Coach Riordan & Mrs. Dakins Win PHM Impact Awards
Today Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker surprised another group of teachers hand-delivering the Spring 2024 round of Impact Awards. With the help of Penn Principal Dr. Sean Galiher, Dr. Thacker caught two Penn teachers off guard when he popped into their classrooms unannounced! Click to see the photo gallery below.
This round of P-H-M Impact Awards recognizes teachers with First Semester growth. While all P-H-M teachers across the district are dedicated to helping their students achieve personal academic success, the Impact Award shines the spotlight on educators who have helped their students achieve individual academic growth on their formative assessments over time. The first-ever Impact Awards were handed out in September 2023 and recognized the teachers with the most significant overall student growth during the 2022-2023 school year.
Penn High School Economics teacher Mr. Pete Riordan teaches both AP Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics. During the 2022-2023 school year, both courses increased slightly in enrollment while simultaneously boasting large increases in achievement. Students in AP courses take standardized exams at the end of the school year designed to measure how well they’ve mastered the content and skills of the course. The final score for each AP Exam is reported on a 5-point scale that offers a recommendation about how qualified a student is to receive college credit or placement, but each college makes its own decisions. In general, a score of three or higher results in credit or placement.
In Mr. Riordan’s Microeconomics course, students earning a three or better jumped from 58.7% in 2022 to 70.8% in 2023. Likewise, in Macroeconomics, 80% of students earned a three or higher, an increase of 20.9%, and the highest pass rate for the course in Penn High School history! Not bad for Riordan who is also the Kingsmen Football Team’s Defensive Coordinator.
From Coach Riordan’s classroom, Principal Galiher took Dr. Thacker and Penn administrators down the hall to drop-in on Mrs. Jenny Dakins who teaches Learning Strategies, which are classes designed to support student success and academic growth. Dakins teaches multiple blocks of the class and at mid semester 68% of her students’ grades were on
track. This percentage improved to 92% by the end of the semester. Dakins’ student growth is a result of her dedication to supporting students and meeting with them individually to ensure academic success for every student. Her compassion, support and love for her students is reflected in their growth.
Penn High School in the Spotlight
A few times a year, the P-H-M Board of School Trustees holds their board meetings off-site at one of P-H-M’s 15 schools as a way to highlight for the Board and the community the education accomplishments and academic achievements taking place in the spotlight school. Click to see the full photo gallery below.
Monday, February 26 was Penn High School’s turn to shine!
Penn Principal Dr. Sean Galiher, Associate Principal Rachel Fry, Assistant Principals Sarah Hendricks, Jeanie Mitchell, and Josiah Parker, along with Athletic Director Jeff Hart, presented 2023-2024 first semester achievement report, which included data and information on academics, attendance, and athletics, along with recognitions of State Championship and Runners-Up teams, great teachers, mentors and coaches. Click here to see Principal Galiher’s full Board Presentation.
Intermingled in the presentations were performances by Penn Fine Arts groups like the student stars of the school musical, “The Music Man,” a quartet, the Jazz Band, and a tap dancer. Choir teacher Andrew Nemeth used the student performances to quiz Board Members on their musical knowledge with “Name that Tune.” Click the YouTube link below to hear.
Some of the main highlights of Principal Galiher’s presentation to the Board highlighted Penn’s 98.12% graduation rate for 2023 and is on track to have the same for 2024. Looking at the freshmen class, 94.51% are “on-track” after 1st semester of the 2023-24 SY. The rest of Penn students are also doing well: 94.4% for sophomores, 94.6% for juniors, and 93.4% for seniors. The Class of 2024 is projected to have 52.4% graduate with Honors Diplomas.
In September of this school year, Penn was named a 2023 Cognia® School of Distinction. Cognia is a global nonprofit school improvement organization grounded in research-based performance standards. They accredit 40,000 public and private schools in 90 countries; only 96 schools globally were recognized as Schools of Distinction, and Penn High School was among them, and the only high school in Indiana!
