Culver’s Sports Performance Center Dedicated at Penn
Penn High School welcomed a new member of the Kingsmen Athletics team when Culver’s Sports Performance Center was dedicated on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024. Keith Remington and Mark Nowak co-owners of Culver’s Restaurant (on McKinley Avenue near Penn High School) donated $125,000 to P-H-M Education Foundation’s Naming Rights campaign.
The partnership between Culver’s, P-H-M, P-H-M Education Foundation, and Penn High School signals a new chapter in Kingsmen Athletics Excellence.
P-H-M Board of School Trustees VP Ryan McCullough, P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker, PHMEF Exec. Dir. Jennifer Turnblom, P-H-M Chief Operating Officer Dr. Aaron Leniski, Penn High School Principal Dr. Sean Galiher, Assistant Athletic Director Bridget Williams, and Strength & Conditioning Coach Matt Cates welcomed Remington (1997 Penn grad) and Nowak and their families today.
The T-shirts that the student-athletes were wearing at today’s event are an additional annual gift from Culver’s valued at $7,000.
The mission of the Education Foundation is to develop alternative sources of income to support education initiatives in the School Corporation by strengthening partnerships between the community and the District. PHMEF supports education through awarding innovative teaching grants, staff development and other corporation-wide initiatives.
“Community support is vital for our ability to support excellence in education in P-H-M schools,” PHMEF Director Jennifer Turnblom said. “Culver’s generous donation shows their dedication to our schools and positive impact on our community and we are honored to partner with them through the naming rights program. Their commitment allows us to continue to increase grant funding and support district wide programs in all 15 P-H-M schools.”
The P-H-M Board of School Trustees approved the Naming Rights partnership between the P-H-M Education Foundation and Culver’s at the Feb. 12 Board Meeting.
According to the agreement, Culver’s co-owners Keith Remington and Mark Nowak and agree to pay PHMEF $125,000 over 12 years to name the weight and performance center at Penn High School the Culver’s Sports Performance Center.
Penn Athletic Director Jeff Hart said that Culver’s sponsorship will provide a positive impact in the performance and lives of more than a thousand Penn students each school year.
“We sincerely appreciate the commitment that Culver’s is making to our school community,” Hart said. “By sponsoring our weight rooms, Culver’s is helping to put a spotlight on the Strength and Conditioning program at Penn and the importance that a successful program can have on our 1,100 student-athletes.
“The leadership at Culver’s understands the benefits this program provides through the prevention of injuries, self confidence, improved athletic performance, and long-term health,” Hart continued. “We look forward to an exciting partnership.”
The Culver’s Sports Performance Center is nationally renowned. The National High School Strength Coaches Association (NHSSCA) named Penn’s Strength and Conditioning program a NHSSCA Program of Excellence School. This honor recognizes that Penn High School’s Strength & Conditioning program operates at a highest level of professionalism.
In awarding Penn and Coach Cates with this honor NHSSCA noted …
“This honor recognizes that this High School Strength & Conditioning program operates at a highest level of professionalism. To earn this honor Coach Cates & Penn High School has displayed excellence in safety, quality, efficacy, outreach & highlighting. While also displaying excellent continuing education & technology usage in their Strength & Conditioning program.”
2024 Community Tailgate & Yeoman Family Plaza Dedication
P-H-M’s annual Community Tailgate is a tradition and a great way to kick off the start of the Kingsmen football season. This year’s home opener will be against Valpo on Friday, August 23rd.
Gates open at 5:30 p.m. You must have a ticket to the football game to enter. Once inside the stadium head down to the white tents in the south end zone at the Zolman’s Tire Concessions Stand.
At 6:15 p.m. a special dedication for recently retired Penn Head Football Coach Cory Yeoman. Penn-Harris-Madison Superintendent Dr. and Mrs. Thacker donated $10,000 to the P-H-M Education Foundation Naming Rights Campaign to name the plaza located at Penn High School’s Everwise Freed Field the Yeoman Family Plaza, after former Penn High School Head Football Coach Cory Yeoman and his family.
