Penn High School placed first overall at the Technology Student Association Indiana State Conference competition held at Purdue University, February 14-15, 2025.

A Photo Gallery is posted below.

Individual results:

Audio Podcasting:

1st: Ishita Awasthi, Fiona Bao, Diya Lahane, and Vyomi Patel

2nd: Jacob Bognar and Carter Mitchell

Board Game Design:

1st: Kai King, Carter Mitchell, Hal Roach, and Mitchell Schindler

5th: Shivam Kalani, Kathy Lee, Harsh Patel, and Emily Shim

CAD 2D Architectural Design:

5th: William Wu

CAD 3D , Engineering Design:

1st: Raafe Rahman

4th: Kathy Lee

Children’s Stories:

2nd: Amina Spahic, Rebecca Wolter, and Kelsey Meyer

3rd: Madison Kuzmic, Victoria Kuznetsov, and Jasmine Petresh

Coding:

4th: Sultaan Khan and Aydin Kurama

5th: Joshua Oh and Aydin Qazi

Debating Technology Issues:

2nd: Kai King and Sohan Patel

3rd: Arnav Meda and Kaiyi Zhao

Dragster Design:

5th: Calum Jessop

Engineering Design:

1st: Shivam Kalani, Kathy Lee, Harsh Patel, and Emily Shi

Future Tech Teacher:

1st: Jacob Bognar

Manufacturing Prototype:

1st: Kai King and Hal Roach

On Demand Video:
1st: Ishita Awasthi, Fiona Bao, Diya Lahane, and Vyomi Patel

2nd: Calum Jessop, Liam Perrin, Raafe Rahman, Wasi Rasul, and Kevin Wu

5th: Hamza Ansari, Sultaan Khan, Aydin Kurama, Aidan Lee, Joshua Oh, Aydin Qazi, MohamedSuliman, and William Wu

Photographic Technology:

2nd: Rishita Maheshwaram

Prepared Presentation:

3rd: Kaiyi Zhao

5th: Arnav Meda

Structural Design and Engineering:

1st: Amina Spahic and Rebecca Wolter

Technology Problem Solving:

1st: Liam Perrin and Raafe Rahman

Elected TSA State Officers for the 2025-2026 school year:

President: Ishita Masetty

Treasurer: Abhijay Masetty

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Penn High School Principal Dr. Sean Galiher, along with assistant principals, director of athletics and students showed off and explained how Penn is “Building Bright Futures.”

At the Penn-Harris-Board of School Trustees meeting held Monday, Feb. 10 at Penn, the high school demonstrated how they are putting this year’s theme into action in everything they do.

From highlights from the Homecoming parade in the fall to reports on Penn’s amazing 98% graduation rate and everything in between. Other reports included:

• Building & Trades program (now in its 56th year!)
• Engineering Design & Development program (competed against and beat college students in the TECH 120 class at Purdue) 
• Class of 2025 students on track for an Honors Diploma
• AP Enrollment & Success
• SAT Performance
• Attendance
• Athletic & Academic Teams update
• Teacher Professional Development update
• … and so much more!

Click here to view Principal Dr. Galiher’s full presentation.

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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

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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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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.