Penn Science Olympiad Shines at the IU Northwest Regional
In an intense and highly competitive field, Penn Science Olympiad made an incredible debut at the IU Northwest Regional.
Photo Gallery posted below.
Competing for the first time, Penn’s team delivered outstanding performances across multiple events:
5th Place: Robin Sullivan & Allie Tessier – Botany
5th Place: Aiden Lee & Ishita Masetty – Chem Lab
6th Place: Allie Tessier & Madison Kuzmic – Ecology 6th Place: Toby Prince & Natalia Vogt – Geological Mapping
6th Place: Robin Sullivan & Madison Kuzmic – Microbe Mission
7th Place: Iniya Christopher & Alishba Syeda – Disease Detectives
7th Place: Toby Prince & Robin Sullivan – Entomology
8th Place: Iniya Christopher, Alishba Syeda, & Allie Tessier – Experimental Design
8th Place: Toby Prince & Natalia Vogt – Material Science
Penn High School Building Trades Students Constructing Two Homes This Year
Penn High School’s Building Trades program is once again giving students hands-on experience in the construction industry by building homes from the ground up. This real-world learning opportunity allows students to develop valuable skills that prepare them for careers in the trades—all while still in high school.
This year, the program has students working on two separate homes—which allows ample opportunities for all the students who wish to participate.
Now in its 56th year, these are the 57th and 58th houses in the programs history—a testament to the program’s continued success and impact on career readiness.
From framing and roofing to electrical work and plumbing, students gain insight into multiple trades, helping them develop specialized skills that can lead to future careers in construction, carpentry, and beyond. The experience also fosters teamwork, problem-solving, and a strong work ethic—essential qualities in any trade.
By building homes, Penn High School’s Building Trades students are not only constructing houses—they’re building their futures.
Click HERE to view progress photos from the 2024-25 house builds.
Today (February 4th, 2025), we stopped by both houses for an updated. Students were installing flooring, tiles, electrical, roofing and more. View today’s photo gallery below.
SAT School Day test scheduled for Wednesday, March 5, 2025; SAT prep help offered
Juniors:
Penn’s School Day SAT, which is required for all Juniors, will be on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
The SAT School Day: Student Guide is available only as a digital resource, since students may access full length practice tests through their College Board account.
Click here for a SAT School Day Study Guide.
Elementary Students Experience Musical Magic with Penn High School Symphonic Orchestra
Fourth and fifth-grade students from Bittersweet, Elm Road, Mary Frank, Meadow’s Edge, and Northpoint elementary schools recently enjoyed a musical demonstration by the Penn High School Symphonic Orchestra. This event offered the elementary students an exciting glimpse into what musical instruments may be in their future.
The demonstration began with a slow, moving piece before transitioning into a showcase of individual instruments. Penn orchestra members lined up at the front of the stage to perform brief solos. Each instrument’s unique sound and appearance were highlighted, sparking curiosity and excitement among the elementary students.
The event reached its peak when two Penn teachers brought a thrilling touch of cinematic drama to the stage. Dressed as Princess Leia and Darth Vader from Star Wars, the duo engaged in a light saber battle to the delight of the audience. In a dramatic twist, Darth Vader emerged victorious and led the orchestra in a powerful rendition of the iconic “Imperial March.” Adding to the spectacle, the string players adorned their bows with LED lights, transforming them into glowing light sabers as they performed the final number.
The demonstration not only entertained but also served as an introduction to the world of orchestral music, inspiring many young students to consider learning an instrument in the future. The Penn High School Symphonic Orchestra’s performance was a perfect blend of education and entertainment, leaving a lasting impression on its young audience.
Penn students excel at Science Olympiad
Penn High School students excelled at the Science Olympiad competition that took place on Saturday, Jan 25, 2025, at Notre Dame.
Photo Gallery posted below
Chemistry Lab: Aidan Lee, Tobias Prince, 2nd place
The next competition is the Regional on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025.