The Yeoman Family bleeds black and gold. Coach Cory’s father Wally Yeoman was an assistant coach with legendary Chris Geesman. Coach Cory played for Penn, earning all-state honors at defensive tackle. In 1979, he 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. Cory graduated from Penn in 1980.
Cory Yeoman played for Miami (Ohio) University. He was a roommate and teammate of the Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl winning head coach, John Harbaugh. He joined the Kingsmen coaching staff after graduation from Miami, and has been on the Kingsmen sidelines for 40 seasons.
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.
Yeoman retired at the end of the 2023-2024 school year after 40 years with P-H-M.
Male members of Yeoman family and those who married into the family have either played for or coached for the Long Black Line at some point.
The dedication of the plaza in the name of the Yeoman Family is a great way to honor such strong supporters of the Kingsmen Family and all they’ve contributed to the Penn Football program!
Dr. Thacker has been superintendent of Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation since 2006 and has supported the Education Foundation wholeheartedly. Over the course of 18 years, Dr. and Mrs. Thacker have donated $232,500 to the P-H-M Education Foundation. Most of this money has either been unrestricted donations or used as matching funds for fundraising initiatives.
Dr. and Mrs. Thacker have made five donations since 2021 totaling $65,000 as part of the Naming Rights Campaign, recognizing the contributions P-H-M employees have made to the community:
- Chris Geesman Kingsmen Athletic Center (formerly the Kingsmen Athletic Center), $25,000 donated in December 2021 ($5,000 per year over five years, for an overall period of 12 years)
- Al Rhodes Kingsmen Court, $10,000 donated in October 2023 (one lump sum)
- Arthur M. Klinger Planetarium (formerly the P-H-M DVT & Planetarium), $10,000 donated in January 2024
- Yeoman Family Plaza, $10,000 donated in March 2024
- Greg Dikos Field, $10,000 donated in August 2024
Penn grad Annie Drews earns Olympic Silver Medal
Former Penn Volleyball Star Annie Drews and Team USA Volleyball won the Silver Medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Drews helped lead Team USA to its first Volleyball Gold Medal in 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics. She played on Penn’s State Championship Volleyball Teams in 2010 and 2011.
Drews visited Penn on Aug. 27, 2021, after winning the Gold Medal. Click here for a write-up and Photo Gallery of her 2021 visit.
Team USA lost to Italy in the 2024 Olympics Gold Match match, 3-0, on Sunday, Aug. 11, in Paris.
Drews has been a member of Team USA Volleyball since 2017.
Click here for Drew’s Team USA Bio.
Penn grad Sarah Hildebrandt wins Olympic Wrestling Gold Medal
Former Penn High School Wrestling star Sarah Hildebrandt earned a Gold Medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics in Women’s Wrestling (50kg).
Hildebrandt was one of two American women to win a Gold Medal in Wrestling at the 2024 Olympics. She is also just the fourth woman to win Gold in Team USA Wrestling history.
Hildebrandt earned a Bronze Medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She is also a two-time national collegiate champion.
Seeded sixth entering the Olympics, Hildebrandt battled her way to the Gold Medal with a stunning tour de force.
Hildebrandt beat Ibtissem Doudou of Algeria, 10-0, beat Ziqi Feng of China 7-4, beat Otgonjargal Dolgorjav of Mongolia, 5-0, and beat Yusneylis Guzman Lopez of Cuba, 3-0 in the Gold Medal bout.
A 2011 graduate of Penn High School, Hildebrandt became the first female to qualify for the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) Wrestling Semi-State competition and led Penn High School to the IHSAA Team Championship. Her personal coach is Penn Boys Wrestling Head Coach Brad Harper.
Sarah was the featured speaker at the 2019 Superintendent’s Community Breakfast. Click here to see the photo gallery.
