Penn’s Fine Arts and Social Studies teams each finished as State Runner-up in the Academic Super Bowl competition at Purdue University on Saturday, May 10, 2025.

The Fine Arts team finished second in the Academic Super Bowl State competition at Purdue.

• 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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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.

Penn High School’s Fine Arts Academic Super Bowl team and Social Studies Academic Super Bowl team have both qualified for the state competition on Saturday, May 10, at Purdue University.

Fine Arts Team: Coach Mr. Coudret

Social Studies Team: Coach Mr. Bowers

Team members: Connor Geoghegan, Sreeja Bhattacharjee, Kyan Fogarty, Bryce Herman, Logan Hubbard.