A total of 39 Penn High School students have qualified for the TEAMS (Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Math and Science) Nationals.

Coached by Penn Math Instructor Becky Tagliaferri, the Penn students will compete in the Nationals in Atlanta, Ga., from June 22-25.

Tingyu Lu and her team – Amy Bernard, Yewon Oh, Michelle Kwok, Riya Patel, Ian Baker, Zach Simon and Chelsea Chen – won the state championship in the 11/12 division.

David Wang’s 9/10 team of Gabby Haywood, Joey Meier, Peter Tiebout, Olivia Venditti, Ryan Ludwig and Sydney Domal placed third in the state.

“This competition reflects the strong STEM education we have here at Penn High School,” Tagliaferri said. “This is our fourth state championship in a row and out of the six years there has been a national competition under the TSA umbrella, we have excelled all six years and have brought home several Top 10 placements every year!  Penn is a powerhouse at TEAMS national competitions.”

Other national qualifiers included the 11/12 team of Nick Casetti, Alyssa McNarney, Amanda George, Sunny Sun, Elisabeth Casetti, Dhruv Khanna, Corey Wang and Matt Rach; the 11/12 team of Leah Ingle, Sage Marchand, Siddarth Das, Sabrina Kurian, Trang le, Moon Joy, Emma Doshi and Sydney Doshi; and the 9/10 team of Grace Waddell, Allison Nguyen, Sharon Ni, Anna VanAvermaete, Janusha Cooray, Madeline Calvin, Julia Son and Anna Wong.

In the TEAMS competition, regional scores are taken from tests and a design build. Those scores are compared with scores from around the state to determine state champions and national qualifiers.

A total of 250 students representing 32 teams competed in the Indiana event.

Penn’s state championship TEAMS group is ranked No. 4 in the nation.

According to Tagliaferri, the event encompasses what engineers do in their jobs. There is an 80-question multiple choice math test, a paper that must be written, and a design/build portion. All of these are centered around the theme this year of "Engineering the Enviroment,"  narrowed by eight topics that the students research.  

Congratulations to these young men on their acceptance into the Startup Moxie program for the 2018-2019 school year. This is a transformative experience, one in which students will become self-reliant, goal-oriented individuals who will feel empowered to begin their own venture. This program provides the opportunity for students to learn through real-life experiences.

Startup Moxie is a year-long, four-credit high school course with college dual accreditation through Ivy Tech for Entrepreneurship 101 & 105. The class meets in local businesses and changes locations throughout the year.

Each student in the Startup Moxie Program will be paired up with a mentor from the St. Joseph County business community. Mentors help students immerse themselves in real-life learning experiences with the opportunity to take risks, manage the results, and learn from the outcomes. The student selection process is a defined process in which students submitted a written request for admission, letters of recommendation and complete an entrepreneurial profile.

Penn High School students will be participating in the ISTEP Part 2 testing April 16 through May 4.    All testing will be completed online.

Click here for the testing schedule.

Math ISTEP Testing

Math ISTEP testing will begin on Monday, April 16, and conclude on Thursday, April 19. 

English ISTEP Testing

English ISTEP testing will begin on Monday, April 23, and conclude on Monday, April 30.

Biology Testing

Biology ISTEP testing will begin on Tuesday, May 1, and conclude on Wednesday May 2.

Below are a few tips to help prepare students for this standardized assessment. We encourage all parents to implement these ideas with your student. 

The Week before ISTEP and during ISTEP Testing:

• Establish an early bedtime routine to ensure students receive at least 8 hours of sleep each night.
• Remove any technological devices from his/her bedroom to ensure they have an uninterrupted night of rest.
• Make sure your student eats a healthy breakfast before school and limit sugary drinks.
• Be positive about the test and encourage your student to do his/her best.
• Encourage your child to review math skills and read at home regularly.
• Encourage your student to exercise for at least 30 minutes daily to help relieve any stress.

Experience Online Testing

The Indiana Department of Education is providing the ISTEP+ “Experience” opportunity through Pearson. The purpose of Experience is for students, educators, parents, and community members to see how test items similar to those on the ISTEP assessment are presented in the online system.

