Textbook return for Penn High School Virtual Students will begin when the students have been notified by their teachers that the classes are complete, and that the books may be turned in to the Bookstore.
Virtual students can begin bringing textbooks in, once the class is completed, to the Bookstore during normal hours (7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.).

Final drop-off times to the Bookstore will be:

• Wednesday, June 2 (7:30 a.m.-6 p.m.)
• Thursday, June 3 (1-6 p.m.)
• Friday, June 4 (7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.)

Discovery Middle School 8^th grader Julianna Ocampo recently qualified for the Team USA U15 Pan Am Team by winning the Team USA U15 Women's Nationals 46-kg division.

Julianna didn’t give up a single point in the entire Nationals tournament; she was one of 10 athletes who will represent the U.S. in the U15 Women's Wrestling competition at the Pan Am Junior Games, Oct. 21-24, in Mexico City. 

Julianna’s younger sister Ysabelle, who is in 6^th grade also at Discovery, also competed in the U15 Women's Nationals and placed fourth in the 42-kg division.

Julianna will be a Freshman at Penn next year and will join Penn’s female wrestling team coached by Brad Harper. "Julianna Ocampo has an outstanding work ethic and an outstanding mindset to be the best," Penn Wrestling/MXW Head Coach Harper said. "She didn't just win the Women's National qualifier, she dominated it! And this is against the best wrestlers in the nation! She teched and pinned every girl and didn't give up one single point. That's very special!” Coach Harper’s brother, Chad Harper, was with the Ocampos Team USA U15 Women's Nationals 46-kg division in Irving Texas this past Sunday, May 9, 2021.

"It's exciting that we have a girl in our program who is fired up to be the very best," Harper went on to say. “This is the start of something special – Team USA goes U15, Cadets, Juniors and then Seniors to the Olympics. Julianna wants to be the best, and she trains like it. We have Sarah Hildebrandt from Penn going to the Olympics, and now we have another girl who has a goal and she wants to be where Sarah is."

Penn owns four state championships in Girls Wrestling in the five seasons that there has been a state tournament.

Class of 2011 Penn alumna Sarah Hildebrandt in April made the Team USA Women’s Wrestling Team and a chance to compete in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Penn High School’s Academic Super Bowl English Team, coached by Candice Beelaert, won the 2021 State Championship. A virtual competition was held for teams this year. The Top 5 teams in the state were Penn, Fishers, Bloomington High School South, Terre Haute South Vigo and Pendleton Heights.

Representing Penn in the state competition were Maddy Zavada (captain), Alex Goffinet, Lily Marks, Valentina Gianesi and Saniya Zackariya.

According to Beelaert, the competition requires the students to read and study multiple sources in preparation for the invitationals, regional, and state.  There is always an overarching theme that the entire competition, no matter the subject, follows.  This year was entitled “Year of the Woman”.

Penn’s English team studied a novel, several short stories, and poetry by a diverse range of women.  Within the context of the competition itself, the team must answer 25 multiple-choice questions, Beelaert explained. Each question allows for 20 seconds to respond.  With that in mind, the team must be quick thinking and know the material very well.

“The team this year was amazing,” Beelaert said. “They worked so well together and read, read, and read.  The team was so dedicated and always worked well together to make the end result happen.  It was not an easy year with all of the challenges that were presented, but the team really came together and made it happen!

“I could not be more pleased with the outcome and the state championship title,” Beelaert said. “It is such a great accomplishment for the students and for the school.  I can't think of a better way to represent Penn academic teams!”

Penn High School’s Unified Track Team competed at Goshen High School on Friday, May 7, 2021.

A Photo Gallery is posted below.

The Penn Baseball Team beat Mishawaka, 14-6, on Thursday, April 22, 2021, at the South Bend Cubs ballpark, Four Winds Field.

A Photo Gallery by Penn Sports Journalism student Jacob Bilotta is posted below.

The Penn High School Girls Lacrosse Team celebrated Senior Night on Friday, April 30, 2021. The Kingsmen defeated Homestead, 18-4.

A Photo Gallery is posted below.

The Penn Rugby Team competed at the Midwest Championships in Elkhart on Saturday, May 1, 2021.

A Photo Gallery is posted below.

Penn's annual "Evening of Jazz" concert, one of the biggest events for the Penn band program, will be held outdoors Thursday, May 13, at 6 p.m. at Central Park in Mishawaka.

This year the concert is FREE and open to the public!

Holding the concert outdoors was made possible by a Martin's Super Markets "One School at a Time" $1,000 grant. The grant money was used to purchase sound equipment for the Penn jazz ensembles, including professional-level microphones and mic stands. This will allow a more enjoyable listening experience for the audience. The grant will also further Penn Music Department’s mission of providing musical entertainment to the community.

Penn Jazz parent and P-H-M School Trustee Board Member Clare Roach helped Penn High School Music Instructor Aaron Griesser with the grant application.

W. Riley Henry won the People's Choice Award for his piece Recreational Overhang in the Kingsmen Art Gallery Exhibit. The display (open to students, teachers and staff in the building) is open until May 18, and it includes Teachers Choice selections and The P-H-M Scholastic Art Award Winners.

Penn High School has once again been ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the nation's best high schools. Penn ranks 1st in the South Bend area, 14th in Indiana, and #1,225 in the national rankings (out of nearly 18,000 high schools nationwide). This puts Penn in the top 7% of the nation's best high schools for 2021!

Penn’s other points of distinction noted by the prestigious national magazine ranking, students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement course work and exams. The AP® participation rate at Penn High School is 45%. The total minority enrollment is 27%, and 20% of students are economically disadvantaged. And with the release of the Spring 2019 ISTEP (grade 10) results, Penn High School as 12th among Indiana’s public schools for combined ELA & Math scores in grade 10.

The rankings are based on the 2018-2019 school year, detailed school-specific information on enrollment, graduation rates, student body demographics, location, school type, and results of state assessments as well as Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests. Click here to read more about the methodology.

Indiana high school students typically follow the Core 40 curriculum, which includes required classes in English Language Arts, math, Social Studies and Science, among others. Students who fulfill additional requirements can earn a diploma with academic or technical honors. Penn has a 97% graduation rate with more than 85% of students graduate with Academic Honors, High Honors,  or Technical Honors. 

Class of 2020 included these points of distinction:

• @820 graduates earned more than $9 million in scholarships
• 17 valedictorians and 3 salutatorians

• 12 students have named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists, 11 were named Finalists

• 11 students were named Commended Scholars

• 5 students were nominated for Presidential Scholars

• Indiana Regional Academic All-Star, one of only 40 students across our state to be honored

• 3 students were awarded the Community Foundation of Saint Joseph County Eli Lilly Endowment Scholarship based on their high academic merits and test scores

The Academies at Penn High School provide the framework for student success. Through their work in each academy, students find relevant and meaningful coursework taught in a supportive environment where each student is known well by his teachers and peers. Through these “smaller learning communities,” students build relationships while engaged in relevant learning experiences.

Penn’s Early College Academy has received an endorsement as an Early College High School by The Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning. As an endorsed Early College High School by the CELL, Penn’s Early College Academy is regarded as an exemplar for other high schools across Indiana implementing an Early College program.

Penn is a Four Star School earning the Project Lead the Way Distinguished School distinction in 2017-18 (for the 2016-17 school year), and the STEM Academy has been certified as a Full STEM Certified Program by the Indiana Department of Education. 

Click to see the full list of Indiana High Schools as ranked by US News & World Report in 2021.