NHS sponsors Blood Drive March 17-18
Mr. Rallo Recognized at Kingsmen Basketball game
Before the start of the Penn vs. Mishawaka Boys Basketball game on Tuesday, February 25, Mr. Curt Rallo was recognized for his upcoming honor of being named to the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame. See the full photo gallery below.
Mr. Rallo is a Penn High School Journalism teacher, Penn Sports Information Director, and member of the P-H-M District Communications Team. He’s worked at Penn for 24 years and has a total of 38 years as a working sports journalist with the South Bend Tribune, covering local high school sports, Big Ten Men’s Basketball and Football, the University of Notre Dame, as well as spot coverage of the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB. Click here for more background on all the amazing work Mr. Rallo does with Penn students.
P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker, Penn Principal Dr. Sean Galiher, Penn Athletic Director Jeff Hart, and P-H-M Communications Director Lucha Ramey honored Mr. Rallo at half-court with a commemorative G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) award. He received a rousing round of applause and shout outs from the student body, student-athletes, parents and Kingsmen fans.
Along with this celebration of one of the Kingsmen’s biggest supporters, it was senior night. Penn defeated Mishawaka 72-42. Click here to visit Pennant’s Facebook page for game footage and stats.
Mr. Rallo will be inducted at the annual awards banquet to be held in early April in Greenwood. Click for more details on the other inductees on the Stateline Sports Network website.
Penn hosts Robotics competition March 1-2
Penn High School will host the FIRST Robotics Competition 2025 – Reefscape – on Saturday, March 1, and Sunday, March 2.
Saturday’s competition will be from 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m., and Sunday’s events are scheduled from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Attendance is free (concessions support the teams).
Two alliances of three robots each compete to score Coral (tubes) on the Reef and Algae (balls) in the Processor and Net. Near the end of the game, the robots hang on the Cages at the center of the field or park next to them.
Penn has two teams: Team 135, the Black Knights, and Team 328, the Golden Rooks.
Click here to watch a video for more information on the competition.
Penn places first at TSA competition
Penn High School placed first overall at the Technology Student Association Indiana State Conference competition held at Purdue University, February 14-15, 2025.
A Photo Gallery is posted below.
Individual results:
Audio Podcasting:
1st: Ishita Awasthi, Fiona Bao, Diya Lahane, and Vyomi Patel
2nd: Jacob Bognar and Carter Mitchell
Board Game Design:
1st: Kai King, Carter Mitchell, Hal Roach, and Mitchell Schindler
5th: Shivam Kalani, Kathy Lee, Harsh Patel, and Emily Shim
CAD 2D Architectural Design:
5th: William Wu
CAD 3D , Engineering Design:
1st: Raafe Rahman
4th: Kathy Lee
Children’s Stories:
2nd: Amina Spahic, Rebecca Wolter, and Kelsey Meyer
3rd: Madison Kuzmic, Victoria Kuznetsov, and Jasmine Petresh
Coding:
4th: Sultaan Khan and Aydin Kurama
5th: Joshua Oh and Aydin Qazi
Debating Technology Issues:
2nd: Kai King and Sohan Patel
3rd: Arnav Meda and Kaiyi Zhao
Dragster Design:
5th: Calum Jessop
Engineering Design:
1st: Shivam Kalani, Kathy Lee, Harsh Patel, and Emily Shi
Future Tech Teacher:
1st: Jacob Bognar
Manufacturing Prototype:
1st: Kai King and Hal Roach
On Demand Video:
1st: Ishita Awasthi, Fiona Bao, Diya Lahane, and Vyomi Patel
2nd: Calum Jessop, Liam Perrin, Raafe Rahman, Wasi Rasul, and Kevin Wu
5th: Hamza Ansari, Sultaan Khan, Aydin Kurama, Aidan Lee, Joshua Oh, Aydin Qazi, MohamedSuliman, and William Wu
Photographic Technology:
2nd: Rishita Maheshwaram
Prepared Presentation:
3rd: Kaiyi Zhao
5th: Arnav Meda
Structural Design and Engineering:
1st: Amina Spahic and Rebecca Wolter
Technology Problem Solving:
1st: Liam Perrin and Raafe Rahman
Elected TSA State Officers for the 2025-2026 school year:
President: Ishita Masetty
Treasurer: Abhijay Masetty
Penn High School Hosts PHM Board of School Trustees Meeting
Penn High School Principal Dr. Sean Galiher, along with assistant principals, director of athletics and students showed off and explained how Penn is “Building Bright Futures.”
