Penn High School junior Felix Zhang talked to South Bend local news media this afternoon about earning a perfect score, not missing a single question, on the college-level Advanced Placement® (AP®) Calculus AB Exam—the only student in the world to do so!

The media coverage of Felix Zhang’s amazing accomplishment continues to roll in, including a shout-out by Trevor Noah on “The Daily Show” with more than a million views …

Below is a sampling of local, state, national and international news coverage:

• ABC 57
  • ABC 57’s story was then picked up by ABC News network, along with the ABC affiliate stations in Los Angeles, and Chicago
• WSBT-TV
• WNDU-TV
  • WNDU’s story was picked up by the Boston affiliate
  • WNDU’s story was picked up by the CBS station in Kansas City, MO
• Fox News Network
• 13 WTHR-TV (Indianapolis)
• WVPE (Elkhart Public Radio)
• New York Post
• Britain’s the Daily Mail

Click here to view the photo gallery below.

The College Board, which administers the AP® exams, recently notified Penn Principal Sean Galiher that Zhang not only attained a perfect score of 5 (on a scale of 1 to 5), but Zhang was the only student in the world to earn every point possible on the AP® Calculus AB exam! This means Zhang accomplished the maximum score on each portion of the exam (108 out of 108). In 2017, a student from Carmel, Indiana, was 1 of 3 people in the world to get a perfect AP Calculus score (click to read a story in Indy Star). In 2016, a student from California was 1 of 12 in the world  to get a perfect AP Calculus score (click to read the story in LA Times).

In an email sent to Principal Galiher notifying him of Zhang’s phenomenal achievement, Head of the Advanced Placement Program Trevor Packer said, “This outstanding accomplishment is likely a direct reflection of the top-quality education being offered at Penn High School. We applaud Felix’s hard work and the AP teacher responsible for engaging students and enabling them to excel in a college-level course.” 

“The teachers in Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation are some of the best in the state of Indiana,” said Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker. “Their incredible dedication and commitment to academic excellence and making sure every single student reaches their highest potential is nothing short of extraordinary; and they do this every day across our district, in all 15 schools. Felix Zhang and teacher Mrs. Denise White are just one of the many examples of great student/teacher relationships that result in phenomenal achievements for our students. It exemplifies our ‘Triangle of Success’—connecting students, teachers and parents!”

When asked by reporters if he was surprised with his score, Zhang replied “I felt pretty confident knowing that I knew what to do on the test, but there was always a chance I would make a small error or something. So I wasn’t really expecting to see a perfect score. And that was pretty surprising to me because I felt like, there’s a lot of other people out there who probably perform very well on this test, and I’m pretty surprised that no one else got a perfect score.”

Zhang took the AP® Calculus AB exam last spring 2022 when he was a sophomore along with approximately 270,000 students worldwide. Approximately 20% of students who took the test in May 2022 earned a 5—the largest percentage of 5s since 2016 (click here for more data related to the 2022 AP® Calculus AB exam).

Zhang’s AP® Calculus AB teacher at Penn High School last school year was Mrs. Denise White and this year she’s teaching Zhang again in the next level AP® Calculus CB class. Mrs. White has been a teacher for 30 years and is in her fourth year of teaching AP® Calculus at Penn.

“I love the students. I think that’s why I do it. I call them my kids because now I have a daughter that just graduated and she’s away at college. And so they have sort of fill that gap for me,” said Mrs. White talking to reporters. “I love to like go to their sporting events. I sponsor two clubs; and I used to coach here at Penn. So just getting involved in the students’ lives is very enjoyable for me. It’s not a profession that you probably can do without loving it. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t teach.”

Mrs. White also told reporters that not only is she extremely proud of Zhang, but she’s also overjoyed with last year’s class overall performance sharing that 50% of her students last spring scored 5’s (click here for more information about the percentage breakdown of the 2022 AP® Calculus AB scores).

“There’s a lot of strategies that teachers can put in place to help students learn. But when you have kids scoring at a five, you know that the curriculum is intentional, it’s focused, the kids are engaged and there is a collaborative environment,” said Penn Principal Sean Galiher. “When you take an AP Calculus course in high school, you’re essentially taking the first year of Calculus as a college student; and that’s the whole reason why we we push dual credit and AP type courses here at Penn High School. We want students to feel prepared so they can succeed in college and finish college, in four years at least. So if we can expose them at the high school level and help them experience the rigor and the challenge and be successful, we know they’re going to be successful when they leave our our walls.”