Dr. and Mrs. Thacker Donate $10,000 for Greg Dikos Field
On July 22nd, the Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees approved the $10,000 gift from School Superintendent Dr. and Mrs. Thacker to the P-H-M Education Foundation Naming Rights Campaign to name the field at Penn High School’s Jordan Automotive Baseball Stadium as the Greg Dikos Field.
This makes the fifth donation Dr. and Mrs. Thacker have made as part of the Naming Rights Campaign, recognizing the contributions P-H-M employees have made to the community:
- Chris Geesman Kingsmen Athletic Center (formerly the Kingsmen Athletic Center), $25,000 donated in December 2021 ($5,000 per year over five years, for an overall period of 12 years)
- Al Rhodes Kingsmen Court, $10,000 donated in October 2023 (one lump sum)
- Arthur M. Klinger Planetarium (formerly the P-H-M DVT & Planetarium), $10,000 donated in January 2024
- Yeoman Family Plaza, $10,000 donated in March 2024
- Greg Dikos Field, $10,000 donated in August 2024
Dr. Thacker has been superintendent of Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation since 2006 and has supported the Education Foundation wholeheartedly. Over the course of 18 years, Dr. and Mrs. Thacker have donated $232,500 to the P-H-M Education Foundation, including this most recent donation of the naming rights. Most of this money has either been unrestricted donations or used as matching funds for fundraising initiatives.
Coach Dikos owns an 839-298 record in 37 seasons.
Penn has won six State Championships during Dikos’ tenure as head coach: 1994, 1998, 2001, 2015, 2022 and 2023. Coach Dikos has also led Penn to seven Semi-State Championships, 13 Regional Championships, 21 Sectional Championships and 22 Northern Indiana Conference Championships.
A graduate of Swartz Creek High School (Mich.) and Ball State University, Coach Dikos was selected by the Atlanta Braves as a third baseman in the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft in the 31st round. Coach Dikos was inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011.
Per PHMEF’s Naming Rights fundraising initiative, 80 percent of the donation will go into the Foundation’s endowment, which will in turn provide alternative and additional funding for various co-curricular and extracurricular programs. The remaining 20 percent directly funds professional development initiatives for P-H-M teachers. Continuing the education and training of teachers is a major priority for P-H-M School District.
The mission of the Education Foundation is to develop alternative sources of income to support education initiatives in the School Corporation by strengthening partnerships between the community and the District. PHMEF supports education through awarding innovative teaching grants, scholarships to students, staff development and other corporation-wide initiatives.
Markus Burton Hosts Summer Skills Camp
Penn alum Markus Burton, 2023 Indiana Mr. Basketball and a standout guard at Notre Dame, returned home to inspire the next wave of basketball talent.
At his recent camp, Burton shifted from player to mentor, guiding young athletes not only in basketball techniques, but also in the values that shaped his own career—teamwork, discipline, and perseverance.
A legend in Saint Joseph County, Burton set records by averaging 30.3 points per game during his high school years. Now, he’s channeling that experience into helping others.
The camp was a tremendous success and Markus is eager to host more in the future, continuing his mission to foster the next generation of basketball stars.
Class of 2024 Grads Impress in Miss Indiana’s Teen Competition
Class of 2024 Penn High School graduates Bella Bauer & Gabby Mammolenti both took the top spots as Miss Teen Indiana and 1st Runner Up in last night’s Miss Indiana Organization pageant competition, winning in college scholarships.
Bella Bauer is the winner of the 2024 Miss Indiana Teen pageant and is a person with epilepsy. She uses her platform to advocate for seizure training in schools. In 2023, Bella gave a presentation to Board of School Trustees on Epilepsy for Epilepsy Awareness Month. Bella suffers from Epilepsy having her first episode in 5th grade. She now hopes to educate as many students, teachers, and members of the public on Epilepsy and what to do when someone has a seizure. She’s written a book “The ABC’s on Epilepsy.” Bella was also an award winning member of Penn’s Dance team.
Bella has been featured in the South Bend Tribune.
Congratulations to Gabby Mammolenti on earning the the distinction of 1st runner up!
