P-H-M is hosting a districtwide drug awareness parent community meeting to help educate P-H-M families about the current drug trends attracting teenagers. This valuable information is something all parents/guardians should be aware of. Families of all grade levels, K-12, are invited and encouraged to attend.

The session will be led by Tall Cop Says Stop™ contracted educator, Melissa Moore, CPS. Tall Cop Says Stop™ was created by Officer Jermaine Galloway, an Idaho law enforcement officer since 1997. Galloway is regarded as one of America’s top experts in various drug and alcohol trends and specializes in underage drinking and drug enforcement. For more than 15 years, he has trained school administrators and safety personnel in spotting the dangers that threaten teens and the community. Melissa Moore, a 24-year public health experienced professional, who works to advance the mission of Tall Cop Says Stop™ in helping educate parents/guardians and students about the latest deadly effects of so-called recreational drug use.

We hope that P-H-M families are able to attend this very important education session.

Due to the nature of the discussion, children of any age are not permitted at the parent session the evening of Tuesday, October 21. Moore will present a student focused presentation to Penn sophomores, juniors and seniors during the school day on October 21st and 22nd.

Information on a live stream and YouTube recording will be shared soon. 

FREE/REDUCED LUNCHES, VENDING MACHINES AVAILABLE

A new school year means it’s time to submit a new Free/Reduced Lunch Application for your student(s). Applications can be completed quickly and easily online at SchoolCafe.com.

Already received a Direct Certification notice? 

If you’ve received an email confirming that your student has been directly certified but not all students in your household are listed, please contact Food Services immediately at 574-254- 2814. 

If you have any questions or need help with the application process, we’re here to support you! 

AVOID THE CAFETERIA LINES WITH VENDING MACHINES

Students can avoid the Cafeteria lines at Breakfast and Lunch with Vending Machines.

The Vending Machines for Breakfast are available from 5 a.m.-10:30 a.m., and from 10:30 a.m.-noon for Lunch.

Instructions are posted on the Machine, and students can use their school meal accounts for purchases.

The Vending Machines are located in the Cafeteria and at Door C.

Penn will host a Walk-Around on Saturday, August 16, from 9 a.m. –  12 p.m.  

Students will have the opportunity to walk around the building and find their classrooms.

Students/parents/guardians can enter at Doors A, B, C, D, E, L & M. In addition, various clubs and activities will be present to share information about how to get involved. The Penn Booster Club will be selling spirit wear and PE clothing in the bookstore during the Saturday, Aug. 16, Walk-Around. 

Students should plan to bring the copy of the schedule that was mailed home or access their schedule through Skyward.

Families should double-check the District Activities calendar, the Penn High School website Google Calendar, and the ParentSquare calendar for information on Penn events and news.

Parking Passes for students go on sale starting Monday, Aug. 11

Student Parking passes will be available for eligible Juniors and Seniors from 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and 1:30-3 p.m. on Monday-through-Friday, starting on Monday, Aug. 11.

After Sept. 8, 2025, parking passes will be distributed before and after school only.

When in-person school is in session, parking passes are sold before school from 7:30-8:15 a.m. and after school from 3:17-3:30 p.m.

Students must bring the completed forms, ID, and other required items. 

Pay $40 ($20 for a pass purchased in the second semester) to Penn High School’s Bookstore.

Give the receipt from the Bookstore to Student Services.

Click here for the required parking forms and instructions.

The Penn High School Athletic Department has been identified as a 2025 recipient of the NIAAA (National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association) Quality Program Recognition at the Exemplary Level, a distinction earned by fewer than 10 percent of Indiana’s 425-plus athletic departments.

This honor recognizes excellence in the implementation and administration of education-based athletics, including leadership training of its coaches and student-athletes.

The effort for Penn to qualify for the Exemplary Level was led by Assistant Athletic Director Marie Doan, who successfully completed the NIAAA’s rigorous assessment process. She will accept the award on behalf of Penn High School at the 2025 NIAAA National Conference.

This recognition also reflects the outstanding teamwork and high standards consistently demonstrated by Penn’s athletic department staff, under the direction of Athletic Director Jeff Hart. 

“In addition to Marie’s leadership on this project, Bridget (Williams), Jennifer (Dunderman) and Heather (Nania) continue to work every day to ensure our department operates with excellence, integrity, and a clear focus on positive student growth,” Hart said. “The NIAAA recognition highlights both the strength of our current practices and our commitment to continuous improvement, a reflection of the strong support we receive from both our school and district leadership.”

