The halls of Penn High School buzzed with excitement as the Marching Kingsmen drumline made their way through the school on Friday, setting the tone for the first home football game of the 2024 season. This tradition, which takes place every Friday before a home game, fills the school with the rhythmic sound of drums, energizing students and staff alike.

This tradition is a beloved part of the Penn High School experience, signaling the start of football season and rallying the school community together in support of their team. The Marching Kingsmen drumline continues to inspire school spirit and excitement as they lead the charge into another season of Friday night lights.

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While we are back in school now, we’d like to take a look back at a summer trip that 15 of our students got to experience.

The German American Partnership Program (GAPP) has been running at Penn High School since 1999 under the leadership of Elizabeth Dix. GAPP is an initiative of the Goethe Institute to encourage intercultural exchange, dialogue and friendship. It is an exchange, with a group of German high school students coming to visit Penn in the fall, and Penn students visiting Germany in the early summer. Our partner school is Christian-Rohlfs-Gymnasium in Hagen, Germany, and students on both sides get to practice their language skills and experience true student life and what it is to be a teenager in another country. 

The students were in Hagen for 25 days, leaving right after graduation. While in Germany, our students lived with host families, went to school with their partner, experienced new activities, new food, and new landmarks to say the least. Some highlights were the Cologne Cathedral, touring a WWII submarine bunker, seeing the famous Bremen city musicians, and so much more. Students returned to the States with a renewed sense of curiosity, respect for other cultures, and, perhaps most importantly, more confidence in their German language skills.

15 Penn High School students on their way to O’Hare to travel to Germany. 

Reunited at last! 2024 Penngrad Lillian Gregory (right) with partner Nele.

Penn Senior Avery Pawlak (right) with partner Gerald in Hagen.

Above is a picture of the entire group, with Frau Tarbet Burnett to the far right.

Each school day, the American students would get together in our designated classroom for “American hour,” where they would spend time discussing experiences and cultural differences, and work on language practice to use with their host families. 

The entire group of German and American students at the Welcome Party.

The Penn students were blown away by the generosity of their German host families! 

2025 senior Emily Eby (left) and 2024 graduate Kylie Fravel (right) in front of the Cologne Cathedral, one of the region’s top sightseeing destinations. Students also got to tour the inside.

German and Penn students getting ready to climb the Cathedral tower in Cologne.

Students enjoying traditional Bavarian food at a local restaurant in Hagen. Pictured left to right: Fabian, Lillian Gregory, Nele, Joelle, Ruby Lehtomaki

Visiting Zeche Zollverein, a local coal mining plant that’s been turned into a museum.

The Penn group in Bremen, Germany after an informative walking tour.

Pictured left to right: Emily Eby, Kylie Fravel, Oliver Dvorak, Sean Kinnucan, Jack Busch-Evans, Avery Pawlak, Ellie Satre, Adam Herath, Ruby Lehtomaki

Students on a mud flat hike in the Wadden Sea near Cuxhaven! We learned about local ocean life and how this area loses so much water when the tide goes out. 

Students observing the German WWII submarine bunker Valentin.

Thousands of forced laborers worked over several years to construct this structure. It was never completely finished and no submarines were built here during the war.

The group in Hamburg, Germany. Across the water you can see part of the main downtown area. Pictured left to right: Frau Tarbet, Ruby Lehtomaki, Kylie Fravel, Amina Spahic, Sean Kinnucan, Alaina Dudas, Oliver Dvorak, Rebecca Wolter, Avery Pawlak, Adam Herath, Ellie Satre, Lillian Gregory, Jack Busch-Evans, Ian Hahn, Ashlynn Bice.

The students visit Burg Altena, a castle in the area near Hagen. Students learned about the history of the castle and medieval life.

Students enjoy their farewell party by recreating a photo taken when the Germans were visiting Penn. L-R: Luke, Oliver Dvorak, Avery Pawlak, Adam Herath, and being held is Gerald.

Penn High School welcomed a new member of the Kingsmen Athletics team when Culver’s Sports Performance Center was dedicated on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024. Keith Remington and Mark Nowak co-owners of Culver’s Restaurant (on McKinley Avenue near Penn High School) donated $125,000 to P-H-M Education Foundation’s Naming Rights campaign. 

The partnership between Culver’s, P-H-M, P-H-M Education Foundation, and Penn High School signals a new chapter in Kingsmen Athletics Excellence.

