Kendra Laidig carved her name into Penn High School lore by earning both the Kingsmen of the Year and the Schmucker Awards at the Class of 2018 Senior Recognition Night ceremony on Tuesday, May 15. It was quite a surprise for her. Click to read more about Senior Recognition Night and the other student awards.

The Kingsmen of the Year Award is determined by a vote by students, and the Schmucker Award is an award determined by faculty vote.

And as you watch in the latest Class of 2018 student profile on Management and Business Academy student Kendra Laidig, she’s made the most of her time in high school—taking advantage of every opportunity placed in front of her from running track to participating in DECA …

Laidig is one of Penn’s 17 Valedictorians and was one of six National Merit Scholarship Finalist. She also won the prestigious Lilly Endowment Scholarship Award, which gives her four years free tuition to the college of her choice in Indiana. She will attend Butler University and plans to major in Health Care and Business and minor in Spanish.

Commencement is Friday, May 25 at the University of Notre Dame’s Purcell Pavillion and this year’s graduating class boasts 869 Kingsmen!

Click to watch the other Class of 2018 Excellence Happens Here student profiles on Penn-Harris-Madison’s YouTube channel.

Senior Recognition Night for the Class of 2018 ) was held Tuesday, May 15. Second to Commencement, it’s a night that the graduating seniors and their families look forward to. It’s a time for Penn High School Administration to take out and individually shine the spotlight on students that have exemplified the Kingsmen attitude and represented their Academies well. 

This year was made even more gratifying for a handful of Exceptional Education Academy students. This year Penn Administration worked with Exceptional Education administration and staff to create three awards that would also recognize the achievements of Penn’s Exceptional Ed students:

• Career Excellence Award: Alicia Carr
• Ambassador Award: Jacob Hazen 
• Academic Advancement Award: Genevieve Nikolai 

Genevieve Nikolai’s family took the video below of her receiving the award last night. Click to watch her/their overjoyed reaction: 
 

The Exceptional Education Academy also recognized for the first time this year a student from the general education population who epitomizes kindness, going above and beyond to show compassion to their fellow students, with the Peer Leader Award. This year’s inaugural winner was Emma Bright.

Commencement will be held Friday, May 25 at Purcell Pavilion on the campus of Notre Dame. Please click here for more information and logistical details. 

Penn High School was ranked 17th within Indiana (and one of only two in Northern Indiana) in US News & World Report’s 2018 U.S. News Best High Schools listing. With a 98% graduation rate, Penn was awarded a Silver Ranking. 

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 49 percent.

Among Indiana schools in the 2018 U.S. News Best High Schools rankings, there are four gold medal schools, 39 silver medal schools and 79 bronze medal schools.

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. At Penn High School, more than 85% of students graduate with High Honors, Academic Honors or Technical Honors. Learn more about the Core 40 Curriculum on the Indiana Department of Education website.

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.

Click to watch Class of 2018 student profiles from each of Penn’s seven academies (videos are being added every week leading up to Commencement on Mary 25, 2018)

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 and find out more how US News & World Report ranks the Best High Schools. 

Three Penn students took top awards at the at the Congressional Art Competition (weekend of May 12) at the South Bend International Airport.

Hannah Deschepper’s portrait of a friend took 1st place and her work displayed in the U.S Capitol.

Kenna Musser’s landscape of Penn High took 2nd place and will have her work on display in Jackie Walorski offices in Mishawaka.

Jacob Wintek placed in the top ten for a  multicolored relief print.

Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. Since the Artistic Discovery competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated.

Students submit entries to their representative’s office, and panels of district artists select the winning entries. Winners are recognized both in their district and at an annual awards ceremony in Washington, DC. The winning works are displayed for one year at the U.S. Capitol.

Penn students are invited to volunteer and participate in an upcoming Safety Exercise. This exercise is for school personnel and first responders only. The exercise will include an active shooter simulation for an after school event.  Registered attendees and volunteers will be included as active participants or non-active participants in various aspects of the exercise. The exercise will focus on the importance of situational awareness, response, and planning in the event of an incident.  