At the Penn-Harris-Board of School Trustees meeting held Monday, Feb. 10 at Penn, the high school demonstrated how they are putting this year’s theme into action in everything they do.
From highlights from the Homecoming parade in the fall to reports on Penn’s amazing 98% graduation rate and everything in between. Other reports included:
- Building & Trades program (now in its 56th year!)
- Engineering Design & Development program (competed against and beat college students in the TECH 120 class at Purdue)
- Class of 2025 students on track for an Honors Diploma
- AP Enrollment & Success
- SAT Performance
- Attendance
- Athletic & Academic Teams update
- Teacher Professional Development update
- … and so much more!
Click here to view Principal Dr. Galiher’s full presentation.
SAT School Day test scheduled for Wednesday, March 5, 2025; SAT prep help offered
Juniors:
Penn’s School Day SAT, which is required for all Juniors, will be on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
The SAT School Day: Student Guide is available only as a digital resource, since students may access full length practice tests through their College Board account.
Click here for a SAT School Day Study Guide.
Elementary Students Experience Musical Magic with Penn High School Symphonic Orchestra
Fourth and fifth-grade students from Bittersweet, Elm Road, Mary Frank, Meadow’s Edge, and Northpoint elementary schools recently enjoyed a musical demonstration by the Penn High School Symphonic Orchestra. This event offered the elementary students an exciting glimpse into what musical instruments may be in their future.
The demonstration began with a slow, moving piece before transitioning into a showcase of individual instruments. Penn orchestra members lined up at the front of the stage to perform brief solos. Each instrument’s unique sound and appearance were highlighted, sparking curiosity and excitement among the elementary students.
The event reached its peak when two Penn teachers brought a thrilling touch of cinematic drama to the stage. Dressed as Princess Leia and Darth Vader from Star Wars, the duo engaged in a light saber battle to the delight of the audience. In a dramatic twist, Darth Vader emerged victorious and led the orchestra in a powerful rendition of the iconic “Imperial March.” Adding to the spectacle, the string players adorned their bows with LED lights, transforming them into glowing light sabers as they performed the final number.
The demonstration not only entertained but also served as an introduction to the world of orchestral music, inspiring many young students to consider learning an instrument in the future. The Penn High School Symphonic Orchestra’s performance was a perfect blend of education and entertainment, leaving a lasting impression on its young audience.
Penn’s Liew, Shafer, Chen qualify for Debate Nationals second consecutive year
Three Penn High School Debate students will compete in the National Debate Tournament for a second consecutive year, and seven other Penn students have also qualified for Nationals.
The Nationals will be held in Des Moines, Iowa, this summer.
Stanley Liew, Noah Shafer and Chris Chen of Penn and the Northwest Indiana World Schools Gold Team will compete in the National Tournament as a result placing in the Final Four of last year’s National Tournament.
Five Penn High School students qualified in District competition for the National Debate Tournament.
The students qualified by placing first at the Northwest Indiana District.
Penn’s National Qualifiers (through district competition):
- Public Forum – Alina Luck and Jaanavi Kaushi 1st place; Amina Spahic and Rebecca Wolter 2nd Place
- In Lincoln Douglas – Akul Bhamabani 1st place
Additionally, two Penn students qualified in the Northwest Indiana District Congress competition:
- House of Representatives – Grant Spadafore 1st place
- Senate – Ishita Masetty 1st
Penn’s Debate Team is coached by Jeremy Starkweather.
