Penn High School Educational Assistant Whitney Hall received a well-deserved honor this morning when Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker announced that she has been named the 2025 Classified Employee of the Year for Penn-Harris-Madison.

Dr. Thacker, PHM and Penn Administrators, a few of Whitney’s co-workers, and of course students were all in the classroom waiting to surprise Whitney when she returned after a “meeting.” She was genuinely surprised and caught off guard. Click to watch the video below, and then click here to see the full photo gallery.

Since joining the Exceptional Education Academy at Penn in September 2020, Whitney has made a significant difference in her students’ lives. One example of her dedication is her one-on-one work and patient support with a mostly non-verbal student which led to the discovery that the student could solve algebraic equations.

Her co-workers admire Whitney’s willingness to “jump right in” and help no matter the situation. Another example of her commitment to her students is when during an adaptive PE session, Whitney didn’t hesitate to dive into the pool to swim alongside her students.

Whitney also serves as the coach of Penn’s Unified Cornhole Team, a program that brings together general education and exceptional education students in inclusive, team-based competition. Under Whitney’s guidance over the past two years, the program has grown in both participation and impact—celebrating the values of equity, inclusion, and student engagement. These are just a few examples of the impact she makes daily. Every student matters to Whitney Hall.

Whether assisting students with IEPs, assisting with classroom instruction, or mentoring fellow Educational Assistants, Whitney consistently goes above and beyond to ensure students receive the individualized support they need to be successful. She is a true team player.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Whitney plays a key leadership role in building positive culture within the Ex Ed Academy and the greater Penn community. She is a founding member of Penn’s SITA Crew, a group of Educational Assistants who organize morale-boosting activities, staff events, and opportunities to build connection and community within the Exceptional Education team.

Whitney embodies what it means to serve with heart. Her work has made a meaningful difference in the lives of students and staff alike.

During the week of May 5^th, Dr. Thacker will also name P-H-M’s Elementary Teacher of the Year in a surprise announcement. On Monday, 8th grade Schmucker math teacher L.A. High was named Secondary Teacher of the year (click here for details). All three winners will be officially recognized at P-H-M’s Employee Recognition & Retiree Dinner on Wednesday, May 21st. Thanks to the P-H-M Education Foundation, the Employee of the Year will receive a plaque and gift certificate and the two Teachers of the Year will also receive a plaque along with grants to use in their classrooms. Both TOY winners will go on to compete for Indiana’s Teacher of the Year, which will be announced in early Fall 2025 by the IDOE. Click here for more information on Indiana Teacher of the Year selection process.

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• Chris Chen – Entrepreneurship Series Event
• Lenna Khan & Sobrin Fitwi – Buying and Merchandising Team Role Play
• Fareha Afaq and Katelynn Ngo – Innovation Plan
• Stanley Liew and Matthew Deahl – Hospitality Services Team Role Play

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Right before Penn’s Spring Band Concert on Thursday, May 1, 2025 was a perfect time to unveil the sign for the newly renamed EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems) – Tania Bengtsson Center for Performing Arts (Bengtsson CPA for short).

P-H-M parent and Penn Band parent Tania Bengtsson donated $50,000 to P-H-M Education Foundation’s Naming Rights Campaign to have Penn’s CPA renamed after her business EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems). The naming rights for the Bengtsson CPA are in effect for 12 years. Per the Naming Rights Campaign, 80% of Mrs. Bengtsson’s donation will go to PHMEF’s endowment, and 20% comes back to P-H-M to pay for teacher professional development.

The new sign and monitor appear right above the entrance to the CPA. On hand for the sign unveiling were Tania Bengtsson and her family, PHMEF Executive Director Jennifer Turnblom McClain, PHMEF President Jill Lebbin, PHMEF President-Elect Ginée Ames, PHM Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker and his wife Donna, PHM Asst. Superintendent Dr. Heather Short, PHM Director of Professional Development Dr. Lavon Dean-Null, Penn High School Principal Sean Galiher, and Penn Band Director Glenn Northern.