Student Chromebook Program Insurance Information

Families may purchase insurance at a cost of $25 per student for the 2025-2026 school year.  

This Student Chromebook Repair Agreement (“Agreement”) is made effective between the Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation (“PHM”), the student having received a Chromebook (“Student”), and his/her parent(s) or legal guardian (“Parent”).  P-H-M, the Student, and the Parent(s) agree as follows:

• In exchange for a payment of $25, PHM agrees to make up to two repairs to the Chromebook assigned to the undersigned Student if it is damaged as a result of the Student’s misuse and/or negligence at no cost to the student. 
• This Agreement does not cover theft of the Chromebook, loss/misplacement of the Chromebook or AC adapter, fire damage to the Chromebook, or intentional/malicious damage (e.g missing keyboard keys) to the Chromebook.
• The Chromebook must be kept in the supplied protective cover at all times.  Chromebooks not kept in the protective cover will not be covered by this repair program.
• If the Chromebook is damaged after two repairs are made pursuant to this Agreement, any issues regarding the subsequent need for repair will be resolved pursuant to Section 2(a) of the Student Chromebook Use Agreement and Guidelines.  (Typical fees for repair to the Chromebook will cost between $30 and $100 per repair.)
• Entering into this Agreement is optional.  If the Student and Parent(s) decide not to enter into this Agreement, any issues regarding the need to repair the Chromebook will be resolved pursuant to Section 2(a) of the Student Chromebook Use Agreement and Guidelines.
• This Agreement is effective for one school year.
  

If you wish to purchase the insurance, please make a $25 payment at the Penn High School bookstore or online at phm.revtrak.net (click “Chromebooks” then “Penn High School” ).  Online payments are only accepted until Friday, Sept. 19, 2025.  If you purchase insurance after Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, your Chromebook must pass an inspection by the Technology Department and the fee can be paid in the bookstore.  

Penn High School’s newest official sport is already making history. The Penn Girls Flag Football program hosted its first-ever Prospect Camp on July 22-23, welcoming over a dozen incoming middle school athletes. The two-day camp focused on building foundational skills in flag football, while also emphasizing teamwork and leadership development.

To see the full Flag Football Prospect Camp photo gallery click here.

The camp follows the official launch of the Girls Flag Football program at Penn, approved by the Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees in March. The Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) announced earlier this year that 55 schools have committed to fielding teams for the 2025 season—more than double the 27 teams that participated in 2024.

The IHSAA is one of 19 state associations currently piloting the Girls Flag Football program in partnership with the NFL and the Indianapolis Colts. As part of this initiative, Penn High School will receive $6,500 in grant funding from the NFL and Colts to support the 2025 and 2026 seasons.

While the new IHSAA-sanctioned Girls Flag Football program marks a major expansion in athletic opportunity for student-athletes, Penn’s long-running “Powder Puff” Homecoming tournament will continue as a separate tradition. The event features four teams—one per class year—and remains a popular part of Penn’s Homecoming week festivities.

Penn Flag Football’s inaugural season is set to include a seven-game regular season, culminating in a postseason that features a sectional round and a state championship. The Northern Indiana Conference (NIC) is projecting six teams for the 2025 season: Penn, Elkhart, South Bend Adams, South Bend Riley, South Bend St. Joseph and South Bend Washington.

The NIC schedule kicks off with four conference games at School Field on Saturday, Aug. 23. Regular doubleheaders will follow at rotating locations throughout the season. Penn’s first home game is scheduled for Wednesday, September 3, against South Bend Riley. Game times will be announced at a later date.

The Penn team will hold practices after school on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays, with games played on Wednesdays. Matches will be played in a 7-on-7 format, with each game lasting 60 minutes.

Leading the program is Head Coach Jerimiah Maggart, a 2007 Penn graduate and former football and wrestling standout. Maggart joined the Penn faculty for the 2024–2025 school year as a Fitness, Health, and Strength and Conditioning instructor. He previously taught and coached at Jimtown High School, where he served as head coach of the boys and girls wrestling programs. He has also coached at North Montgomery and Manchester High Schools. Maggart is a graduate of Purdue University.

Maggart aims to grow the program quickly, starting with a varsity team this fall. His long-term goals include adding a junior varsity team by the 2026 season and building out youth and middle school feeder programs.

Tryouts and official practices for the Penn Flag Football Team are scheduled to start on Monday, August 4.

Click here for a Google Form to fill out if you are interested in playing Girls Flag Football.