Penn’s Liew, Shafer, Chen qualify for Debate Nationals second consecutive year
Three Penn High School Debate students will compete in the National Debate Tournament for a second consecutive year, and seven other Penn students have also qualified for Nationals.
The Nationals will be held in Des Moines, Iowa, this summer.
Stanley Liew, Noah Shafer and Chris Chen of Penn and the Northwest Indiana World Schools Gold Team will compete in the National Tournament as a result placing in the Final Four of last year’s National Tournament.
Five Penn High School students qualified in District competition for the National Debate Tournament.
The students qualified by placing first at the Northwest Indiana District.
Penn’s National Qualifiers (through district competition):
- Public Forum – Alina Luck and Jaanavi Kaushi 1st place; Amina Spahic and Rebecca Wolter 2nd Place
- In Lincoln Douglas – Akul Bhamabani 1st place
Additionally, two Penn students qualified in the Northwest Indiana District Congress competition:
- House of Representatives – Grant Spadafore 1st place
- Senate – Ishita Masetty 1st
Penn’s Debate Team is coached by Jeremy Starkweather.
Penn Debate Team earns state runner-up finish
Mr. Rallo to be Inducted into Indiana Sportswriters & Sportscasters Assoc. Hall of Fame
Congratulations to Mr. Curt Rallo, Penn High School Journalism teacher, Penn Sports Information Director, and member of the P-H-M District Communications Team for being named to the Class of 2025 Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame.
Mr. Rallo is a graduate of Penn High School earning his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University-South Bend and a master’s degree from Bethel University.
Mr. Rallo is a working journalist in the truest sense of the word. His experience includes working for the South Bend Tribune for 38 years, covering local high school sports, Big Ten Men’s Basketball and Football, the University of Notre Dame, as well as spot coverage of the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB. Just some of the notable pro athletes he’s covered include: Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Skylar Diggins, Pat Connaughton, and Michael Jordan (basketball and baseball). While covering college and professional sports, Mr. Rallo reported on the Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Maui Invitational, NCAA men’s basketball Final Fours (I.U. and Michigan State) and women’s basketball Final Fours (Notre Dame 6x), covering MLB, NFL and NBA playoffs.
For his work covering Indiana high school sports, Mr. Rallo was recognized by the IHSAA with the Distinguished Media Service Award in 1996.
Mr. Rallo brought his broad depth of experience in sports reporting back to Penn High School when he began teaching in 2001 while still working at the Tribune. He’s now been with P-H-M for 24 years teaching Sports Journalism and serving as the Sports ID for the Kingsmen Athletic Department. He’s also been known to call some Kingsmen games/matches. Mr. Rallo oversees a team of student writers, photographers, videographers, graphic artists, etc. serving as Penn’s own independent sports media outlet. Mr. Rallo and his students impressively cover all of Penn’s teams giving his students real hands-on experiences of doing everything from live play by play on the Pennant YouTube Channel, feature stories on the Pennant website, and in depth conversations with student-athletes and coaches on the Pennant Podcast. Mr. Rallo and the student sports journalists also manage Pennant Facebook, Instagram, and X. Mr. Rallo teaches his students the importance of deadlines and in this age of social media covering sporting events in real time. The volume, but more importantly the quality, of content Mr. Rallo covers with his dedicated team of students makes him beyond worthy of this recognition. His students are very fortunate to learn from a true and talented professional.
It’s hard to believe with all that he does at Penn High School, but Mr. Rallo still does freelance work covering Notre Dame football and basketball for the Associated Press.
Mr. Rallo will be inducted at the annual awards banquet to be held in early April in Greenwood. Click for more details on the other inductees on the Stateline Sports Network website.
Penn qualifies five Debate students for Nationals
Five Penn High School students qualified for the National Debate Tournament to be held this summer in Des Moines, Iowa.
The students qualified by placing first at the Northwest Indiana District.