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Thanks to a grant from the P-H-M Education Foundation, Digital Design students at Penn High School are getting real-world experience with the art of screen printing. This week, students in Ms. Alex Dunfee’s class completed the full, multi-step process and successfully printed their own custom T-shirts.

With support from the grant titled “You Can’t Swipe This Screen – Screen Printing Basics,” which awarded $3,373.58, students in grades 9–12 were able to dive into one of the most common methods used for printing on fabric.

The process began by applying a light-sensitive emulsion to the screen. Students created their designs in Photoshop, printed them onto transparent film, and placed them on the prepared screens.

Once exposed to light, the emulsion hardened—except where the design blocked the light. After rinsing the screen to wash out the unexposed emulsion, the final stencil was ready for printing.

With the screens prepped, students used them to apply ink to fabric and bring their designs to life on T-shirts.

This hands-on learning experience allowed students to combine creativity with technical skill, reinforcing principles of design while learning a practical production technique used in the industry.

Thank you to the P-H-M Education Foundation for supporting innovative classroom opportunities like this one!

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Penn News Network (PNN) junior CJ Vantine had a very special school visitor this morning.

Mr. Zach Lowe from C-SPAN came to Penn to recognize CJ for winning Honorable Mention in C-SPAN’s 2025 National StudentCam Competition, a student video documentary competition.

This year’s theme was “Your Message to the President: What issue is most important to you or your community?” Students were asked to craft a 5-6 minute documentary on the topic of their choice. Nearly 3,500 students across the country entered the contest this year, and CJ was one of the 150 winners!

CJ’s story focused on “Reforming Section 230: Modifying the Moderation.” Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) is a federal law that protects internet platforms, such as social media sites, from legal liability for content posted by their users.

CJ’s parents, Penn-Harris-Madison School Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker, and Board of School Trustees President Chris Riley were on hand to applaud CJ’s honor along with her classmates and PNN teacher Mrs. Ally Starkweather. Local TV station, ABC 57, was also on hand and interviewed CJ about her accomplishment.

As part of CJ’s Honorable Mention award, she also won $250, which she generously plans on donating back to Penn High School to purchase equipment for PNN. Mr. Lowe also read a recognition letter from Indiana U.S. Senator Todd Young commending CJ on her honor.

Three other PNN students also submitted documentaries for consideration in C-SPAN’s StudentCam competition. They were recognized for making it to the second round of judging:

• Marie Roach and Kelly Kubinski, “Dear Madam President” (topic: female empowerment)
• Mikan Gensic, “Price of Being Alive” (topic: universal healthcare)

All videos were submitted to C-SPAN for consideration in January 2025. Click here for the description of StudentCam Competition Rules.

To read more about recent awards that PNN students are winning, click here. 

If future Kingsmen are interested in PNN and possibly taking the courses when they get to Penn High School, parents can sign up their student up to participate in the 2025 PNN Media Summer Camp. Click here for more info and to register their student.

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The baseball field at Penn High School’s Jordan Automotive Baseball Stadium was officially dedicated and renamed on Saturday, April 26 as Greg Dikos Field after Hall of Famer Kingsmen and current coach. 

The field renaming was a $10,000 gift from retiring School Superintendent Dr. Jerry and Donna Thacker to the P-H-M Education Foundation Naming Rights Campaign. 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. Click here for more details.

The ceremony took place in the outfield between the doubleheader between the Kingsmen and Lake Central with the 12-2 Kingsmen win on the scoreboard as the backdrop. Click to see the full photo gallery below.

On hand with Coach Dikos and his wife Sally were their three children, extended family and friends, current and former Kingsmen players and coaches, Penn Hall of Famer Football Coach Chris Geesman, P-H-M School Board Members, P-H-M Education Foundation Board Members, Penn High School Principal Dr. Sean Galiher, P-H-M Administrators Dr. Heather Short and Dr. Tom Kelley, and of course Dr. and Mrs. Thacker.

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Penn has won six State Championships during Dikos’ tenure as head coach – 1994, 1998, 2001, 2015, 2022. 2023.

Coach Dikos has also led Penn to seven Semi-State Championships, 13 Regional Champion-

ships, 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.