P-H-M Board of School Trustees VP Ryan McCullough, P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker, PHMEF Exec. Dir. Jennifer Turnblom, P-H-M Chief Operating Officer Dr. Aaron Leniski, Penn High School Principal Dr. Sean Galiher, Assistant Athletic Director Bridget Williams, and Strength & Conditioning Coach Matt Cates welcomed Remington (1997 Penn grad) and Nowak and their families today.

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The T-shirts that the student-athletes were wearing at today’s event are an additional annual gift from Culver’s valued at $7,000.

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, staff development and other corporation-wide initiatives.

“Community support is vital for our ability to support excellence in education in P-H-M schools,” PHMEF Director Jennifer Turnblom said. “Culver’s generous donation shows their dedication to our schools and positive impact on our community and we are honored to partner with them through the naming rights program. Their commitment allows us to continue to increase grant funding and support district wide programs in all 15 P-H-M schools.” 

The P-H-M Board of School Trustees approved the Naming Rights partnership between the P-H-M Education Foundation and Culver’s at the Feb. 12 Board Meeting.

According to the agreement, Culver’s co-owners Keith Remington and Mark Nowak and agree to pay PHMEF $125,000 over 12 years to name the weight and performance center at Penn High School the Culver’s Sports Performance Center.

Penn Athletic Director Jeff Hart said that Culver’s sponsorship will provide a positive impact in the performance and lives of more than a thousand Penn students each school year.

“We sincerely appreciate the commitment that Culver’s is making to our school community,” Hart said. “By sponsoring our weight rooms, Culver’s is helping to put a spotlight on the Strength and Conditioning program at Penn and the importance that a successful program can have on our 1,100 student-athletes.

“The leadership at Culver’s understands the benefits this program provides through the prevention of injuries, self confidence, improved athletic performance, and long-term health,” Hart continued. “We look forward to an exciting partnership.”

The Culver’s Sports Performance Center is nationally renowned. The National High School Strength Coaches Association (NHSSCA) named Penn’s Strength and Conditioning program a NHSSCA Program of Excellence School. This honor recognizes that Penn High School’s Strength & Conditioning program operates at a highest level of professionalism.

In awarding Penn and Coach Cates with this honor NHSSCA noted …

“This honor recognizes that this High School Strength & Conditioning program operates at a highest level of professionalism. To earn this honor Coach Cates & Penn High School has displayed excellence in safety, quality, efficacy, outreach & highlighting. While also displaying excellent continuing education & technology usage in their Strength & Conditioning program.”

Penn Strength & Conditioning Coach Matt Cates was named the National High School Strength Coaches Association 2024 National Coach of the Year.

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P-H-M’s annual Community Tailgate is a tradition and a great way to kick off the start of the Kingsmen football season. This year’s home opener will be against Valpo on Friday, August 23rd.

Gates open at 5:30 p.m. You must have a ticket to the football game to enter. Once inside the stadium head down to the white tents in the south end zone at the Zolman’s Tire Concessions Stand.

At 6:15 p.m. a special dedication for recently retired Penn Head Football Coach Cory Yeoman. Penn-Harris-Madison  Superintendent Dr. and Mrs. Thacker donated $10,000 to the P-H-M Education Foundation Naming Rights Campaign to name the plaza located at Penn High School’s Everwise Freed Field the Yeoman Family Plaza, after former Penn High School Head Football Coach Cory Yeoman and his family.

The Yeoman Family bleeds black and gold. Coach Cory’s father Wally Yeoman was an assistant coach with legendary Chris Geesman. Coach Cory played for Penn, earning all-state honors at defensive tackle. In 1979, he 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. Cory graduated from Penn in 1980. 

Cory Yeoman played for Miami (Ohio) University. He was a roommate and teammate of the Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl winning head coach, John Harbaugh. He joined the Kingsmen coaching staff after graduation from Miami, and has been on the Kingsmen sidelines for 40 seasons.

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. 

Yeoman retired at the end of the 2023-2024 school year after 40 years with P-H-M.

Male members of Yeoman family and those who married into the family have either played for or coached for the Long Black Line at some point.

The dedication of the plaza in the name of the Yeoman Family is a great way to honor such strong supporters of the Kingsmen Family and all they’ve contributed to the Penn Football program!

Dr. Thacker has been superintendent of Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation since 2006 and has supported the Education Foundation wholeheartedly. Over the course of 18 years, Dr. and Mrs. Thacker have donated $232,500 to the P-H-M Education Foundation. Most of this money has either been unrestricted donations or used as matching funds for fundraising initiatives.