You can access the ISTEP+ Experience on the following IDOE website:

http://download.pearsonaccessnext.com/in/in-practicetest.html?links=1

The answer keys for the Experience Online Assessment can also be located on the main page.

The P-H-M Safety & Security Team has added information for Summer construction at Penn High School in regards to traffic flow. These additions involve maps showing pick up, drop off and parking for Summer Camps and Summer School at both Schmucker Middle School and Penn High School. Please click here to see the information.

Caregivers of dependents with special needs are invited to attend a special workshop, sponsored by Mass Mutual Life Insurance Company, on how to make your child’s future more secure.

See the information in the flier posted below …

At the Monday, March 26 (2018) Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees Meeting, the Board approved the appointment of Aaron Leniski as P-H-M's new Chief Operating Officer. With the retirement of Dr. Denise Seger, Aaron will succeed Dr. Seger as Chief Operating Officer with responsibilities overseeing Facilities, Transportation, Safety, as well as serving as a liaison for Penn High School's Athletic Department.

Mr. Lenski was an outstanding student-athlete at Penn High School, graduating in 1998. He went on to play football at the University of Findlay in Ohio, earned his degree in mathematics education at IU South Bend, and completed graduate studies at Indiana Wesleyan University. He has served as a math teacher at Penn, Assistant Athletic Director at Penn, and Principal at Madison Elementary School. In July of 2015, Mr. Lenski became the Athletic Director at Penn High School.

Filling the role of Penn Athletic Director will be Penn High School Girls Soccer Coach, Jeff Hart. Coach Hart was hired in May of 2012 and has coached the Penn High School Girls Soccer team to three straight IHSAA state title games, as well as one national championship title in 2017. He has established strong relations with the Penn High School coaching staff and administration; he is well known and respected by both students and parents.

Also at the March 26 Board Meeting, Jerry Hawkins was also named Executive Director of Business Services and with this new title, Mr. Hawkins will have full responsibility for the district's financial business. In addition, he will also oversee the Food Services Department.

Many of Penn’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) classes got Spring rolling by competing in the Egg Drop Competition on Thursday, March 29. Click here for a photo gallery of the event.

This event is considered a classic engineering and design competition. The goal is for students to construct a device that will support and prevent a raw egg from breaking when dropped from a height of about five meters (about 16 feet). 

Participating classes prepare for the competition by spending a class or two designing their egg- supporting apparatus.

The designing, building and scoring was based on a scoring system for the materials used. The materials students can use range from masking tape, string, popsicle sticks, clay to cotton balls and more. Each material has a specific point value assigned to it that must be taken into consideration when building since each team is allowed a maximum of 50 points. The reason for this is to limit the number of supplies that can be used by the students. So, students must be very creative choosing their effective materials within the 50-point allotment.

The two restrictions for the devices were that they had to fit into a 30cm x 30cm x 30cm box, and only materials from the list could be used. Any deviation from these two rules results in disqualification.

Scoring for the competition was based on performance, the mass of the device and use of special structures such as a parachute, wings, etc. In the case of a tie, the winner was determined by the lowest mass.

Please see a 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.

Erin Ludwig has made an impact at Penn High School in earning a Top 10 Academic ranking in the Class of 2018, playing on two State Championship Girls Soccer Teams, and leading an effort to raise more than $40,000 to resurface the tennis courts at Prairie Vista School.

Ludwig’s impact was honored by the Indiana High School Athletic Association, which awarded the Penn student-athlete with a C. Eugene Cato Memorial Scholarship.

Ludwig, who is also a member of Penn’s state-power Tennis team, is only the second student-athlete from Penn to earn a Cato Scholarship. Jaclyn Kondratko of Penn earned a Cato Scholarship in 2006.

A total of 13 student-athletes in Indiana earned a Cato Scholarship in 2018. The Scholarship rewards the efforts of Indiana’s complete student‐athletes. These well‐rounded, positive role models have demonstrated excellence in academics, school and community involvement, character, sportsmanship and citizenship.