You can also email Coach Maggart at jmaggart1@phm.k12.in.us for more information.

At Monday night’s P-H-M Board of School Trustees meeting Superintendent Dr. Heather Short, presented three current P-H-M administrators for promotion. This was Dr. Short’s first school board meeting as superintendent since she started in the role on July 1. The following administrative changes were approved at the meeting:

Randy Williams was approved as the new Director of Academic and Student Support. Williams previously served in several administrative roles within PHM since 2008, including Principal of Madison and Walt Disney Elementary Schools, Dean of Students at Penn and Associate Principal of Penn. In 2018 he was honored as a member of the “Forty under 40” class. In 2023 He became the Director of Secondary Education and Student Services for the Middlebury Community School system. Williams now returns to Penn-Harris-Madison with a wealth of new professional experiences and an enhanced skill set.

Maddie Schmidt was approved for the Assistant Principal position at Grissom Middle School. Schmidt is a former Kingsmen and a graduate of Judson University. She has a master’s degree in Educational and Business Administration from Bethel University. Schmidt began her career teaching language arts at Schmucker Middle School. During her time there, she also served as an Instructional Leader. She is an active member of PHM’s Excellence in Leadership initiative and has held multiple teacher leadership roles at SMS. Most recently, she served as a Dean at Schmucker. 

Beth Stroven was approved for the Assistant Principal position at Schmucker Middle School. This past year, Stroven served as a math teacher at Grissom Middle School and is a member of PHM’s Excellence in Leadership initiative. Prior to joining P-H-M, she was a teacher in Elkhart Community Schools, where she was recognized as the 2019 District Elementary Teacher of the Year and received the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Fellowship Grant where she earned a master’s degree in Educational and Business Administration from Indiana State University. She later served as the principal of Mary Daly Elementary School. 

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation (P-H-M) proudly shares the outstanding performance of its students on the Spring 2025 ILEARN assessment, as released by the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE). P-H-M students once again outperformed the state average by an impressive 20 percentage points in the percentage of students passing both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. This achievement places P-H-M in the top 4% of public school corporations across Indiana (see the charts below).

“These results reflect the exceptional work of our teachers, students, and staff,” said Superintendent Dr. Heather Short. “We remain deeply committed to ensuring every child reaches their full potential, and this data shows that our efforts are paying off.”

P-H-M has maintained its Top 4% ranking for a second consecutive year, a testament to the district’s commitment to academic excellence and the strategies that drive student success. Out of Indiana public schools that passed both ELA and Math, Northpoint and Prairie Vista Elementary Schools are in the Top 10; and Discovery Middle School is #3 in the state.

A closer analysis of the data shows strong gains across grade levels and student groups. Middle school students, in particular, demonstrated significant improvement in math, based on the state’s 2021 benchmark. P-H-M 8th grade Math performance is up 24% since the benchmark year and now the variance over the state average is 28%.

The district’s Free and Reduced Lunch (F/R) student population, which now exceeds 30%, continues to demonstrate notable progress. Among Indiana’s largest public school districts testing close to 5,000 students, P-H-M ranks #1 in the state for the percentage of F/R students passing both ELA and Math.

“These achievements are not by accident,” added Dr. Short. “They are the result of intentional investments in teacher professional development and the implementation of evidence-based instructional practices. We are fortunate to have educators and staff who are deeply committed to supporting every learner.”

Indiana junior high school students are now required to take the SAT for graduation. The IDOE also released SAT results. Among public high schools in pass percentage, Penn High School moved up from #27 last year, to #15 this year.

Results from the Spring 2025 IREAD assessment are expected to be released in early fall, and P-H-M looks forward to sharing those outcomes as well.

ILEARN Math

ILEARN ELA

Students who plan on participating in extra-curricular activities must be registered on Aktivate (formerly Register My Athlete).

This would include students in Marching Band, Student Clubs, Academic Teams and Athletic Teams.

Visit the attached PDF at the end of the post for the practice schedules for the first week of Penn Kingsmen Fall Sports for the 2025-2026 school year.

For student-athletes, before you can try out, practice or compete for a sports team, you must have a 2025-26 Physical Form on file and you must be registered at Aktivate.

If you have any questions, please contact the Athletics Office at 574-258-9574.

Click here for the links to Aktivate/Register My Athlete, the IHSAA Physicial Form, and the Student-Athlete Code-of-Conduct Form.

Click here for a list of Clubs and Academic Teams at Penn.

Penn Athletics Week One Practice Schedule