Glenn Northern, who has guided the Penn High School Marching Band to levels of statewide excellence, has been honored for his accomplishments by being named the 2018 Outstanding High School Music Educator of the Year by the Indiana Music Educator Association Board.

Northern, the Penn Fine Arts & Communications Academy Leader and Marching Kingsmen Band Director, is in his 29th year as an educator and his 17th year the in Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation.

P-H-M Supt. Dr. Jerry Thacker congratulated Northern on the award and said that Northern has played a vital role in elevating Penn’s Music Program to an elite status.

P-H-M has been recognized as one of the "Best Communities for Music Education" in the nation by the NAMM Foundation … an honor that Glenn's hard work and leadership has greatly contributed to,” Dr. Thacker stated.

Northern has been the Director of Bands and the Fine Arts & Communications Academy Leader since 2011. He served as Penn’s assistant band director for 10 years, and also taught at Discovery Middle School.

In 2015, the Penn Symphonic Winds (Penn’s advanced concert band) was named the Co-Champion of the ISSMA Concert Band Finals. This still stands as the only ISSMA Championship ever won by a Penn Band.

“I am very honored to be selected by the Indiana Music Educators Association for this award,” Northern said. “However, like many awards of this type, it is the cumulative efforts of many people that make this type of recognition possible. This award also belongs to Murray Weaver, Jeff Carnall, Aaron Griesser, D.J. Landoll, Isaac Brinberg, Heather Baker, Dodi Carnall, Keith Rudolph and the thousands of students and parents who have been a part of the Penn Bands.

“It is the work of all of these people who have created the culture of excellence and the caring environment that have made the Penn Bands such a wonderful organization to be a part of, and to teach,” Northern continued. “I am very honored to accept this award on behalf of everyone involved with the Penn Band.”

Northern’s is also a leader statewide in music education.

In 2015, Northern received the "Outstanding Bandmaster" from the Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Mu, and in 2011, he received a "Michiana Outstanding Music Educator" ward from Quinlan & Fabish Music Co. Northern has served two terms as the President of ISSMA (Indiana State School Music Association), and is the Past President of the Indiana Bandmasters Association. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors for ISSMA and for the Indiana Music Educators Association.

The talents of high school  and middle school musicians will be showcased in the Penn High School Kaleidoscope Concert, scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 15, and Thursday, Nov. 16.

The two-concert cycle is slated to begin at 7 p.m. each night in the Penn High School Center for Performing Arts.

On Wednesday, Nov. 15, the concert will feature the combined Penn-Harris-Madison eighth-grade band (comprised of students from Discovery, Grissom and Schmucker). 

The concert will also feature the Penn Advanced Jazz Ensemble, the Penn Symphonic Winds and a stand-still performance by the Penn Marching Kingsmen.

On Thursday, Nov. 16, the Penn Intermediate Jazz Ensemble, Freshmen Intermediate Concert Band, Freshmen Advanced Concert Band, Concert Band and Symphonic Band will perform at the Kaleidoscope Concert.

Tickets are $5 in advance ($6 on event night) and can be purchased online at Ticketracker.com.
 

Lake Central held off Penn to hand the Kingsmen their first loss of the Girls Basketball season, 51-43, on Saturday, Nov. 18.

Jordyn Smith led Penn with 14 points.

Tia Chambers scored 11 points.

Trinity Clinton scored nine points.

Sara Doi scored 24 points as Penn bolted past South Bend Riley, 73-, in Northern Indiana Conference competition on Saturday, Nov. 11.

Penn's Freshmen 1-2 punch of Trinity Clinton and Jordyn Smith combined for 36 points. Clinton contributed 21 points to the Kingsmen effort, and Smith scored 15.

Penn won the Junior Varsity Game 53-21. Grace Schutt led Penn with 16 points.

Penn Football struck fast and furious, scoring 40 points in the first half to storm past Warsaw, 40-0, to capture the Class 6-A Sectional 2 Championship on Friday, Nov. 3.

Friday's victory gave Penn its fifth consecutive Sectional Championship and 24th in program history. The Kingsmen (10-1) advance to play at Crown Point (7-4) in the Regional Championship match at 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 10.

The Kingsmen got on the board on the first drive of the game. Ryan Lynch connected with George Ohlson for a 5-yard TD pass to put the Kingsmen up 6-0.

On the next Kingsmen possesion, Ryan Whiteman zoomed 58 yards for the score to put the Kingsmen up 12-0.

Whiteman struck again on the first possession of the second quarter. The junior running back bolted  69 yards for the Kingsmen score as the Penn lead grew to 19-0.

The next Kingsmen TD came from the punt return crew. Notre Dame commit Paul Moala recovered a

Warsaw botched snap on a punt in the end zone to put the Kingsmen up 26-0.

Brock Zolman scored on a 4-yard run on the next drive to put the Kingsmen up 33-0.

Seconds later, Caden Paquette struck for a Wild Bunch TD with a 36-yard Pick-6 to put the Kingsmen up 40-0 at the half and round up the scoring.

The Penn Football Team defeated Warsaw, 40-0, to earn the Class 6-A Sectional Championship. 

A Photo Gallery is posted below.