Cognia’s Mid-Atlantic Director Jennifer Horvath traveled from the Louisville, Kentucky to address the School Board and explain Cognia’s rigorous accreditation process. Ms. Horvath praised Penn High School for teacher and administration collaboration, along with the school’s climate and culture. Cognia student surveys showed that students feel safe, valued, and supported by their teachers. Click here to hear Ms. Horvath’s comments.
Associate Principal Fry presented on AP and dual credit enrollment and the Early College Academy. Currently at 1,816 students out of Penn’s @3,500 total students are taking AP courses; and 678 students of the Class of 2024 are enrolled in dual credit classes.
For the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years, Penn High School ranked FIRST in the state with the highest number of students earning ICC (Indiana College Core) or AGS (Associate of General Studies) certificates earned! This was just one of the reasons why the IDOE recognized Penn with Excellence in College Readiness Award along with a $250,000 grant!
Debate Team teacher and coach Mr. Jeremy Starkweather, sporting a new haircut thanks to his team’s State Championship win, presented his student winners.
Along with the Debate Team, the other State Championship team, Spell Bowl, was also recognized. Both the Girls and Boys Swim/Dive teams were also recognized fresh off IHSAA State Championships returning as State Runners-Up. For the first time in Penn’s history, both teams were State Runners-Up in the same year! Lily Christianson is the State Champion in 50-Freestyle, 100-Freestyle, and was a member of the 200-Freestyle Relay Team with Kaia Podlin, Alayna Riggins, and Molly Barnes.
The Board thanked retiring Hall of Fame Head Football Coach Cory Yeoman for his 40 years of service to Penn High School, and also recognized the Yeoman family in attendance.
Penn Strength and Conditioning Coach Matt Cates named the 2024 National Coach of the Year by the National High School Strength Coaches Association (NHSSCA) was also honored.
Coach Cates named National Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year!
The National High School Strength Coaches Association (NHSSCA) named Penn Strength and Conditioning Coach Matt Cates the 2024 National Coach of the Year!
Last February Coach Cates was named the 2023 Great Lakes Regional Coach of the Year. In 2020, he became the State Director of NHSSCA for Indiana. In January 2022, Penn’s Strength and Conditioning program led by Coach Cates was awarded with a NHSSCA Program of Excellence School designation!
Coach Cates’ enthusiasm and dedication working with student-athletes has made him one of the most popular people at Penn High School. Coach Cates builds lasting relationships with students bringing out the best in them. He is a great motivator, making videos in 2021 to help students cope with the pandemic. Click to watch some of his videos on PHM’s TikTok account. At the start of the 2023-2024 school year, he was one of the teachers who spoke at the Freshman Class Meeting welcoming 9th graders to Penn. He got the biggest round of applause, even from the freshmen! Click to see the pictures.
Cates was chosen from four finalists. The award is given each year to a high school Strength Coach based on their achievements and contributions to their school community. Click here for more information on the award.
Coach Cates will be honored this summer at the national conference in Dallas as NHSSCA’s 2024 National Coach of the Year!
Penn Head Football Coach Cory Yeoman Announces his Retirement
After 40 years with the Penn High School Football program, Hall of Famer Coach Cory Yeoman announced to Kingsmen student-athletes and assistant coaches this afternoon that he will be retiring as head coach and Penn teacher at the end of this school year.
In his address to the players and coaches, Coach Yeoman shared, “By far the best thing I have ever done as a coach or as a player is to surround myself with great people. You win with people! Thousands of people made this journey possible. Thank you to the Yeoman Family; for over 50 Years our Mom, wives and daughters have let us boys play and coach the game we love for the school we love.”
Coach Yeoman went on to say to his players, “I would like to thank the hundreds of tough Kingsmen players in the ‘long black line;’ I am so proud of you. I love you boys! It has been an honor being a member of ‘the long black line.’ It has been an honor to be one of ‘Gees’s boys.’ Go Penn Go!”
Click below to see a full photo gallery of Coach Yeoman.
