The Penn High School Band has been named as one of just two bands nationally to receive the prestigious Earl Irons Program of Distinction Award from the Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity. The award is designed to recognize band programs that excel in the areas of Concert Band, Marching Band and Jazz Ensemble.
 

The awards ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, December 15 in Chicago, as part of the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic.

In March, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation was awarded the “Best Communities for Music Education” designation from the NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. P-H-M was just one of 13 Indiana school districts and 476 districts across the country to receive this award.

Penn High School will host an Open House for parents/guardians/students from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 31.
 

Parents and guardians will follow their students’ schedules during the Open House to meet instructors and get a brief overview of the course.

The Open House is also an opportunity to learn about resources at Penn designed to assist student achievement.

Be sure to get your student’s schedule and the class timetable before attending the Open House.

The 2015-2016 Penn High School yearbook is scheduled to ship around the middle of September.
 

When yearbooks arrive, there will be an announcement.
 

Yearbook distribution will take place at the north end of the cafeteria during lunches, and you will be able to pick up your yearbook at that time.

P-H-M’s 3-tiered security design for Penn High School (as well as for the 11 elementary and three middle schools) were featured in the “The August Educational Interiors Showcase” issue published last week and is being sent to 56,000+American School & University magazine subscribers.

The article features not only the architectural design of Penn High School’s entry, but also explains how the design plays an important factor in keeping our students safe.

The safety and the security of our students is a top priority for Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation. Director of Safety and Security Mike Seger recently wrote a guest blog on SecurityToday.com about the beginning steps school districts can take to implement district wide safety initiatives.

The Penn girls soccer game, scheduled for Monday, Aug. 22, at Marian, has been moved to the Invaders Soccer Club Facility.

Marian’s soccer field is unplayable due to the heavy amounts of rain in the past week.

The Invaders Soccer Club is located at 55200 Pine Rd. in South Bend.

Junior Varsity action is set to start at 5:30 p.m., and the varsity match will follow.

The game will be on at the Invaders stadium field, so there is grandstand seating.

Brats & sauerkraut! Dogs & chips! Great food will be served hot off the grills at P-H-M’s annual community football tailgate party! 

Join us on Friday, August 19, from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. under the big tents behind the Educational Services Center (ESC) at 55900 Bittersweet Rd., Mishawaka. 

There’s plenty of time to grab dinner for the family, visit with friends and then get to your seats inside TCU Freed Field before the 7:30 p.m. kick-off. 

The Penn Kingsmen will take on the Valparaiso Vikings in the season home opener.

The P-H-M Community Tailgate, hosted by the district’s central office staff and administrators, is a tradition now in its 29th year. The event is open to the public and all are welcome. Tickets are $3.50 and are sold onsite, not in advance.

Dr. Jerry Thacker and P-H-M administrators will be on hand and they look forward to meeting members of the community and P-H-M families. 

Penn student-athletes will participate in 25 events this week.
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Penn High School Principal Steve Hope announced several new appointments/changes for the start of the 2016-2017 School Year. The Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees approved (Monday, Aug. 8, 2016) Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker’s appointment of Randy Williams as Associate Principal at Penn High School. Along with Mr. Williams, Mr. Hope has named three new Academy Leaders: Laura McKenzie will serve as the Freshman Academy Leader, Shannon Gray will be the Health and Human Services Academy Leader, and Josiah Parker will be the Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) Academy Leader.

Mr. Williams is returning to Penn after serving as Principal at both Madison and Walt Disney Elementary Schools. He will lead Student Services as Associate Principal.

Graduating with academic honors as the salutatorian at South Bend LaSalle High School, Mr. Williams then earned a degree in Education with a Science Endorsement at Indiana University. He graduated with distinction at Indiana University, and earned a Master’s in Education at Ball State.

“Mr. Williams is adept at building relationships, de-escalating tempers and helping students focus on learning,” Mr. Hope said. “His skills in these areas will serve us all well as he leads Student Services.”

Mr. Williams will also serve as the school safety specialist and work with McKenzie in leading the Freshman Academy. His wife, Bridget Williams, is the assistant athletic director at Penn High School. He coached baseball, girls basketball, softball at Penn, South Bend St. Joseph, and Elkhart Central, and also coached the Quiz Bowl team at Penn.

Ms. McKenzie was born and raised in Atlanta. She started her career at Georgia Federal Savings and Loan, and began to mentor and tutor students in her spare time.

After moving to Indiana, she began a career in education. She will continue to teach Math in addition to serving as the Freshman Academy Leader.

“Ms. McKenzie takes great delight in our students thriving and having the common language of the CTL literacy training,” Mr. Hope said.

Health and Human Services Academy Leader Ms. Gray, who teaches English/Language Arts, is a graduate of South Bend John Adams High School and Valparaiso University. She earned her Master’s in Education from Indiana University South Bend.

Ms. Gray has served as a Professional Learning Community Leader for English 11, English 10 and English 9.

“Ms. Gray has mentored many new teachers and has the great ability to create cohesive, high-functioning teams,” Mr. Hope said. “She is eager to support all teachers at Penn.”

Mr. Parker will be the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Academy Leader. Mr. Parker is one of the leaders of the heralded “Hand Of Grace” project in which Penn students created prosthetic arm for a third-grade Madison Elementary student using 3-D printer technology.

Mr. Parker is a 2002 graduate of Lakeland High School in LaGrange, Ind. He graduated from Ball State University as an architecture major and transitioned to a degree in Engineering and Technology Education.

 “Mr. Parker’s goals are to connect our classes and students to projects within our community, create a STEM learning community where classes work collectively on projects, and help teachers find resources and funding to support the amazing things that they do in the classroom,” Mr. Hope added.

Penn High School will open its doors to incoming students and families from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Aug. 20, for the annual Walk Around. Students and families may enter Penn High School for the Walk Around through Doors A, B and C.

One purpose of the Walk Around is to give students the opportunity to walk through their schedule to find classes before the first day of school, which is Wednesday, Aug. 24.

Brief parent meetings at the Walk Around will be conducted at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. in LGI-A.

“The Walk Around is a great way to ease the nerves of incoming freshmen by meeting a Freshman Mentor to walk them through their schedule,” Penn High School counselor Marni Cronk said. “Students can also pick up Penn Spirit Wear, courtesy of the Booster Club.  Also, many clubs will be represented, so students have a chance to explore opportunities at Penn and get involved!”