Penn High School’s Associate Principal Randy Williams was honored today (Friday, May 11) as a member of the 2018 Michiana "Forty under 40" class as part of the luncheon sponsored by the South Bend Regional Chamber. 

Randy’s wife, Bridgette (Asst. Athletic Director at Penn High School), his mother Sandy Williams, his brother David Imus, and his mother-in-law Bonnie Pluta were on hand for today’s recognition. Penn-Harris-Madison Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker, Penn Principal Sean Galiher, along with several other members of Penn and P-H-M’s administration were also present.

Mr. Williams has been Associate Principal at Penn since 2016 overseeing the Freshman Academy (approximately 850 students) and helps support ongoing professional development for teachers, focusing on the importance of building positive relationships with students in order to increase student engagement and learning. He also oversees the Student Services office, supporting the Deans as they work to implement the Penn positive behavior plan, creating a positive and highly successful learning environment for about 3,500 high school students.

Mr. Williams has been with Penn-Harris-Madison since 2008 when he was hired as a Dean of Students at Penn. As Dean of students, Mr. Williams was instrumental in supporting former Penn Principal, Steve Hope, in utilizing a federal grant to build personalized learning approaches and Penn’s academy structure. Under Penn’s framework, students start 9th grade as part of Freshman Academy and are offered a supportive school environment where each and every student makes positive connections with teachers and peers, later moving into one of the six academic focused academies (Early College, Fine Arts & Communication, Health & Human Services, Management & Business, S.T.E.M. and World Languages). 

Mr. Williams has also served as principal of Madison Elementary School in 2010 and Walt Disney Elementary School in 2012. During his tenure at Disney, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. With the support of his school and all of P-H-M, Mr. Williams’ persevered and battled back from the cancer in just six months and has been cancer free for nearly three years. In May 2015, Mishawaka Mayor Dave Wood named May 28 Randy Williams Day! The Day was marked with celebration in an all-school assembly with Randy’s wife, Bridgette, by his side. Bridgette Williams is one of the Assistant Athletic Directors at Penn. Together the couple have two young children.

Mr. Williams is also involved in the Livestrong program at the South Bend YMCA as well as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

This is not the first time a P-H-M teacher or administrator has been named a member of the “Forty under 40” class. P-H-M’s Exceptional Education Program Supervisor Dr. Jenny Sears won last year; former Grissom Middle School Principal Nathan Boyd was recognized in 2016; Sean Galiher, then principal of Schmucker now principal of Penn, was a member of the 2015 class; Dr. Jayson Snyder, then principal of Meadow’s Edge now Director of Professional Development was honored in 2014; as was Lavon Dean Null, now principal at Schmucker, in 2013. Prior to that P-H-M’s now Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Dr. Heather Short was a member of the 2008 class and Penn teacher and former Spell Bowl coach Pete DeKever was named to the 2007 class.

Thursday, May 17

7:00 – 9:00 p.m. 

Penn Dance Studio

Come spin, dance and compete with a State Finalist color guard!

Penn High School qualified seven teams for the finals of the LimeBike of South Bend Innovation Challenge. A total of 10 teams from Penn, Mishawaka and South Bend Riley qualified for the finals.

Finalists will design and build prototypes of their pitches to LimeBike. At stake is a paid summer internship hosted by The Sibley Center to expand on and implement designs from the competition. A for-profit company that receives no tax dollars, LimeBike is a bike-sharing program that seeks to promote a cleaner environment through riding bicycles.

In the Innovation Challenge, students had to create a solution or discover an innovation that will help LimeBike improve its service. The students presented their innovation pitches to panels of local experts and teachers.

“Activities like the Innovation Challenge are wonderful learning experiences and teaching tools,” STEM Academy Leader Josiah Parker said. “It allows students to apply the skills they have learned, make deeper connections with their community, and get a deeper understanding of the career field.”

Parker said that there is a significant take-away for students.

“These experiences teach more than just the content of a class,” Parker explained. “Students learn how to apply knowledge, how to work with teams, how to interact with mentors and professionals, how to problem solve, and so many other skills that you just can not learn from traditional learning. It also shows students some of the opportunities that are available in this region. We want our bright young students to stay or come back to live “

here. 

The LimeBike Challenge is one of the relevant learning opportunities that distinguishes Penn’s STEM Academy, which is one of 33 schools in Indiana that is STEM-certified by the State of Indiana.