Mr. Rallo to be Inducted into Indiana Sportswriters & Sportscasters Assoc. Hall of Fame
Congratulations to Mr. Curt Rallo, Penn High School Journalism teacher, Penn Sports Information Director, and member of the P-H-M District Communications Team for being named to the Class of 2025 Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame.
Mr. Rallo is a graduate of Penn High School earning his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University-South Bend and a master’s degree from Bethel University.
Mr. Rallo is a working journalist in the truest sense of the word. His experience includes working for the South Bend Tribune for 38 years, covering local high school sports, Big Ten Men’s Basketball and Football, the University of Notre Dame, as well as spot coverage of the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB. Just some of the notable pro athletes he’s covered include: Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Skylar Diggins, Pat Connaughton, and Michael Jordan (basketball and baseball). While covering college and professional sports, Mr. Rallo reported on the Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Maui Invitational, NCAA men’s basketball Final Fours (I.U. and Michigan State) and women’s basketball Final Fours (Notre Dame 6x), covering MLB, NFL and NBA playoffs.
For his work covering Indiana high school sports, Mr. Rallo was recognized by the IHSAA with the Distinguished Media Service Award in 1996.
Mr. Rallo brought his broad depth of experience in sports reporting back to Penn High School when he began teaching in 2001 while still working at the Tribune. He’s now been with P-H-M for 24 years teaching Sports Journalism and serving as the Sports ID for the Kingsmen Athletic Department. He’s also been known to call some Kingsmen games/matches. Mr. Rallo oversees a team of student writers, photographers, videographers, graphic artists, etc. serving as Penn’s own independent sports media outlet. Mr. Rallo and his students impressively cover all of Penn’s teams giving his students real hands-on experiences of doing everything from live play by play on the Pennant YouTube Channel, feature stories on the Pennant website, and in depth conversations with student-athletes and coaches on the Pennant Podcast. Mr. Rallo and the student sports journalists also manage Pennant Facebook, Instagram, and X. Mr. Rallo teaches his students the importance of deadlines and in this age of social media covering sporting events in real time. The volume, but more importantly the quality, of content Mr. Rallo covers with his dedicated team of students makes him beyond worthy of this recognition. His students are very fortunate to learn from a true and talented professional.
It’s hard to believe with all that he does at Penn High School, but Mr. Rallo still does freelance work covering Notre Dame football and basketball for the Associated Press.
Mr. Rallo will be inducted at the annual awards banquet to be held in early April in Greenwood. Click for more details on the other inductees on the Stateline Sports Network website.
Penn qualifies five Debate students for Nationals
Five Penn High School students qualified for the National Debate Tournament to be held this summer in Des Moines, Iowa.
The students qualified by placing first at the Northwest Indiana District.
Penn’s National Qualifiers:
- Public Forum – Alina Luck and Jaanavi Kaushi 1st place; Amina Spahic and Rebecca Wolter 2nd Place
- In Lincoln Douglas – Akul Bhamabani 1st place
Penn’s Debate Team, coached by Jeremy Starkweather, will look to repeat at State Champions this weekend at the Debate State Finals at Avon High School.
State qualifiers:
Congress:
Grant Spadafore
Ishita Masetty
Sohan Patel
Roman Gargis
Lincoln-Douglas:
Akul Bhambhani
Sarah Rooney
Chris Chen
Anton Kozelichki
Public Forum:
Alina Luck and Jaanavi Kaushik
Leah Wagner and Rayna Donald
Amina Spahic and Rebecca Wolter
Ben Galiher and Manny Singleton
Policy Debate:
Ava Lightburn and Leena Khan
Kai King and Nora McKinney
Joshua Oh and William Wu
Ethan Schafer and Rebeca Ramirez
World Schools Debate:
Jawad Siddique, Stanley Liew, Noah Shafer, Lynn Chung and Kevin Wu
Ishita Awasthi, Mira Yaradi, Sarah Ahmed, Sydney Herriman and Victoria Sanchez