Penn High School Teacher Danielle Black, an Early College Academy Leader & Dual Credit Speech teacher, has received the 3rd Annual President’s Award for Excellence in Dual Credit Instruction from Ivy Tech!

As defined by the IDOE, Dual Credit is defined by: courses in which high school students have the opportunity to earn both high school and college credits simultaneously. Dual Credit classes are an exceptional way for students to advance their academic achievement and save money by completing college classes while still in high school.

About the award:

“President’s Award recipients representing all nineteen Ivy Tech campuses are nominees for the 2024 Statewide Award for Excellence in Dual Credit Instruction, presented annually to honor Ivy Tech’s most outstanding dual credit instructor statewide … The President’s Award recognition is one of the most important awards for Ivy Tech, allowing us to recognize and honor our most treasured asset–the College’s outstanding faculty.”

Mrs. Black is one of 19 recipients, each representing all 19 Ivy Tech campuses. This makes her a nominee for the 2024 Statewide Award for Excellence in Dual Credit Instruction, presented annually to honor Ivy Tech’s most outstanding dual credit instructor statewide.

The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in June.

About Mrs. Black:

“As the Early College Academy Leader, Danielle oversees 24 teachers from multiple content areas and levels of experience. She works closely with the (best) Ivy Tech College Connections Coach to ensure the individual goals of each of our students are met. Mrs. Black collaborates with the Leadership Team consistently, serving as a bridge between teachers and administration. She collaborates with other teacher leaders to develop and implement professional development to staff on a variety of topics, ranging from formative assessment and feedback to impactful questioning strategies. I get the pleasure of watching her act out what she teaches as she is thoughtful and intentional in curricular and non-curricular decision-making.” – Penn Associate Principal, Rachel Fry

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After 40 years with the Penn High School Football program, Hall of Famer Coach Cory Yeoman announced to Kingsmen student-athletes and assistant coaches this afternoon that he will be retiring as head coach and Penn teacher at the end of this school year.

In his address to the players and coaches, Coach Yeoman shared, “By far the best thing I have ever done as a coach or as a player is to surround myself with great people. You win with people! Thousands of people made this journey possible. Thank you to the Yeoman Family; for over 50 Years our Mom, wives and daughters have let us boys play and coach the game we love for the school we love.”

Coach Yeoman went on to say to his players, “I would like to thank the hundreds of tough Kingsmen players in the ‘long black line;’ I am so proud of you. I love you boys! It has been an honor being a member of ‘the long black line.’ It has been an honor to be one of ‘Gees’s boys.’ Go Penn Go!”

Click below to see a full photo gallery of Coach Yeoman.

Coach Yeoman spent his first 19 years as an Assistant Coach under Hall of Famer Coach Chris Geesman, and the past 21 years as Head Coach. Yeoman took over the Kingsmen program in 2003 and compiled a 208-56 record overall.

In his first season after replacing legendary Coach Geesman, Yeoman guided Penn to the 2003 State Championship Game. Yeoman also led Penn to Semi-state titles in 2017, 2015 and 2011. In addition to winning four Semi-state Championships, the Kingsmen have won nine regional crowns under Yeoman’s leadership, 13 sectional titles and 17 Northern Indiana Conference championships. 

“It’s hard to put into words what Coach Yeoman means to our school community. He’s been a staple of Penn High School for 40 years, as a student, a teacher, an assistant coach, and as our head football coach for 21 years,” said Penn Athletic Director Jeff Hart.

“More importantly, his unmatched legacy as a positive leader, mentor, and relationship-builder will be sorely missed in our building and beyond,” Hart continued.  “I’ve been fortunate to work closely with him for the last several years and I’ve seen up close his unique ability to have great success coaching with a servant’s heart while building lifelong relationships with staff and students. I’m blessed to call him a friend.”

Coach Yeoman bleeds black and gold and has always been a Kingsmen. He played for Penn, earning all-state honors at defensive tackle. In 1979, Coach Yeoman led a Kingsmen defense that only allowed 33 yards rushing a game. That Kingsmen team finished 11-1, winning an NIC Championship before losing to Hobart in the second round of the playoffs. Yeoman graduated from Penn in 1980. 

Coach Yeoman is in the Indiana Football Hall of Fame, the first Penn player nominated for the Hall.

“Coach Yeoman is a Kingsmen legend. He learned from the best [Coach Chris Geesman] and became the best,” said Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker. “Coach is highly respected across Indiana; and while we’ll miss him coaching on the sidelines, we know that he won’t be very far from Everwise Freed Field on Friday nights. Once a Kingsmen, always a Kingsmen!”

After his playing career at Penn, coach Yeoman played for Miami (Ohio) University. He was a roommate and teammate of the Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl winning head coach, John Harbaugh. Yeoman joined the Kingsmen coaching staff after graduation from Miami, and has been on the Kingsmen sidelines for 40 seasons.

After Penn’s 28-7 victory against the Mishawaka Cavemen on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, Yeoman was named the Indianapolis Colts Indiana High School Coach of the Week. The victory against the archrival Cavemen also gave Yeoman his 200th career victory, making him only the second Kingsmen Football coach to reach that coveted plateau. 