Coach Yeoman spent his first 19 years as an Assistant Coach under Hall of Famer Coach Chris Geesman, and the past 21 years as Head Coach. Yeoman took over the Kingsmen program in 2003 and compiled a 208-56 record overall.
In his first season after replacing legendary Coach Geesman, Yeoman guided Penn to the 2003 State Championship Game. Yeoman also led Penn to Semi-state titles in 2017, 2015 and 2011. In addition to winning four Semi-state Championships, the Kingsmen have won nine regional crowns under Yeoman’s leadership, 13 sectional titles and 17 Northern Indiana Conference championships.
“It’s hard to put into words what Coach Yeoman means to our school community. He’s been a staple of Penn High School for 40 years, as a student, a teacher, an assistant coach, and as our head football coach for 21 years,” said Penn Athletic Director Jeff Hart.
“More importantly, his unmatched legacy as a positive leader, mentor, and relationship-builder will be sorely missed in our building and beyond,” Hart continued. “I’ve been fortunate to work closely with him for the last several years and I’ve seen up close his unique ability to have great success coaching with a servant’s heart while building lifelong relationships with staff and students. I’m blessed to call him a friend.”
Coach Yeoman bleeds black and gold and has always been a Kingsmen. He played for Penn, earning all-state honors at defensive tackle. In 1979, Coach Yeoman led a Kingsmen defense that only allowed 33 yards rushing a game. That Kingsmen team finished 11-1, winning an NIC Championship before losing to Hobart in the second round of the playoffs. Yeoman graduated from Penn in 1980.
Coach Yeoman is in the Indiana Football Hall of Fame, the first Penn player nominated for the Hall.
“Coach Yeoman is a Kingsmen legend. He learned from the best [Coach Chris Geesman] and became the best,” said Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker. “Coach is highly respected across Indiana; and while we’ll miss him coaching on the sidelines, we know that he won’t be very far from Everwise Freed Field on Friday nights. Once a Kingsmen, always a Kingsmen!”
After his playing career at Penn, coach Yeoman played for Miami (Ohio) University. He was a roommate and teammate of the Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl winning head coach, John Harbaugh. Yeoman joined the Kingsmen coaching staff after graduation from Miami, and has been on the Kingsmen sidelines for 40 seasons.
After Penn’s 28-7 victory against the Mishawaka Cavemen on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, Yeoman was named the Indianapolis Colts Indiana High School Coach of the Week. The victory against the archrival Cavemen also gave Yeoman his 200th career victory, making him only the second Kingsmen Football coach to reach that coveted plateau.
Penn is now the only high school in Indiana to have two coaches meet this milestone. The first was longtime Kingsmen coach Chris Geesman (309 wins), who Coach Yeoman played under and coached with at the beginning of his career at Penn.
Yeoman is beloved and admired by his players and assistant coaches. He serves as a mentor to Penn students not only as a coach, but also as a Physical Education and Sports Performance teacher. Yeoman was also an Industrial Arts Teacher. Coach loves the interactions with students. For years, he’s assisted with Penn’s Commencements, helping line students up and assisting families whose children are being honored posthumously. Yeoman once said to a colleague “My favorite time of year is graduation; this is what it’s all about!”
Coach Yeoman’s last day will come at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. Coach looks forward to spending time with his grandchild, wife and family, and of course cheering for the Kingsmen on Friday nights.
Penn-Harris-Madison will begin an immediate search for a new Kingsmen Head Football Coach; the announcement is to be determined at a later date.
Coaching Profile of Cory Yeoman:
40 Years Coaching at Penn High School, 425 – 79
- 504 Games Coached at Penn High School
- 1984 – 2023 Seasons
- 1984 – 2002 Assistant Coach, 217 – 23
- 2003 – 2023 Head Coach, 208 – 56
Championships
- 36 X Northern Indiana Conference
- 24 X Sectional
- 17 Regionals
- 11 Semi-State
- 7 State Runners-up
- 4 State Championships
Penn’s Basketball Court after Legendary Coach Al Rhodes
As part of the P-H-M Education Foundation naming rights campaign, Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Thacker have generously donated $10,000 to the Education Foundation to have the basketball court in Penn High School’s Main Arena named after Hall of Fame and Penn’s legendary coach, Al Rhodes, renaming the court “Al Rhodes Kingsmen Court.”
The Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees voted to approve the sponsorship agreement at the Monday, October 9, 2023, Board meeting. The donation will be paid in one lump sum to the Foundation.
Coach Rhodes retired at the end of the 2022-2023 school year, with a 28-2 record. The Kingsmen reached the Final Four led by Rhodes protégé and standout Markus Burton who won the coveted Mr. Basketball Award. Burton is only the third player from St. Joseph County to be named Mr. Basketball. Now at Notre Dame, he was the MVP of the 2023 Indiana-Kentucky All-Star series.
Rhodes also played for the Kingsmen from 1966-1970. He went on to play for Tri-State University (now Trine University) before embarking on his coaching career.
Starting his head coaching career at Warsaw in 1980, Rhodes coached the Tigers through the 2002 season. His 1984 Warsaw team claimed the State Championship.
Rhodes and his Kingsmen teams cut down the nets six times as Sectional or Regional Champions. Penn reached the Final Four in Indiana’s revered Hoosier Hysteria state tournament for the third and fourth times in the school’s 65-year history. Rhodes posted an overall record of 693-320 in 42 seasons, including an overall state tournament record of 101-41. The Kingsmen won 18 Sectional Championships, nine Regional Championships, four Semi-state Championships and one State Championship. Coach Rhodes retired as the winningest coach in Kingsmen Boys Basketball history with a record of 239-128 in 15 seasons.
Dr. and Mrs. Thacker’s donation to name the court after the Hall of Famer was a natural decision, said Dr. Thacker. “It’s only fitting that the hardwood where Kingsmen student-athletes racked up so many wins under Coach Rhodes’ leadership would be named after him. This is an excellent way to commemorate and celebrate Penn Basketball’s winningest coach ever!”
The unveiling of the new court signage is scheduled to take place at the Penn-Clay game on December 1, 2023. The new court name will be displayed above the scoreboard.
Per PHMEF’s naming rights fundraising initiative, 80 percent of the donation will go into the Foundation’s endowment, which will in turn provide alternative and additional funding for various co-curricular and extracurricular programs. The remaining 20 percent directly funds professional development initiatives for P-H-M teachers. Continuing the education and training of teachers is a major priority for P-H-M School District.
The mission of the Education Foundation is to develop alternative sources of income to support education initiatives in the School Corporation by strengthening partnerships between the community and the District. PHMEF supports education through awarding innovative teaching grants, scholarships to students, staff development and other corporation-wide initiatives.
Dr. Thacker has been superintendent of Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation since 2006 and has supported the Education Foundation wholeheartedly. Over the course of 17 years, Dr. and Mrs. Thacker have donated $202,500 to the P-H-M Education Foundation, including this most recent donation of the naming rights. Most of this money has either been unrestricted donations or used as matching funds for fundraising initiatives. This is the second time they have made a donation to the naming rights campaign. In 2021, they donated $25,000 to have the Kingsmen Athletic Center renamed the Chris Geesman Kingsmen Athletic Center after Penn’s legendary football championship coach. Click here to see pictures and video of the dedication.
“The Foundation Board and I are so appreciative of Dr. and Mrs. Thacker’s generosity through the years,” said Jennifer Turnblom, Executive Director of the P-H-M Education Foundation. “Their unwavering support has been a tremendous help to us fulfilling our mission. The Thackers’ donations alone have made it possible for the Foundation to fund approximately 20% more classroom grants, activities and programs possible for the students of all P-H-M’s 15 schools. Their impact has been nothing less than incredible!”
The Arena is still available for naming rights.
What Fans Need to Know Before Heading to Penn Homecoming Parade & Game
Friday, September 29 is Penn’s Homecoming Parade, Fun Zone, Food Trucks & the Penn football game versus St. Joe. The P-H-M Education Foundation is once again sponsoring all the fun and new this year–FIREWORKS after the football game!