Dr. and Mrs. Thacker have made five donations since 2021 totaling $65,000 as part of the Naming Rights Campaign, recognizing the contributions P-H-M employees have made to the community:

1. Chris Geesman Kingsmen Athletic Center (formerly the Kingsmen Athletic Center), $25,000 donated in December 2021 ($5,000 per year over five years, for an overall period of 12 years)
2. Al Rhodes Kingsmen Court, $10,000 donated in October 2023 (one lump sum)
3. Arthur M. Klinger Planetarium (formerly the  P-H-M DVT & Planetarium), $10,000 donated in January 2024
4. Yeoman Family Plaza, $10,000 donated in March 2024 
5. Greg Dikos Field, $10,000 donated in August 2024 

Former Penn Volleyball Star Annie Drews and Team USA Volleyball won the Silver Medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Drews helped lead Team USA to its first Volleyball Gold Medal in 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics. She played on Penn’s State Championship Volleyball Teams in 2010 and 2011.

Drews visited Penn on Aug. 27, 2021, after winning the Gold Medal. Click here for a write-up and Photo Gallery of her 2021 visit.

Team USA lost to Italy in the 2024 Olympics Gold Match match, 3-0, on Sunday, Aug. 11, in Paris.

Drews has been a member of Team USA Volleyball since 2017.

Click here for Drew’s Team USA Bio.

Former Penn High School Wrestling star Sarah Hildebrandt earned a Gold Medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics in Women’s Wrestling (50kg).

Hildebrandt was one of two American women to win a Gold Medal in Wrestling at the 2024 Olympics. She is also just the fourth woman to win Gold in Team USA Wrestling history.

Hildebrandt earned a Bronze Medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She is also a two-time national collegiate champion.

Seeded sixth entering the Olympics, Hildebrandt battled her way to the Gold Medal with a stunning tour de force.

Hildebrandt beat Ibtissem Doudou of Algeria, 10-0, beat Ziqi Feng of China 7-4, beat Otgonjargal Dolgorjav of Mongolia, 5-0, and beat Yusneylis Guzman Lopez of Cuba, 3-0 in the Gold Medal bout.

A 2011 graduate of Penn High School, Hildebrandt became the first female to qualify for the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) Wrestling Semi-State competition and led Penn High School to the IHSAA Team Championship. Her personal coach is Penn Boys Wrestling Head Coach Brad Harper.

Sarah was the featured speaker at the 2019 Superintendent’s Community Breakfast. Click here to see the photo gallery.

Penn High School’s Samantha Buckwheat earned a 2024 National Gold Key Award in the Scholastic Art and Writing contest.

Buckwheat, Class of 2024, will have her photography artwork, “Brothers”, on display in New York City.

Buckwheat’s Photograpy instructor is Betsy Dunham.

On July 22^nd, the Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees approved the $10,000 gift from School Superintendent Dr. and Mrs. Thacker to the P-H-M Education Foundation Naming Rights Campaign to name the field at Penn High School’s Jordan Automotive Baseball Stadium as the Greg Dikos Field.

This makes the fifth donation Dr. and Mrs. Thacker have made as part of the Naming Rights Campaign, recognizing the contributions P-H-M employees have made to the community:

1. Chris Geesman Kingsmen Athletic Center (formerly the Kingsmen Athletic Center), $25,000 donated in December 2021 ($5,000 per year over five years, for an overall period of 12 years)
2. Al Rhodes Kingsmen Court, $10,000 donated in October 2023 (one lump sum)
3. Arthur M. Klinger Planetarium (formerly the  P-H-M DVT & Planetarium), $10,000 donated in January 2024
4. Yeoman Family Plaza, $10,000 donated in March 2024 
5. Greg Dikos Field, $10,000 donated in August 2024

Dr. Thacker has been superintendent of Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation since 2006 and has supported the Education Foundation wholeheartedly. Over the course of 18 years, Dr. and Mrs. Thacker have donated $232,500 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.

Coach Dikos owns an 839-298 record in 37 seasons.

Penn has won six State Championships during Dikos’ tenure as head coach: 1994, 1998, 2001, 2015, 2022 and 2023. Coach Dikos has also led Penn to seven Semi-State Championships, 13 Regional Championships, 21 Sectional Championships and 22 Northern Indiana Conference Championships.

A graduate of Swartz Creek High School (Mich.) and Ball State University, Coach Dikos was selected by the Atlanta Braves as a third baseman in the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft in the 31st round. Coach Dikos was inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011.

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.