as well as Grissom Middle School. 

We’ve also focused on just a small portion of our amazing members of the Class of 2023 (click here to see all that this class has accomplished). First up, we’ve been tracking the progress of the Penn High School Building & Trades program throughout the year. The program has been building homes since 1969. This year students built two homes, numbers 54 and 55! For students interested in going into construction or the trades after graduation, the program gives them invaluable experience. 

Watch the video below that shows the finished product as well as interviews with two seniors who talk about how the program has helped prepare them for the future.

Next, we meet Penn High School senior Josh Gatete. Josh has excelled on the basketball court and in the classroom where he has earned High Academic Honors. The son of immigrants, Josh will be studying and playing basketball at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Watch the video below to learn more about his story. 

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 High School’s Exceptional Education Academy Commencement Ceremony for the Class of 2023 was held on Thursday, May 25, in the Center for Performing Arts.

This ceremony honors the graduating students for their amazing achievements and accomplishments.

A Photo Gallery is posted below.

The Indiana Association of School Principals (IASP) has chosen Principal Dr. Sean Galiher as the 2023 District High School Principal of the Year for IASP District 2.

District 2 is located in northern Indiana and is made up of Elkhart, Fulton, Kosciusko, La Porte, Marshall, Pulaski, St. Joseph and Starke Counties.

District High School Principals of the Year are elected by their peers. One principal is honored from each of the 12 districts. From these 12 District High School Principal winners, one is chosen as the 2023 State High School Principal of the Year. The State winner will be announced at the award celebration.

The recognition ceremony is a part of the 2023 Principals of the Year Recognition Celebration, part of IASP’s annual Fall Professional Conference, which will be held in November 2023 in Indianapolis.

This is not the first time Penn’s principal has had a Principal of the Year. In 2015, then Principal Steve Hope was named District 2 winner in the spring and then won Indiana Teacher of the year in the fall.

Congratulations Principal Galiher and we wish you luck on winning Indiana High School Principal of the Year!

“Pennstock” – Penn High School’s version of Woodstock – is a capstone event for Juniors in some U.S. History classes. Students studying the 1960s have a choice of performing music from the era, giving speeches, or setting up informational stations about the issues of the decade that they’ve just completed studying. It’s a way for the students to show what they’ve learned about. The annual event is organized by P-H-M’s 2023 Secondary Teacher of the Year Eric Bowers.

A Photo Gallery is posted below.

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!

The Visual Arts Department held their annual AP Studio and Senior Art Show & Sale on May 19th, 2023 from 6:00-8:00 PM in the Penn High School cafeteria.

Students from the Penn Orchestra played beautiful live music as student artists and their guests enjoyed viewing a culmination of artwork by our advanced senior art students celebrating their outstanding high school art careers.

Artists represented work from all of our visual arts programs including ceramics, digital/graphic design, drawing, painting, photography, and sculpture.

Fishing Club and students ACP Biology, Dual Credit Biology 101, 9th Grade Biology, and Environmental Science went fishing Monday, May 15 with the goal of collecting samples and dietary data for later classroom observation and analysis.

Under Penn teacher John Gensic’s supervision, the students went out on Coast Guard Certified Charter Boat and landed 20 Coho Salmon and two King Salmon. Students were able to identify if the salmon were bred naturally or from a fish hatchery by examining the adipose fin. Those who caught the Coho Salmon determined that they appeared to be from natural reproduction while the two King Salmon had their adipose fin clipped as an indicator of being from a hatchery.

This was a great example of Penn’s Project Based Learning and gave students the opportunity to get a better understanding of the alewife fish overpopulation as the result of invasive species ecological impacts. Students also experienced the positive benefits of the introduction of Coho and King Salmon into the Great Lakes after the sea lamprey devastated the Lake Trout population. 

An Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Mini Grant covered the purchase of preservatives (isopropyl alcohol) of the stomach contents of some of the fish for Penn’s biology classes to examine. In addition to helping cover a portion of the cost of the outing, the IISG Mini Grant also covered the cost of a pair of waders to increase access at Cobus Creek and the Saint Joseph River. 

Mr. Gensic’s academic goal of this PBL is to increase students’ ecological understanding of the local watershed connected to Lake Michigan. The students will also study water with access to abiotic and biotic data collection events at Cobus Creek, the St. Joseph River, and Lake Michigan.

Penn High School’s production of “Cinderella” has been nominated for more than 10 awards as part of Lake Michigan College’s WAVE Awards honoring Excellence in High School Musical Theatre.

• Outstanding Lead Actor: Avery King (Ella), Sutter Sherwood (Prince Topher)
• Outstanding Supporting Actor: Mikaylah Daffron (Marie), Tess Kavadas (Gabrielle)
• Outstanding Featured “Special” Cast Member: Fox & Raccoon (Abigael Brooks & Evelyn Shephard), Buttercup the horse
• Outstanding Featured Ensemble: men’s chorus
• Outstanding Lighting Design: Jacob Moehn
• Outstanding Set Design: Nora Noble
• Outstanding Costume Design: Kathryn Hein
• Outstanding Choreography: Jenn Wolfe
• Outstanding Music Direction: Andrew Nemeth
• Outstanding Orchestra / Pit Band: Anne Tschetter
• Outstanding Direction: Danielle Black
• Outstanding Musical Production: “Cinderella”

The WAVE Awards recognizes, encourages, and promotes high school theater. Individuals and productions from participating schools were nominated in 13 acting and technical categories. Winners will be announced during the ceremony, and all students and production staff will receive written feedback from a panel of arts professionals. Nominees may also receive additional performance and scholarship opportunities.

Now in its second year at LMC, the WAVE Awards has grown to include students and art educators from Berrien, Van Buren, and Cass Counties in Michigan and St. Joseph County in Indiana. This year, nine high schools were evaluated by 12 adjudicators. About 550 students participated in the musicals that were reviewed. 

Winners will be announced at the award ceremony held Wednesday, May 24 at the Mendel Center Mainstage on the Benton Harbor Campus. The event will be complete with red carpet arrivals.

The 31^st annual Penn Dance Classic will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 18, and 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 19.

A Photo Gallery of Dress Rehearsal is posted below.

The performances will be at Penn’s Center for Performing Arts (enter at Door C).

Tickets are $5 each and are available online at Ticketracker.com.