WHEN:  MONDAY, JULY 2, 2018

              SIGN-IN AT 8:00 a.m.

              EXERCISE  9:00 am. – 1:00 p.m.

WHERE:  PENN HIGH SCHOOL

CLICK TO SIGN UP AS A VOLUNTEER

Questions? Please call (574) 258-9535

Penn’s Class of 2018 are eagerly awaiting Graduation on Friday, May 25. In these final weeks leading up to Commencement, we’re introducing you to a member of the Class of 2018 from each of Penn’s seven Academies as they reflect on the past four years.

Health and Human Services Academy student Anna Lang says she credits her years at Penn and all the service learning projects she did for not just sparking her interest in service, but also forming it into a “servant’s heart.”  Anna will attend Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis in the Fall and plans on majoring in Event Management.

Click the video below to watch Anna’s student profile … 

Click to watch the other Class of 2018 Excellence Happens Here student profiles on Penn-Harris-Madison’s YouTube channel.

Penn High School’s Associate Principal Randy Williams was honored today (Friday, May 11) as a member of the 2018 Michiana "Forty under 40" class as part of the luncheon sponsored by the South Bend Regional Chamber. 

Randy’s wife, Bridgette (Asst. Athletic Director at Penn High School), his mother Sandy Williams, his brother David Imus, and his mother-in-law Bonnie Pluta were on hand for today’s recognition. Penn-Harris-Madison Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker, Penn Principal Sean Galiher, along with several other members of Penn and P-H-M’s administration were also present.

Mr. Williams has been Associate Principal at Penn since 2016 overseeing the Freshman Academy (approximately 850 students) and helps support ongoing professional development for teachers, focusing on the importance of building positive relationships with students in order to increase student engagement and learning. He also oversees the Student Services office, supporting the Deans as they work to implement the Penn positive behavior plan, creating a positive and highly successful learning environment for about 3,500 high school students.

Mr. Williams has been with Penn-Harris-Madison since 2008 when he was hired as a Dean of Students at Penn. As Dean of students, Mr. Williams was instrumental in supporting former Penn Principal, Steve Hope, in utilizing a federal grant to build personalized learning approaches and Penn’s academy structure. Under Penn’s framework, students start 9th grade as part of Freshman Academy and are offered a supportive school environment where each and every student makes positive connections with teachers and peers, later moving into one of the six academic focused academies (Early College, Fine Arts & Communication, Health & Human Services, Management & Business, S.T.E.M. and World Languages). 

Mr. Williams has also served as principal of Madison Elementary School in 2010 and Walt Disney Elementary School in 2012. During his tenure at Disney, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. With the support of his school and all of P-H-M, Mr. Williams’ persevered and battled back from the cancer in just six months and has been cancer free for nearly three years. In May 2015, Mishawaka Mayor Dave Wood named May 28 Randy Williams Day! The Day was marked with celebration in an all-school assembly with Randy’s wife, Bridgette, by his side. Bridgette Williams is one of the Assistant Athletic Directors at Penn. Together the couple have two young children.

Mr. Williams is also involved in the Livestrong program at the South Bend YMCA as well as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

This is not the first time a P-H-M teacher or administrator has been named a member of the “Forty under 40” class. P-H-M’s Exceptional Education Program Supervisor Dr. Jenny Sears won last year; former Grissom Middle School Principal Nathan Boyd was recognized in 2016; Sean Galiher, then principal of Schmucker now principal of Penn, was a member of the 2015 class; Dr. Jayson Snyder, then principal of Meadow’s Edge now Director of Professional Development was honored in 2014; as was Lavon Dean Null, now principal at Schmucker, in 2013. Prior to that P-H-M’s now Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Dr. Heather Short was a member of the 2008 class and Penn teacher and former Spell Bowl coach Pete DeKever was named to the 2007 class.

Thursday, May 17

7:00 – 9:00 p.m. 

Penn Dance Studio

Come spin, dance and compete with a State Finalist color guard!