The entire P-H-M community is invited to come out for this fun-filled family event. All the fun starts with the Homecoming Parade. Be sure to grab your spot on the route by 5:00 p.m. Parade starts at 5:30!
Here are some things that will be helpful for families as they head out for all the festivities.
Parking:
- Paid Parking ($3 cash) at these lots:
- Penn High School (Front Lot & Jefferson Rd. Lot)
- Softball/Tennis Lot
- Bittersweet School Lot
- Free Parking at these lots:
- Soccer Lot (Bank Lot)
- Pennway Lot
- Schmucker Lot (front, Sides & in Back of School)
Fun Zone:
- 5-7:00 p.m.
- Penn Baseball Field
- Teacher Dunk Tanks, Jumpies for elementary students
- FREE for EVERYONE!
- Food Trucks:
- Ben’s Pretzels
- Junbuggies
- Keim’s Elephant Ears
- Kona Ice
- Prized Pig
- REAL Grille
- Rulli’s Pizza
- Fans will be allowed to take food purchased at the Food Trucks into the stadium. However, no other outside food will be allowed!
Gate & Ticket Info:
- Penn vs. St, Joe, Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.
- P-H-M students K – 5th grade get in FREE with paying adult!
- Tickets are on sale now-Thurs., Sept. 28 online, ticket price is $6 (students & all other age groups same price)
- Tickets on Friday, Sept. 29 are $7 (online or at the gate)
- PHM Employees plus one guest get in FREE, but you must have ID badge & the guest must be with the employee
- Please remember middle schoolers cannot be dropped off unsupervised. Once in the game, the students are free to walk around. At least one responsible adult must be onsite.
- Tickets are sold at the North & South gates only!
- Penn All Sports Passes and tickets (hard & online) are accepted at all gates
- The Center Gate is reserved for Penn All Sports Passes and online ticket holders only
- No Reentry!
Fan Safety:
- Click to download and red the Lost Child Policy
- Please utilize crosswalks when crossing Bittersweet Road after the parade
Rules to Remember:
- No reentry to Everwise Field; once you leave, you are not allowed back in.
- No outside food or beverages, no insulated cups
- No backpacks
- Diaper bags & large women’s purses are allowed
- Penn does not have a clear bag policy
- No electronic noise makers
- No Footballs or Beach Balls
- No weapons of any kind
- No alcohol
- No Smoking/Vaping products of any kind. All PHM school property is smoke free.
- No open flames at private tailgating
Info on the Penn Student Homecoming Dance on Saturday, September 30 can found on PHMEF’s website. CLICK HERE.
Basketball Cheerleading Tryouts Oct. 24 & 25
Cheerleading tryouts for the 2023-2024 basketball season will be October 24 and 25 at Penn High School from 3:45 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Please email Coach Szweda for more details at: rszweda@phm.k12.in.us.
Penn Football Coach Cory Yeoman Named Indianapolis Colts/NFL Coach of the Week 2
Last Friday (August 25, 2023) night’s big 28-7 Kingsmen win over the Mishawaka Cavemen also gave Penn Football Coach Cory Yeoman his 200th career win (click to watch a video that captures the magic of that night)–making him Penn High School’s second football coach to receive 200 wins. Penn is now the ONLY high school in Indiana to have two coaches meet this milestone. The first was longtime legendary Kingsmen Coach Chris Geesman, who Coach Yeoman played under and coached with at the beginning of his career at Penn.
So it was only fitting that Hall of Famer Coach Geesman be on hand this morning (Wednesday, August 30) when the Indianapolis Colts presented Coach Yeoman with the award for Colts/NFL Coach of the Week for Week 2, presented by Corteva Agriscience, headquartered in Indianapolis. Click here to read the Indianapolis Colts news release. Former NFL player and current Youth Football Commissioner for the Colts, Mike Prior, presented Coach Yeoman with the award and a $2,000 check that will go to Penn Athletic Department. Prior gave Coach Yeoman his award and check in Penn High School’s Strength & Conditioning Weight Room with Penn’s senior football players applauding him.