“Students are so much better prepared for their next steps by completing activities like this,” Parker said of the Innovation Challenge. “When they start college classes, join the military, or start working, they have great experiences from high school to rely on.

“It also show them what it would be like to work in a career related to engineering, technology, business, etc. It might affirm their ideas for a career or show them that maybe they should change avenues. One thing that makes me proud is the number of opportunities like this that are available to our students. The STEM Academy is not the only place where you can find these great activities at Penn."

Penn’s Innovation Challenge Finalists:

The LimeStand:

Peter Yang

Keshaun Lee

Joseph Shockey

Brandon Scarberry

Work Chair:

Michael Feeley

Caroline Tiebout

Collin Mott

Adjustable Bike Stand:

Austin Waech

Michael Wujcik

Zachary Craft

Moon Joy

V- Bike Stand:

Dacota Schrader

Jake Creviston

Julian Bark

Work Layout:

Anthony Vaccaro

Kayra Nugroho

Ryan Hiner

Hunter Lederer

Cameron Besinger

Basket Adapter:

Briar Russell

Alexander Lizarazo

Nicholas Wittendorf

Wyatt Devore

Molded Tool Storage:

Prestin Parker

Cody Balbo

Dominic Lovisa

Ethan Beeman

Wes Lang

Honorable Mention:

QR Tracking:

Anthony Guennel

April Hunt

Cameron Trueblood

Ciera Chavez

Tommy Rzeszutko

Scissor Lift Stand:

Nevaeh Marshell

Olivia Zenia

Sophie Malik

Sydney Sanders

80/20 Frame:

Aidan Kaczanowski

Braden Huffman

Christopher Aviles

Joseph Irvin

Nicholas Momotiuk

Hoop Bike Holder:

Nathan Doshi

Ian Baker

Alex Collins

Commencement is Friday, May 25 and in these final weeks leading up to graduation, we’re featuring a member of the Class of 2018 from each of Penn’s seven Academies.

You’ve heard of the Little Engine that Could … will meet S.T.E.M. Academy’s Italia Fields, Penn’s "Engineer that Could!" Italia lead the way on the Robotics Team’s latest service learning project finding ways to help Ella, a local girl paralyzed with SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) Type 1, use the sensor controls on her power chair … herself!

Italia will attend Milwaukee School of Engineering in the Fall majoring in Mechanical Engineering in hopes that she can one day help even more children like Ella.

Click to watch the video below to learn more about Italia and the “Engineering Ella” project …
 

Click to watch the other Class of 2018 Excellence Happens Here student profiles on Penn-Harris-Madison’s YouTube channel.

This inaugural year for the P-H-M Education Foundation’s Silver Mile new format … the Bubble Bash … was a huge success! Click here to see the full photo gallery below.

Hundreds of P-H-M students, family, teachers and staff turned out Saturday, May 5 at Penn High School for the morning non-timed 5K walk/run through the neighborhoods behind Penn. More than 1,500 enjoyed the gorgeous and warm weather and bubbles!

There was lots of pre-race activities to get the runners warmed up, including a School Spirit Contest and Zumba!

After the race, runners enjoyed post-race snacks donated by Whole Foods and Hacienda Restaurants and browsed through the Health & Fitness Expo in Penn’s Cafeteria. Free health screenings were offered by presenting sponsor Saint Joseph Health System, along with numerous businesses showcasing their health-related items.  More than 100 items were up for bid at the silent auction, including Penn High School parking spaces and front-row graduation seats. And families were treated to P-H-M’s talented students participating in the Silver Mile Talent Showcase inside the Main Arena. 

Thank you to all the sponsors including St. Joseph Health System, ABC 57, Sunny 101.5, Drive & Shine, and many others.

The Silver Mile Run for Education raises funds to provide innovative grants that fall outside the P-H-M school district’s budget. It remains the Foundation’s largest fundraiser in its 13th year.  We look forward to seeing you in May 2019!

*Please see the photo gallery below. To download a high resolution jpg file from the photo gallery, just simply click the “DOWNLOAD” button on the bottom right-hand corner of the photo while viewing it in the Photo Gallery function.

Shrek The Musical

Penn High School teacher Danielle Black got quite a surprise upon returning to her classroom the morning of Friday, May 4. When she returned to teach her Early College Academy English class, she found not just her students, but also Penn-Harris-Madison Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker, members of the media, student reporters from the school’s PNN network, P-H-M Cabinet members, her husband and two of her sons. That’s when Dr. Thacker informed Mrs. Black that she had been named P-H-M’s 2018 Teacher of the Year! 