Penn High School qualified seven teams for the finals of the LimeBike of South Bend Innovation Challenge. A total of 10 teams from Penn, Mishawaka and South Bend Riley qualified for the finals.

Finalists will design and build prototypes of their pitches to LimeBike. At stake is a paid summer internship hosted by The Sibley Center to expand on and implement designs from the competition. A for-profit company that receives no tax dollars, LimeBike is a bike-sharing program that seeks to promote a cleaner environment through riding bicycles.

In the Innovation Challenge, students had to create a solution or discover an innovation that will help LimeBike improve its service. The students presented their innovation pitches to panels of local experts and teachers.

“Activities like the Innovation Challenge are wonderful learning experiences and teaching tools,” STEM Academy Leader Josiah Parker said. “It allows students to apply the skills they have learned, make deeper connections with their community, and get a deeper understanding of the career field.”

Parker said that there is a significant take-away for students.

“These experiences teach more than just the content of a class,” Parker explained. “Students learn how to apply knowledge, how to work with teams, how to interact with mentors and professionals, how to problem solve, and so many other skills that you just can not learn from traditional learning. It also shows students some of the opportunities that are available in this region. We want our bright young students to stay or come back to live “

here. 

The LimeBike Challenge is one of the relevant learning opportunities that distinguishes Penn’s STEM Academy, which is one of 33 schools in Indiana that is STEM-certified by the State of Indiana.

“Students are so much better prepared for their next steps by completing activities like this,” Parker said of the Innovation Challenge. “When they start college classes, join the military, or start working, they have great experiences from high school to rely on.

“It also show them what it would be like to work in a career related to engineering, technology, business, etc. It might affirm their ideas for a career or show them that maybe they should change avenues. One thing that makes me proud is the number of opportunities like this that are available to our students. The STEM Academy is not the only place where you can find these great activities at Penn."

Penn’s Innovation Challenge Finalists:

The LimeStand:

Peter Yang

Keshaun Lee

Joseph Shockey

Brandon Scarberry

Work Chair:

Michael Feeley

Caroline Tiebout

Collin Mott

Adjustable Bike Stand:

Austin Waech

Michael Wujcik

Zachary Craft

Moon Joy

V- Bike Stand:

Dacota Schrader

Jake Creviston

Julian Bark

Work Layout:

Anthony Vaccaro

Kayra Nugroho

Ryan Hiner

Hunter Lederer

Cameron Besinger

Basket Adapter:

Briar Russell

Alexander Lizarazo

Nicholas Wittendorf

Wyatt Devore

Molded Tool Storage:

Prestin Parker

Cody Balbo

Dominic Lovisa

Ethan Beeman

Wes Lang

Honorable Mention:

QR Tracking:

Anthony Guennel

April Hunt

Cameron Trueblood

Ciera Chavez

Tommy Rzeszutko

Scissor Lift Stand:

Nevaeh Marshell

Olivia Zenia

Sophie Malik

Sydney Sanders

80/20 Frame:

Aidan Kaczanowski

Braden Huffman

Christopher Aviles

Joseph Irvin

Nicholas Momotiuk

Hoop Bike Holder:

Nathan Doshi

Ian Baker

Alex Collins

Commencement is Friday, May 25 and in these final weeks leading up to graduation, we’re featuring a member of the Class of 2018 from each of Penn’s seven Academies.

You’ve heard of the Little Engine that Could … will meet S.T.E.M. Academy’s Italia Fields, Penn’s "Engineer that Could!" Italia lead the way on the Robotics Team’s latest service learning project finding ways to help Ella, a local girl paralyzed with SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) Type 1, use the sensor controls on her power chair … herself!

Italia will attend Milwaukee School of Engineering in the Fall majoring in Mechanical Engineering in hopes that she can one day help even more children like Ella.

Click to watch the video below to learn more about Italia and the “Engineering Ella” project …
 

Click to watch the other Class of 2018 Excellence Happens Here student profiles on Penn-Harris-Madison’s YouTube channel.