Penn is now the only high school in Indiana to have two coaches meet this milestone. The first was longtime Kingsmen coach Chris Geesman (309 wins), who Coach Yeoman played under and coached with at the beginning of his career at Penn.

Yeoman is beloved and admired by his players and assistant coaches. He serves as a mentor to Penn students not only as a coach, but also as a Physical Education and Sports Performance teacher. Yeoman was also an Industrial Arts Teacher. Coach loves the interactions with students. For years, he’s assisted with Penn’s Commencements, helping line students up and assisting families whose children are being honored posthumously. Yeoman once said to a colleague “My favorite time of year is graduation; this is what it’s all about!”

Coach Yeoman’s last day will come at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. Coach looks forward to spending time with his grandchild, wife and family, and of course cheering for the Kingsmen on Friday nights.

Penn-Harris-Madison will begin an immediate search for a new Kingsmen Head Football Coach; the announcement is to be determined at a later date.

Coaching Profile of Cory Yeoman:

40 Years Coaching at Penn High School, 425 – 79

• 504 Games Coached at Penn High School
• 1984 – 2023 Seasons 
• 1984 – 2002 Assistant Coach, 217 – 23
• 2003 – 2023 Head Coach, 208 – 56 

Championships

• 36 X Northern Indiana Conference
• 24 X Sectional
• 17 Regionals
• 11 Semi-State
• 7 State Runners-up
• 4 State Championships

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To celebrate Penn’s Speech and Debate Team State Debate Tournament winning Penn’s first Debate Team Championship ever instead of just having a celebratory party (which the team did), they also through in a “team activity.”

After school on Tuesday, January 30th, Team Captains and students got to cut off their Team Coach Mr. Jeremy Starkweather’s hair! Mr. Starkweather is known for his golden, poofy afro. But to motivate the team to win the ISSDA State Debate Tournament, he told his team captains last summer when they were at the National Competition that the students could cut his hair if they won the State Championship in 2024. Of course the team won, so that meant Mr. Starkweather had to give up his golden locks. Click to watch the TikTok video below. Click to see the full photo gallery.

To make the fun go for a good cause, Mr. Starkweather reached out to the students who run Short Hair Because We Care to donate his hair. Remarkably but not surprisingly, Mr. Starkweather had 9 inches to donate! Because he was donating his hair, the students couldn’t just shave his head with clippers, his hair had to be sectioned off and braided into mini-pony tails, which made the process a little longer. But the payoff was worth the wait for the students!

It was quite the turnout to see this big event. Not only were the Debate students there, but so were other Penn students who heard about it, Principal Dr. Sean Galiher, and other Penn teachers and coaches. Even PHM District administration and Superintendent Dr. Thacker turned out for the big show. Dr. Thacker even had the honorary last cut!

One of the Team Captains Bella Schaetzle’s mother is a hair stylist and loaned her daughter the tools to cut Mr. Starkweather’s hair. She also graciously offered to clean up his “cut” once the students were done. Below is what Mr. Starkweather looks like the day after on Wednesday, January 31st. He says his hair should grow back in a few months!

Thanks for being a good sport and such a dedicated coach Mr. Starkweather!

See the full photo gallery below …

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“Captain Jack Sparrow” made an appearance at Penn High School today (Tuesday, January 30) performing the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song for 4th and 5th grade students. This mini concert is a great way to introduce students to instruments they might not be familiar with as they think about what possible instrument they might want to pursue in middle school. In P-H-M middle schools, students can pursue orchestra, band or choir as a Fine Arts elective.

Students got a real treat … the Orchestra’s drummers performed a sown written by Senior Clayton Hopper; it was called “March of the Clumsy.” All the drummers performed it together to demo percussion.

Due to scheduling logistics, only half of P-H-M elementary schools participated traveled to Penn for this year’s show. The other half attended last year. That way every P-H-M student will see the show in either 4th grade or a 5th grade. 

Take a look at the photo gallery below …

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Penn’s Debate Team was triumphant Saturday, January 27 at the 2024 ISSDA State Debate Tournament winning Penn’s first Debate Team Championship ever! 

The ISSDA awarded Penn Senior Noah Shafer with the Bob Brittain Mental Attitude Award and a $500 scholarship!

Penn beat out 25 other Indiana Schools competing in seven debate rounds to determine the finalists. 

Here are the Tournament results:

Octa Finalists: 

• Bella Schaetzle and Chris Chapple- Policy
• Amina Spahic and RebeccaWolter- Policy
• Alex Wagler- Lincoln Douglas
• Leah Wagner and Rayna Doland- Public Forum

Quarter Finalists: 

• Leena Khan and Ava Lightburn- Policy Debate
• Chris Chen- Lincoln Douglas
• Ben Galiher, Mira Yaradi, Ishita Awasti, Sydney Herriman, Vicki Sanchez- World Schools

Semi Finalists: 

• Ishita Masetty- Congress
• Shayan Asafuadula- Congress
• Sohan Patel- Congress

State-Runner Ups:

• Bohdan Kolomiiets and Noah Schafer- Public Forum
• Stanley Liew, Noah Shafer, Lana Ealdama, Jawad Siddique, Mia Helm- World Schools
• Sarah Rooney- Lincoln Douglas
• Grant Spadafore- Congress

State Champions: 

• Sarah Ahmed and Lynn Chung- Policy Debate
• Akul Bhambani- Lincoln Doulgas

In all five events, Penn was able to place in the top two in the entire state. The final round of Lincoln Douglas debate (which is the most competitive event) featured Penn vs. Penn, Sarah Rooney vs. Akul Bhambani. Akul won by a 3-2 decision with the judges.