Information supplied by the Advanced Placement® Program states that students who succeed in AP® are not only more likely to succeed in college, but have the chance to save a significant amount of time and money by earning college credit or placement. Colleges and universities around the world receive AP® scores for college.

Penn High School is the only high school within Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation, which is located in suburban South Bend, Indiana (home to the University of Notre Dame). P-H-M Corporation serves nearly 11,000 (K-12) students in 11 elementary schools and three middle schools which all feed into Penn High School. Penn has approximately 3,500 students. Zhang attended Northpoint Elementary and Discovery Middle School. With the release of the Spring 2022 ILEARN results and out of all 299 Indiana public schools that passed both ELA and Math, Northpoint Elementary is #1 is the number one public elementary school and Discovery Middle is #2 public middle school in the state. P-H-M is among Indiana’s top performing public school corporations. It in the Top 3.67%, #11 out of Indiana’s public school districts. The School Corporation has consistently received an “A” rating from the Indiana Department of Education since 2011.

P-H-M’s “Triangle of Success” connects students, teachers and parents for excellence in education. To learn more about academic excellence Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation, please click here. To learn about the achievements of Penn students and faculty, please click here.

Penn High School is very fortunate to have a gallery that features both professional artists and student art work. Take time to come visit the gallery and enjoy the exhibitions.

Exhibitions for 2022-23

Professional Artists:

Friday, Sept. 23–Thursday, Nov. 18

• In the Mind of an Artist
• Paintings by Valerie Melisse Jones & Sculptures by Katharine Schmidt & Susan M. Ward
• Silver Mile: Friday, Sept. 23, 4:30-7 p.m.
• Indiana Women’s Caucus for the Arts gallery viewing and meeting, Oct. 18, 5 -6:30 p.m.

P-H-M Student Artists:

Wednesday, Dec. 7 – Tuesday, Jan. 24

• Ceramics- Mrs. Brown & Miss Bretz
• Drawing- Miss Miller
• Introduction to 2D Art- Mrs. Hope & Miss Napoli
• Photography- Miss Bretz & Mrs. Dunham

Wednesday, Feb. 9–Tuesday, March 14

• AP Studio Art and Portfolio Class- Mrs. Hope
• Digital/Graphic Design – Miss Dunfee
• Introduction to 3D Art – Mrs. Hope & Miss Napoli
• Painting – Mrs. Hope
• Sculpture – Miss Bretz

Thursday, March 30–Tuesday, May 9

• Teachers’ Choice
• Tri Kappa Awards & Scholastic Regional Art Awards from P-H-M Student (color copies only per Scholastic work on display at SBMA until April 30)
• Voting for People’s Choice Award- March 30-May 2

Penn’s Homecoming Parade on Friday, September 23, won’t just be exciting because it’s the return of a fun tradition to usher the Homecoming Court to the football field, but it will also a contest among the 16 extracurricular & co-curricular clubs/activities/teams participating in the parade. Click here for the parade route.

Because the Penn Kingsmen are playing the Marian High School Knights, the theme of the Homecoming Parade is “Kingdom.”

Big prizes are at stake:

• $1,500 to 1st Prize
• $1,000 to 2nd Prize
• $500 to 3rd Prize

Watch the fun video below of Penn Choir students “calling” student clubs and teams to participate in the costume and float contest.

There will be two ways to cast your vote for your favorite costume or float and help raise money for the P-H-M Education Foundation. Everyone has a chance to vote, even if you aren’t able to attend the parade and see the costumes and floats in person. All monies raised by the P-H-M Education Foundation goes into funding innovative school and teacher grants which in turn provide #PHMExcellence in all 15 P-H-M schools!

1. After the parade, head over to the P-H-M Education Foundation Family Fun Zone and Saint Joseph Health System Health Fair where you can donate $5 to the Foundation and vote for your favorite group. With your $5 vote, you’ll also get a giant Go Penn! foam finger to cheer on the Kingsmen at the Homecoming game.
2. Can’t make it to the Family Fun Zone and Saint Joseph Health System Health Fair, you’ll be able to cast your $5 vote online from Sat., Sept. 23 – Noon, Fri. Sept. 30. Pictures of the groups in hte parade will be posted online. Click this link to view and vote starting Sat., Sept. 23.