The student-athletes got a chance to hear from Prior who talked about his commitment and dedication through challenges in high school and college football, his choice to play pro football over baseball, and how it eventually paid off. Prior played for Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Colts and the Green Bay Packers. For the Packers, he was a punt returner and a defensive back. He played in Super Bowl XXXI and XXXII. Prior showed the players one of his Super Bowl Championship rings and they had a chance to ask him questions.
On an interesting note, Prior is an assistant football coach at Cathedral High School, who Penn plays this Friday, Sept. 1, in Indianapolis. Coach Yeoman joked and asked Prior if he “wishes every team good luck this week?” Prior said that “Yes, he does!”
Return of the Backyard Brawl
On Friday, August 25th, 2023 at 7:00 p.m., the “Backyard Brawl” rivalry between Mishawaka and Penn High School was renewed at Everwise Freed Field at Penn High School. The last time the two teams met up was Oct. 18, 2019.
The rematch lived up to all the pre-game anticipation and excitement, and ended with a Kingsmen victory of 28-7 over the Cavemen. The magic of “Friday Night Lights” & the “Return of the Backyard Brawl” was captured in this video. Take a look …
Pictures from the Community Tailgate can be found in this Facebook album, click here.
What Fans Need to Know Before Heading to “Backyard Brawl”
Friday Night, August 25, 2023 marks the return of the storied rivalry between the Mishawaka Cavemen and Penn High School. The “Backyard Brawl” was last played at Mishawaka on Oct. 18, 2019. This time around Penn is hosting. We’re expecting a large crowd for this big game, which is also Penn’s home opener, and we want everyone to have a good time.
Here are some things that will be helpful for all fans as they head to Everwise Freed Field.
Parking:
- Paid Parking ($2 cash) at these lots:
- Penn High School (Front Lot & Jefferson Rd. Lot)
- Softball/Tennis Lot
- Bittersweet School Lot
- Free Parking at these lots:
- Soccer Lot (Bank Lot)
- Pennway Lot
- Schmucker Lot (front, Sides & in Back of School)
Gate & Ticket Info:
- Gates open at 5:00 p.m. (Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m.)
- Tickets are available online for presale for $6 (PreK & younger are FREE; students & all other age groups same price)
- Tickets on August 25 (at the gate or online) are $7
- PHM Employees plus one guest get in FREE, but you must have ID badge & the guest must be with the employee
- Please remember middle schoolers cannot be dropped off unsupervised. Once in the game, the students are free to walk around. At least one responsible adult must be onsite.
- Tickets are sold at the North & South gates only!
- Penn All Sports Passes and tickets (hard & online) are accepted at all gates
- The Center Gate is reserved for Penn All Sports Passes and online ticket holders only
- No Reentry!
Community Tailgate
- All fans are welcome; it is a Community Tailgate!
- You must purchase a football ticket to attend the Community Tailgate. You will not be able to enter the stadium at 5:00 unless you have a ticket to the game!
- Once inside the stadium head down to the white tents in the South End Zone, near the Zolman’s Tire & Auto Care South Concession Stand.
Fan Safety:
- Extra police officers will be on hand for traffic direction & crowd control
- There will be an extra outdoor concession stand just selling drinks and water
- STAY HYDRATED! It will be a hot day/early evening.
- Fire & EMS will be on site
- Contact a medic if you or anyone near you is experiencing a heat related illness
- Please utilize crosswalks when crossing Bittersweet Road
Rules to Remember:
- No Reentry
- No outside food or beverages, no insulated cups
- No backpacks
- Diaper bags & large women’s purses are allowed
- Penn does not have a clear bag policy
- No electronic noise makers
- No Footballs or Beach Balls
- No weapons of any kind
- No alcohol
- No Smoking/Vaping products of any kind. All PHM school property is smoke free.
- No open flames at private tailgating