Click to watch the video below of Mrs. Black’s surprise …

Mrs. Black had been “lured” to the Principal’s Office with Penn Principal Sean Galiher and Assistant Principal/Softball Coach Beth Zachary. Danielle’s husband Karl Black is a Math Teacher at Schmucker Middle School, which is across the street from Penn. He, two of the couple’s four children and Danielle’s parents Ed and Beth Lugbill were in on the surprise and were on hand for Friday morning’s surprise announcement: Braden is a sophomore at Penn and Nikolas is in 8th grade at Schmucker Middle School.

Mrs. Black was nominated for the award by fellow Academy faculty members who commend her for making sure her students have access to every opportunity possible to help them succeed, “Danielle does everything in her power to help students realize the potential that they don’t even know they have inside them!” Mrs. Black has been with P-H-M for five years. She is admired and praised for her teaching methods finding ways to connect to her students and helping them find their own successes. Mrs. Black has a magnetic personality that inspires, empowers, teaches and reaches her students.
 

As the Early College Academy Leader, Mrs. Black has worked tirelessly shepherding and guiding the first cohort of ECA students these past four years. She is praised as a “true leader who is a servant to others,” inspiring her students and fellow colleagues alike. And on May 25, like the proud parent she is, Mrs. Black will surely applaud her ECA graduates through tears of joy as she watches them walk across the stage at Commencement. It’ll be quite an accomplishment for them, not only earning a Penn High School diploma, but also earning college credits … some graduating with a full Associate’s Degree!

As Penn’s Theatre Director, Mrs. Black also devotes an immense amount of time every year to planning the spring musical. Her attention to detail is not lost. The costumes, scenery, casting and program design for this year’s performance of Shrek The Musical were outstanding. Her goal was to put on more than an enjoyable show; it was to help deliver a message as she notes in this excerpt from the Director’s Note: “We all need hope. We all need love. We all need to know we matter. I'm a believer that the more people embrace these truths, the better the world will be … for all of us.”

Mrs. Black practices what she preaches … doing her part to make the world a better place, even half way across the globe! She co-founded the charity Awake & Alive, Inc. and opened a school for the impoverished, orphaned children in the slums in Ethopia’s capital city. The school also provides medical care and general health education for the widowed mothers of the children.

Danielle and Karl Black have three biological sons and a daughter they adopted from Ethiopia.

Mrs. Black teaches from her “heart and soul” working to make sure her students, not only feel, but also believe that they matter. Her mission whether it is with the Early College Academy, Penn Theater or her charity … is to make sure everyone feels connected and valued!

Danielle will officially be recognized at P-H-M’s Employee Recognition & Retiree Dinner on Wed., May 16th, along with the 2018 Classified Employee of the Year (Schmucker Building Tech was also surprised the morning of Friday, May 4 by Dr. Thacker with the good news of her win). Both winners will receive a plaque. As Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Black will also receive a $1,000 classroom grant from the P-H-M Education Foundation! She will also be eligible for Indiana’s Teacher of the Year award, which is announced by the IDOE in September/October 2018.

Commencement is just about three weeks away and in these final weeks leading up to Graduation 2018, we’ll be featuring a graduating senior from each of Penn’s seven Academies.

From the gridiron to the stage … meet Fine Arts and Communications Academy senior Carrington Neal, Penn’s "Renaissance Man!" Carrington will attend Ball State in the Fall and plans on majoring in Theater.

Click to watch the video below …

Click to watch the other Class of 2018 Excellence Happens Here student profiles on Penn-Harris-Madison’s YouTube channel.

The Gallery’s current Spring Exhibit is open to students during the school day and members of the general public on these two select days: 

• Silver Mile Bubble Bash, Sat., May 5, 9:00 a.m. – Noon
• Senior Art Night, Fri., May 18, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Make sure to take advantage of this hidden gem at Penn High School and see the works of our talented students on display.

Click here for more details on the exhibit, hours and Gallery guidelines.

Olivia Neufelder, Horizon Elementary, Discovery Middle and Penn High School (Class of 2012) alumna, was featured as an “Unsung Hero” on the TODAY Show this morning (Wednesday, May 2, 2018) as part of National Nurses Week.  Olivia, a nurse at Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center, loves to sing and brought joy to one of her patients before she passed away … something her family will always cherish calling Olivia their “angel nurse.”

Click the video below to watch Olivia’s heart warming story …