Another fun activity taking place at the P-H-M Education Foundation Family Fun Zone especially for Penn students … a Dunk Tank featuring Penn teachers; a chance to dunk their favorite (or not so favorite) Penn teacher!

• $5, 3 balls
• $20 to just be able to push the lever for 100% guaranteed dunk!
• Click here for the teacher dunk tank schedule.

Penn High School will host the Carnival of Bands on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, at TCU Freed Field.

The 31st annual marching band showcase will begin at 4:00 p.m., the gates open at 3 p.m.

The Penn Marching Kingsmen, under the direction of Glenn Northern, are scheduled to perform at 8:45 p.m.

Tickets are $7 (children under 3 are admitted free) and can be purchased at the gate.

There will be 10 food trucks onsite with a variety of meals for purchase!

Click here for the complete schedule.

On Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL) re-endorsed Penn High School’s Early College Academy as a Level 2 program WITH DISTINCTION. The status marks the quality and effectiveness of Penn’s Early College Academy in its commitment to implementing CELL’s Eight Core Principles of an Early College program. Penn High School is the first and only Early College High School in Indiana to achieve this level of distinction. 

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation launched Penn’s Early College Academy in 2014 in partnership with Ivy Tech Community College South Bend-Elkhart and received initial endorsement in 2019. The Class of 2022 is the fifth cohort of the Early College Academy. In 2022, 105 students graduated, with 73 students receiving Associate’s Degrees from Ivy Tech while still in high school! Seventeen students graduated with the Indiana College Core Certificate, and 15 students graduated with between 15-30 transferable college credits.

This year, Penn’s Early College Academy reached a Level 2 endorsement meaning they were able to achieve higher benchmarks, especially in the area of upward trends in the number of students completing credentials, teacher incentives for attaining higher education credentials, and closing the gap between the targeted student populations in Early College and the general school population. Penn is also serving as a Mentor School in the IDOE/CELL Urban College Acceleration Network (UCAN).

“Achieving CELL Early College Endorsement is no easy feat to accomplish. Penn’s Early College Academy is, indeed, exemplary in the way it engages students in rigorous college classes, targets underrepresented student populations, and supports them along the way,” said Sandy Hillman, Director of Early College at CELL. “Through the efforts of strong leaders, engaging teachers and counselors and a committed higher education partner, Penn’s program is transformational for students and parents.  We commend them for their accomplishment of endorsement “with distinction.” 

Early College programs remove the academic and financial barriers that prevent many Hoosier students from attending post-secondary programs. While open to all students, Early College targets low-income young people, first-generation college students, English language learners, and students of color—all statistically underrepresented in higher education.

“Our program is built on the model of P-H-M’s Triangle of Success, connecting students, teachers and parents,” said P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker. “Since its inception, Early College was created to help students who might not otherwise attend college, get the wrap around supports they needed to succeed. I’m extremely proud of what Penn’s ECA has been able to achieve eight years.”

“The Early College Academy has helped hundreds of students get a head start on life and save families thousands of dollars in college tuition and fees by establishing a rigorous, yet supportive environment for the students to earn college credit while in high school,” said Penn Principal Sean Galiher.

“The level of commitment of Penn’s Early College Academy teachers is second to none! In the classroom, they develop and implement engaging lessons that are relevant to learners,” said Penn Associate Principal Rachel Fry. “Support is provided through personalized interventions, dedicated counselors, additional tutoring, and experiences beyond the school walls. Students put in the work necessary to successfully navigate high school life and college-level challenges simultaneously. In addition to all of these efforts and accomplishments, having fun and building community remain a top priority. This is a family to which I am grateful to belong!” 

“There is nothing like seeing students’ dreams come alive and be fulfilled through this amazing program and the hard work of all involved in it!” said Early College Academy Leader Danielle Black.

“Even years later, families reach out to us with stories of perseverance and open doors which may not have been possible without Early College. I’ll never forget the tears of gratitude from a grandma or proud college graduation pictures from parents, not to mention ongoing communication with the students themselves! What a joy to be part of the entire Early College experience.”