The students are getting more than trophies to commemorate their wins. As per an agreement with the Team Captains made at the National Debate Tournament last June, Team Coach Mr. Jeremy Starkweather will allow the team captains to shave his head. It will happen after school at Team Practice on Tuesday, January 30. Click here to see the pictures and video!

The Policy Champions receive a traveling trophy that has existed since 1928. The last time the trophy was in Penn High School was when it was won by Coach Starkweather when he himself was a Penn Senior Debate student back in 2013. 

This is how many teams Penn students had to beat out:

• 23 Policy Debate Teams
• 46 Public Forum Teams
• 64 Lincoln Douglas Debaters
• 59 Congress Debaters and
• 27 World Schools Teams

Each competitor is guaranteed three preliminary rounds of debate but must win four out of their six judges’ ballots to advance to the single elimination bracket. Only the top 16 teams advance to this stage of the tournament. The Penn high school team advanced 16 out of the 18 entries, making this an incredible team effort. From that point on, each round had a three judge panel. A team must win 2 out of 3 possible ballots to continue to move through the tournament. 

According to the Indiana Department of Education’s (IDOE) data released on December 29, 2023, Penn High School’s graduation rate is 98.12%–among the highest in the state!

The IDOE says 88.98% of Indiana students in the Class of 2023 graduated last year. Penn’s rate is 9.14 higher than the state!

Overall, the 2023 statewide graduation increased by nearly 2.5 percentage points. A spreadsheet with statewide-, corporation- and school-level graduation data is available here. 2023 represents the third-highest graduation rate since Indiana began collecting data in 2012.

Read more from the IDOE on the state’s increased graduation rates.

All-State Band Auditions scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, at Penn High School have been postponed until Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024.

We have been monitoring the forecast for several days and unfortunately have decided to postpone Snowball that is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. The forecasted dangerous temperatures, wind chill factor, wind speed and road conditions factored into this decision. Safety is our top priority and we want to make sure our students would not be put in a dangerous position tomorrow night while traveling.

The dance will be rescheduled and we will communicate the new date next week sometime.

Stay safe and warm this weekend.

The Penn High School student literary magazine, Spectrum, has won the highest honor for recognizing excellence in Art and Literary magazines from the National Council of Teachers of English.

Spectrum is published under the direction of Penn instructor Caelea Armstrong.

Editors of the 2022-2023 Spectrum Literary Magazine were Valentina Gianesi (graduated), Monique Caraman (graduated), Lauren Turnquist, Natalie Reed and Michael Mireles.

“Spectrum has been a literary publication at Penn High School since at least the 1988-89 school year,” Armstrong said. “The mission of Spectrum is to create an outlet for student expression – written, art, and multimedia.

“Over the years, Spectrum has evolved and is now involved in creating monthly newsletters known as “The Bathroom Bulletin,” the People of Penn displays in the stairwells, and events like Reality Cafe,” Armstrong said. “Our main focus is the Spectrum Magazine, and I could not be more proud of our students on the Spectrum staff.”

This year, schools in 46 states and five countries nominated 375 student magazines. Magazines from middle school, high school, and higher education were welcomed for the 2023 contest. A total of 108 magazines were awarded the contest’s highest distinction, REALM First Class.

The REALM program publicly recognizes excellent literary magazines produced by students with the support of their teachers. REALM is designed to encourage all schools to develop literary magazines that celebrate the art and craft of writing. Schools in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, US territories, Canada, and American schools abroad are eligible to nominate magazines.

For more information about the REALM Program, please visit: https://ncte.org/awards/program-to-
recognize-in-student-literary-magazines/.

By LANGSTON ARTRIP

The Penn Debate Team won the Team Sweepstakes at the Ben Davis Debate Tournament. Penn Debate has won the last five consecutive meets they have competed in.

This team’s success is due to the immense amount of work that everyone puts into this team and how passionate they are about the Penn Debate Team. This is assisted by the middle school program that Coach Jeremy Starkweather and the debate team’s captains have put time and energy into to make sure that they are ready to compete at the high school level. The Penn Debate Team expects only excellence and success in its endeavors and they have achieved and overshot many of their expected goals.

These are the top individual awards.

• 1st Place Lincoln Douglas- Akul Bhambhani

• 2nd Place Lincoln Douglas- Sarah Rooney

• 2nd Place Policy- Kevin Wu & Rebeca Ramirez

• 3rd Place Policy- Leena Khan & Sarah Ahmed
• 3rd Place Public Forum- Alina Luck & Jaanavi Kaushik