Penn High School joined over ten area school systems in participating in the annual Student Hunger Drive for the Food Bank of Northern Indiana.

Penn’s Health and Human Services took the lead on organizing the event with the help of the Penn FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). Although the competition at Penn was held between Gold 1 classes and the other six Penn Academies, the competition was also extended to all P-H-M Schools.

The goal of the competition was to collect the most pounds of food by either donating canned goods or money. If money was donated, every dollar equaled six pounds of food. District wide, Penn-Harris-Madison’s had nearly 100% participation from all 15 schools.

The winning elementary class was Miss Ritchie’s second grade class from Madison Elementary School. As a reward, they will participate in “Read and Write with Our Athletes Day” with Penn’s FCA students and will also be treated to an Urban Swirl party.

Winners of the middle school and high school competitions were Schmucker and Penn Freshmen Academy, respectively. They will each receive an Urban Swirl party as their prize.

The total weight of P-H-M donations came to just under 14,000 pounds! 

Please see the photo gallery below of the students stuffing the bus to deliver the goods to the Food Bank of Northern Indiana.

All of the staff and students at Penn already know we are a “Cool School,” but today Building and Trades students helped everyone else know in the Michiana area know too!

Local station ABC 57 featured the Penn Building and Trades program’s 49^th consecutive year of building a community home, from the ground up, in their “Cool Schools” feature. Click here or on the image below to watch the full story.

Penn High School honored 15 student-athletes who participated in NCAA National Signing Day on Wed., Nov. 8.

Click here for a list for a profile of each student-athlete.

Out of 410 Indiana High School Athletic Association members, only one — Penn High School – hoisted a Sectional Championship trophy in each of the eight Fall Sports.

Penn-Harris-Madison Supt. Dr. Jerry Thacker, Penn Principal Principal Sean Galiher, and Athletic Director Aaron Leniski announced that for the first time, Penn swept Sectional Championships in each of the eight IHSAA Fall sports, and that Penn is the only school in the state to accomplish that feat this year.

“What an amazing example of excellence!” Dr. Thacker said. “I am so proud of these champions – coaches and players.  They are remarkable role models and products of our Triangle of Success.  Congratulations!”

Galiher lauded the efforts of the entire Penn community in the remarkable achievement.

“This accomplishment reflects the collective efforts of our students, coaches, teachers, parents and school community,” Galiher said. “I am so proud of these student-athletes. We take great pride in providing experiences that challenge students both academically and on the field. Our coaches are the best in the state.  “

Leniski said that being the only team in the state this year to sweep Sectional crowns in all of the Fall Sports is a comprehensive effort.

“The Athletic Department is pleased to play a vital role in providing education-based athletics for our school community,” Leniski said. “The school administration is extremely proud of the accomplishments by the Fall sports teams. 

“An IHSAA Sectional Championship, due to the number teams involved at that tournament level, is the most challenging championship to earn in the state series.  Our student-athletes and coaching staff have dedicated countless hours in the off-season to sports-performance training and open-facility development work in order to attain their goals. 

“Hard work, dedication, and perseverance continue to produce outstanding results on the athletic field and in the classroom for Kingsmen student-athletes,” Leniski said. “This is a win-win for our school community.”

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY (Coach Tom Miller): Penn won its second consecutive Cross Country Sectional Championship and 22nd in Program history. The Kingsmen placed five runners in the Top 10. Penn scored 27 points. Mishawaka placed second with 68 points. The Kingsmen also won a Regional Championship.

BOYS SOCCER (Coach Josh Nakayama): Penn won its seventh consecutive Sectional Championship in Boys Soccer and 11th overall with a 2-1 victory against South Bend Riley in the Championship Match.

BOYS TENNIS (Coach Eric Bowers): Penn won its 16th consecutive Sectional Championship in Boys Tennis and 23rd Sectional Championship overall. The Kingsmen defeated Marian, 5-0, in the Championship Match. The Kingsmen also won a Regional Championship.

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY (Coach Michael Clements): Penn won its 14th consecutive Girls Cross Country Sectional Championship and 26th overall. The Kingsmen placed six runners in the Top 10 to finish with 29 points. Mishawaka placed second with 52 points. The Kingsmen also won a Regional Championship.

GIRLS GOLF (Coach Dominic Demeter): Penn Girls Golf  won its ninth Sectional Championship in a row and 19th in Program history. Penn shot a 349 to lead the 11-team field. South Bend St. Joseph placed second with a score of 367.

GIRLS SOCCER (Coach Jeff Hart): Penn extended its state-best streak of consecutive Sectional Championships to 11. The Kingsmen own 16 Sectional Championships in Program history. Penn went on to win the Class 3-A State Championship, and were named National Champions by topdrawersoccer.com.

FOOTBALL (Coach Cory Yeoman): Penn beat Warsaw, 40-0, to win its fifth consecutive Football Sectional Championship and 24th in Program history. Penn competes in the Regional Championship at Crown Point on Friday, Nov. 10.

VOLLEYBALL (Coach Sarah Hendricks): Penn defeated No. 16 LaPorte, 25-14, 25-13, 25-16, to win the Sectional Championship. It was the 14th Sectional Championship in Program history.