Each Cato Scholarship winner will receive a $2,500 scholarship for their prep accomplishments and be recognized on Thursday, April 19, 2018 at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in downtown Indianapolis as part of the Thomas A. Brady Sports Achievement Awards established by Methodist Sports Medicine. Methodist Sports Medicine, Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Fever, Indiana Pacers, Sport Graphics, Inc., and WTHR‐13 have partnered with the IHSAA to sponsor the program.

“Winning the Cato Scholarship is a great honor and it means a lot to me to be honored among student-athletes throughout Indiana,” Ludwig said. 

Ludwig said that athletics have been an important part of her experience at Penn. This past season, the Kingsmen were named National Champions.

“I appreciate so much about my Penn Soccer experience,” Ludwig said. “I appreciate the lifelong friendships I have made with my teammates and all the time I got to spend with my team and the great coaches. I appreciate how hardworking my team is. They all inspire me to be the best player and person I can be every day. 

“Participating in high school athletics has prepared me for life after high school, because it has taught me to be determined and never give up.” 

Penn Girls soccer coach Jeff Hart said that he has known Ludwig for a number of years as a travel soccer and high school soccer coach.

“As a classmate and longtime friend of my own daughter, Regan, I've been privileged to interact with (Erin) away from the field many times as well. 

“Erin is a high character, focused, caring young person,” Hart said. “Her GPA speaks for itself. Being ranked eighth in a class with over 800 kids confirms her drive, her quiet competitiveness and her intellect.  As a two-sport athlete at Penn, she was a member of back-to-back state champions on the soccer team.  She's also found time to play tennis and not only participate in so many other activities, but take on a leadership role. “

Hart said that Ludwig has carved out an inspiring legacy at Penn.

“(Erin) is an example of what Penn High School and the IHSAA hope all our young student-athletes strive to be,” Hart said. “She's worked consistently hard during four years at Penn and she's pushed herself while always being a great teammate with a team-first attitude.  We will miss her a great deal in the (Penn Girls Soccer) program but I'm excited to see where her combination of intellect, work ethic, and sense of service to others takes her."

Excellence at Penn High School was in the spotlight today (Thursday, March 22, 2018) for a visit from Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Jennifer McCormick.

Escorted by Penn students Rebecca Luzney, Charles Lane, Italia Fields and Johnathon Laatz, Dr. McCormick got an up close and personal tour of our award winning, Four Star high school. Dr. McCormick’s tour of Penn included the innovative Early College Academy and the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Academy. 

Penn-Harris-Madison Supt. Dr. Jerry Thacker, Penn Principal Sean Galiher and P-H-M Board of School Trustees Member Jim Garrett were also on hand to give Dr. McCormick and special guest Indiana State Senator Ryan Mishler (R, 9th District) details on how Penn has been able to achieve accomplishments such as being named the state’s first large comprehensive public high school to be STEM certified in 2016.

Early College students Rebecca Luzney and Charles Lane took Dr. McCormick and guests into Spanish and Biology classes to observe (please click here to see the photo gallery below of the tour). On this part of the tour, she learned from student guides about the Early College Academy concept.  Penn’s Early College Academy is at the forefront of dual-credit programs in Indiana, and is a contributing factor in Penn’s remarkable 97 percent graduation rate. 

Next up on the tour, STEM student tour guides Italia Fields and Johnathon Laatz took Dr. McCormick into STEM Architecture and Design Processes classrooms. Dr. McCormick was able to observe and speak to those students about their current projects and even got to see a 3-D printer in action. The tour then moved into the engineering shop area to observe the Precision Machine class. The student tour guides informed Dr. McCormick about Penn’s world-class Robotics Program and the different community projects they have done. The STEM Academy was honored earlier this month when the school was named one of five schools in Indiana to achieve Project Lead the Way Distinguished School Status. 

The final stop of the visit was in the PNN TV studio, where the PNN students conducted their own interview with Dr. McCormick. This was an opportunity for the students to not only meet her, but gain real journalism experience by conducting an interview. There was a small group of Penn students who sat in as a guest audience for the interview.