Schools pursuing endorsement submit portfolios addressing ECHS required principles categorized by: rigorous curriculum, robust student supports, and program completion data. Schools undergo a site visit including interviews with administrators, teachers, students, and parents.

CELL introduced the Early College High School model to Indiana in 2003 and developed the endorsement process in 2007. The Indiana Commission for Higher Education has authorized CELL as the state’s sole organization for training, supporting, and endorsing Early College High Schools. As of August of 2022, CELL has trained more than 150 Indiana high schools on the Early College principles.  Forty-four early colleges are endorsed, and one has been designated as endorsed “with distinction.”

Data released from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education in January 2021 shows students earning dual credit in high school are more likely to stay enrolled in college and graduate on time or early. These students saved roughly $82 million in potential tuition costs. 

The camaraderie and forever bond of Penn’s “Long Black Line” was prevalent among the more than 100 former Penn football players and coaches who showed up Friday night, August 19, 2022 to help dedicate the Chris Geesman Kingsmen Athletic Center. Click to view pictures from the pregame recognition.

As part of the P-H-M Education Foundation naming rights campaign, Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Thacker generously donated $25,000 in December 2021 to the Education Foundation to have the Kingsmen Athletic Center at Penn High School’s TCU Freed Field named after Penn’s legendary championship football coach, Chris Geesman, renaming the facility the Chris Geesman Kingsmen Athletic Center. 

Coach Geesman and his family, Dr. and Mrs. Thacker, Head Coach Cory Yeoman, and the entire Penn football team were on hand for the dedication of the newly renamed facility taking place at halftime of the Penn Kingsmen’s first home football game of the 2022 season against Valpo. The Kingsmen won 35-6. It was a very special night; take a look … 

Geesman, a Hall of Famer coach, came to Penn 1973. The previous season, Penn had a 0-10 record. In Geesman’s first season, the Kingsmen posted a 5-5 record. In addition to the five state championships, Geesman led Penn to 309 wins, and the Kingsmen never had a losing season during the span of his 30-year career as head coach of the Kingsmen. 

Click here to play the full recorded audio of Coach Geesman’s thank you to the Penn football program.

Click here to view pictures from the August 19th Dedication.

“Donna and I are truly honored to have the Kingsmen Athletic Center named after this legendary coach who guided the Kingsmen to five state championships and three state runners-up,” said Dr. Thacker. “It’s only fitting that a facility built to provide Penn student-athletes with the best on field playing experience be named after the coach that led Kingsmen Football to so many wins.”

Penn’s Geesman Athletic Center is a 13,264 square-foot facility that was completed in October, 2018. It houses three locker rooms to be rotated during the Fall and Spring sports seasons: Football (Varsity, JV and Freshmen), Track & Field (Boys & Girls) and Girls Lacrosse. All three locker room areas have adjacent coaching staff office space and an on-site training room, giving Penn athletic trainers access to equipment and medical treatment supplies. Click here to read more details about the Athletic Center when it first opened.

Since 2008 and including the naming rights contribution, as Superintendent of P-H-M, Dr. Thacker has contributed $194,850 to the P-H-M Education Foundation. Besides the $25,000 pledged to the Naming Rights Campaign some of the other programs he has contributed to include:

• $20,000 in matching funds for the Annual Drive
• $25,000 Corporations for Education (matching funds)
• $15,000 Silver Mile
• $39,550 total to Thacker Scholarship funds

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.

“Our goal is to provide P-H-M teachers and staff with access to grant funding for unique and creative educational programs that fall out of the school district’s budget,” PHMEF Executive Director Jennifer Turnblom. “We support P-H-M teachers by helping to ensure that they have access to the best education tools. Community partners are vital to sustaining P-H-M excellence in education.”

PHMEF’s naming rights commitment is $25,000, payable at a rate of $5,000 per year over five years. The naming rights last for 12 years. 80 percent of the donation goes into the Foundation’s endowment, which in turn provides alternative and additional funding for various P-H-M co-curricular and extracurricular programs. The remaining 20 percent directly funds professional development initiatives for P-H-M teachers. Continuing education and training of teachers is a major priority for P-H-M School District.

“The Foundation Board and I are so appreciative of Dr. and Mrs. Thacker’s generosity through the years,” said Turnblom. “Their unwavering support has been a tremendous help to us fulfilling our mission. The Thacker’s 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!”