Penn’s National Qualifiers:
- Public Forum – Alina Luck and Jaanavi Kaushi 1st place; Amina Spahic and Rebecca Wolter 2nd Place
- In Lincoln Douglas – Akul Bhamabani 1st place
Penn’s Debate Team, coached by Jeremy Starkweather, will look to repeat at State Champions this weekend at the Debate State Finals at Avon High School.
State qualifiers:
Congress:
Grant Spadafore
Ishita Masetty
Sohan Patel
Roman Gargis
Lincoln-Douglas:
Akul Bhambhani
Sarah Rooney
Chris Chen
Anton Kozelichki
Public Forum:
Alina Luck and Jaanavi Kaushik
Leah Wagner and Rayna Donald
Amina Spahic and Rebecca Wolter
Ben Galiher and Manny Singleton
Policy Debate:
Ava Lightburn and Leena Khan
Kai King and Nora McKinney
Joshua Oh and William Wu
Ethan Schafer and Rebeca Ramirez
World Schools Debate:
Jawad Siddique, Stanley Liew, Noah Shafer, Lynn Chung and Kevin Wu
Ishita Awasthi, Mira Yaradi, Sarah Ahmed, Sydney Herriman and Victoria Sanchez
Snowball Dance scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 16
Penn High School’s Snowball Winter Dance, “An Evening in the Garden”, is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 16, from 7:30-11 p.m.
Entry is through Door B ONLY.
Tickets go on sale on Sunday, Jan. 26, at noon and will be available until 7:30 p.m. on the day of the dance (or until the event is sold out).
Click here to purchase tickets starting at noon on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025.
Snowball Information
- Professional Photographs will be available from Valentinos at the dance from 7:30pm to 10:00pm and are available for singles, couples, and friend groups. Pre-purchase photographs by using this link: https://v2.myproimages.com/valentinos/41543/search
- Unlimited Drinks from American Espresso (Lattes, Frappes, Italian Sodas, etc.), Bottled Water, Desserts/Snacks, and photo booth fun, are all part of ticket price.
- Students Choose the Music again this year. A special link to a Google Form will be included in the ticket confirmation e-mail. Music Requests can be made until Thursday, Feb. 13, at 11:59 p.m.
- In the confirmation e-mail, it will include the following instructions about policies, door entry, etc.
- This is a school event and students are expected to follow the same code of conduct as during the school day. Security and administration will be onsite for the event, which includes security patrolling the parking lot areas.
- No ticket sales at the door on the evening of the dance. Ticket Sales are online only and limited tickets are available.
- You (and your guest) must have your ticket & school ID to enter. Entry will be through Door B and check-in will be in CPA Foyer.
- Guests from other schools are welcome to attend with you, but they must be 20 years old or younger, not in middle school and they must have their ID or state issued license to enter.
- Once you leave the dance re-admittance will not be permitted.
- Your ticket includes dancing, unlimited smoothies, coffees, lattes, Italian sodas, etc., bottled water, assorted desserts, and photo booth fun.
- Don’t forget to get your formal photos taken at Valentino’s 7:30pm-10pm. Pre-purchase with this link: https://v2.myproimages.com/valentinos/41543/search *No refunds on no shows at the dance, so please be sure to get your photo taken.
- You and your peers chose the music (school appropriate)! No requests are taken the night of the dance. The link for requesting music will come with your ticket confirmation.
- Students may bring a small purse or clear bag, but these bags must be checked in the coat-check and will not be permitted in the main arena.
- Shoes can be worn and there will also be a coat check (We are not responsible for lost/stolen items, so don’t leave valuables in the coat check).
- Dress to impress, but formal attire is not required.
- Come see the Arena + Balconies bloom at an Evening in the Garden (Un Soirée au Jardin). This will be an unforgettable evening with memories to cherish for a lifetime. We hope you enjoy the night!
- Volunteer opportunities will be available. Please watch for more details to come with a Sign-Up Genius Link to be shared from Penn.
- For any questions, please contact pennhspto@gmail.com
- We are looking forward to a great evening!