Penn AP Drawing students earn Scholastic honors

Penn High School AP Drawing students Ashton Hanover and Lucia Lozar have earned two of the five Northwest Indiana/Southwest Michigan Region’s American Vision Nominee awards through the Scholastic Art competition. Those are the top awards, selected from among all the Gold Key works in the area, which are selected from over 4,000 entries.
 
Hanover, a senior at Penn, also won a Notre Dame Award.
 
Both regional awards include scholarship checks.
 
Hanover was also awarded one of five National American Vision Medals, given to the top five artists selected from Indiana regions. These represent only two percent of all Scholastics Award winners. He will be invited to receive his medal this summer at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
 
The National American Vision also comes with a scholarship that is in addition to the financial awards from Notre Dame, and the Regional American Vision.
 
Hanover is the second student of Penn Art Instructor Anne Napoli in the past three years to earn a national award through Scholastic. Penn alum Charlie Sailor won one of only three National Herb Block Editorial Cartoon Awards for an artwork done in Penn’s Advanced Drawing Class when she was a senior. She received a $2,500 scholarship with the award at Carnegie Hall and then her artwork was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through the summer that year.

Penn students present at State Science Fair

 Penn High School students participated at the State Science Fair hosted by Indiana University-Indianapolis on Saturday, March 28, 2026.
 
Presentations included:
  • Eleanor Niemier 9th grade: Cisplatin Effects on Gene Expression in Lung and Colon Cancer
  • Viosa Hernandez 9th grade: How do iPhones, iPads and WiFi affect the development of living organisms? A case study of Raphanus Sativus and Lepidium Sativum
  • Ethan Doane 12th Grade: Fighting bacteria with liposomes: a better way to deliver antibiotics
 
They presented their research to scientific experts who judged their presentations. Eleanor Niemier and Viosa Hernandez were two of-18 ninth grade projects at the State Fair this year and Ethan Doane was one of 12 senior projects at the state fair this year.
 
“Although they did not win any placements or advance to nationals this year, they all represented Penn High School extremely well and we are very proud of all their hard work,” Sponsor Antonia Boger-May said of the students. 
 
Viosa Hernandez won a special award for her plant-based project: The Excellence in Environmental Science Senior Division from the Indiana Association of Environmental professionals. 
 

Penn Science Olympiad students earn Top 10 finishes at state

Penn Science Olympiad earned its first Top Ten finishes in two events at the Science Olympiad State competition at Northridge High School.

• Iniya Christopher & Alishba Syeda — 6th in Disease Detectives
• Joanna Lin & Emily Pearson — 8th in Botany

Penn’s season included a third-place finish at the Regional.

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Sreeja Bhattacharjee earns Scholastic National Silver Medal

Penn High School student Sreeja Bhattacharjee is a 2026 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards national winner.

Bhattacharjee is one of 12 students nationwide to earn a National Silver Medal.
 
She is Penn’s first Scholastic National winner since 2016.
 
Bhattacharjee won the Silver Medal for her portfolio “Earthbound” and her short story “Over Easy.” 
 
Caelea Armstrong is the sponsor of Penn’s Literary Magazine, “Spectrum”, and is the instructor of the Creative Writing class.
 
 

Schafer Gear Works Names Penn Robotics Lab

Schafer Industries (click here to visit the company website) named the Penn High School robotics lab as part of the P-H-M Education Foundation’s Naming Rights campaign (click here for more information on this program).
 
Schafer Gear Works donated $25,000 payable over 5 years.  
 
Schafer Gear Works Penn Robotics Lab logo

The lab will now be known as the Schafer Gear Works Robotics Lab.

 
Penn robotics and Penn graphic design students designed the graphic that features Schafer’s name on the garage door entry to the lab.
 
The P-H-M Board of School Trustees approved the donation and naming rights at its meeting on Monday, March 16 at Meadow’s Edge Elementary School. Schafer representatives Kelly Lowry, human resources manager, and Alex Beagles, production manager and former Penn student, were at the Board meeting.

 

Penn Freshmen Explore Future Careers at JA JobSpark Expo

Large room filled with people standing around tables, some of which have laptops on them; a stage with a speaker at one endApproximately 300 Penn High School freshmen stepped outside the classroom this week to explore future career possibilities at the JA JobSpark Career Expo, held at the Century Center in South Bend.

Joining hundreds of students from across the Michiana area, Penn students took part in hands-on activities designed to introduce them to real-world careers and local industries. The interactive format gave students a chance to try new skills, ask questions, and begin thinking about their future paths.

Throughout the expo, students rotated through a variety of stations representing different career fields. They tested their skills in trades like masonry, construction, roofing, and electrical work. Others practiced detecting counterfeit bills with First Source Bank, analyzed fingerprints in a mock crime lab with the South Bend Police Department, or explored careers in healthcare through physical therapy and dentistry activities.

Students also experienced creative and service-based careers, including hairdressing, food preparation with Taco Bell and Arby’s, and even reading from a teleprompter with WNDU 16 News. Additional stations allowed students to take professional headshots, try out recreational activities like Frisbee golf, and explore products from local manufacturers such as Barletta and Lippert.

The trip was organized by Penn’s Director of Counseling, John Westra, whose efforts helped make this opportunity possible for students.

Experiences like JobSpark give students an early look at potential career paths while connecting classroom learning to real-world opportunities right here in the local community.

Penn Early College Students Attend Logan Center Field Trip

Group of people posing in front of a wall.Penn High School Early College students recently visited the South Bend Logan Center as part of a field trip focused on learning about disabilities and community resources.

Students from all four grade levels in the Early College program attended, joining approximately 200 students from other area schools.

During the visit, students participated in activities and presentations that introduced them to the services and support the Logan Center provides for individuals with disabilities. The experience offered students an opportunity to learn more about the importance of inclusion and accessibility in the community.

The field trip is one of several opportunities for Early College students to engage in learning beyond the classroom and connect their studies to real-world experiences.

Teacher Job Fair on March 26

We’re Accepting Applications for the
2026-27 School Year

Teacher Job Fair

Thursday, March 26, 2026

2:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Penn High School Fieldhouse
12641 McKinley Highway, Mishawaka

Teachers Click Here

Click to learn more about P-H-M and why you should join our family.

 

Penn Speech & Debate Team qualifies students for Nationals

The following members of the Penn Speech and Debate Team have qualified for the national tournament, which will be held in Richmond, Va. on June 15-21. 
 
  • Daniel Zartman and Cathlyn Kulba – Policy 
  • Olivia Kiner and Mia Helm – Lincoln Douglas
  • Amina Spahic and Rebecca Wolter – Public Forum
  • Roman Gargis, David Ha, and Bray Councell – Congress
  • Selin Bilgicer – Humorous Interpretation
  • Rayna Doland and Rebecca Wagman – Original Oratory
  • Rebecca Ramirez – United States Extemporaneous Speaking
  • Victoria Sanchez, Mira Yaradi, Ishita Awasthi, and Ranveer Verma – World Schools
  • Emmanuel Singleton – Big Questions 

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Penn Jazz Ensemble qualifies for State

Penn is one of this year’s State Finalists for jazz ensemble. Penn earned a spot as one of only nine groups from across the state of Indiana.
 
This is the fifth time in school history that Penn has qualified for State Jazz Finals.
 
State Jazz Finals will be held Friday, March 20, at Pike High School in Indianapolis.
 
Penn High School Advanced Jazz Ensemble qualified by competing in the ISSMA Jazz State Qualifier event at Goshen Junior High School on Saturday, March 7.