Penn Students Recognized at Elkhart Area Career Center Recognition Night
Before Penn’s Commencement on June 3, 13 seniors were recognized as a part of Elkhart Area Career Center’s Student Recognition Night, held May 14.
These are the awards and scholarships the students won:
- Grayce Spadafore: Teachers Choice Award – Cosmetology
- Madison Trosper: Teachers Choice Award – Culinary Arts, Culinary/Baking Scholarship
- Emma Heintzelman: Teachers Choice Award – Exercise Science
- Arianna Holiday – Turner Scholarship Winner – Criminal Justice
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Dylan Brown: Teachers Choice Award – Automotive Service Technology |
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Christian Nelson: Teachers Choice Award – CNC Machining |
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Joshua Morrow: Teachers Choice Award – Diesel Services Technology |
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Joshua Morrow (2nd from right): Gateway Mile Autofest Toolbox and Tool Scholarship Award – Diesel Service Technology Alex Valentiny (far right): Gateway Mile Autofest Toolbox and Tool Scholarship Award – Motorsports |
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Gracie Goss (far right): SkillsUSA State Gold Winner – Commercial Photography |
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Reid Ohlson (far right): Future Farmers of America (FFA) State Finalist – Small Engines |
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Isabel Botham (far right): Turner Scholarship Winner – Computer Networking |
Penn Science Students Get “Schoolship” Experience
After months of planning, on Sunday, May 19 and Monday, May 20, Penn High School teachers Mr. Steven Sanders (Earth and Space Science, Environmental Science) and Mrs. Amy Tiebout (Project Lead the Way Biomed and AP Biology) drove 27 students to Suttons Bay, Michigan for a once in a lifetime science experience. Click to see the photo gallery below.
Through partnership with the Inland Seas Education Association, students were able to participate in a four-hour long science sailboat voyage on Suttons Bay using professional limnology equipment along with analyzing data previously collected. While on the sailboat, groups of students worked with professionals to focus on specific research topics while gaining skills in science sampling procedures. After all of the sampling and data collection, students shared their newly acquired knowledge with other groups to help reinforce their new knowledge to make this a very educational experience.
In addition to the “Schoolship” experience, students were able to visit Harbor Bay Beach at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Sunday evening to enjoy sunset in nature and explore the town of Suttons Bay on Monday morning. The work of Mr. Sanders and Mrs.Tiebout made this trip much more accessible and affordable for students and their families. Mr. Sanders spent a week of his summer during 2023 getting professional development from Inland Seas that reduced the cost to families of the program by $825 and the cost of accommodations by $840. He also wrote a PTO grant to help cover miscellaneous expenses on the trip by $500. Therefore, families were only responsible for $10 of this trip because of all Mr. Sanders did in preparation.
Students left this experience with a greater appreciation for science as a force for good in the world by directly connecting the science
concepts from the classroom and research on the boat with the importance of stewardship for our shared environmental resources. All of this helps students better understand what it means to “Take Care of this Place.”
Class of 2024 Commencement Video & Photo Gallery
On Monday, June 3, 2024, Penn High School held our 65th Commencement. The ceremony was held at the University of Notre Dame. The Class of 2024 is made up of approximately 854 students. It was a wonderful time to celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of ALL of our graduates! Click here to see the photo gallery below with photos that can be downloaded for FREE!
The full ceremony was livestreamed and has been archived on the Penn Harris Madison YouTube channel. You can watch it below. This is the direct link: https://youtube.com/live/5gWg5mbUuqc
Click here to download a copy of the Commencement Program.
Click to see video and pictures of some of the Senior Parades that took place Thursday, May 30th and Friday, May 31st.
Highlights from the Class 0f 2024 include:
- nearly $16 million in scholarships
- 442 earned Academic Honors diplomas
- 325 earned High Honors diplomas
- 72 earned Technical Honors diplomas
- 119 Early College Academy students
- 113 earned a credential through Ivy Tech Community College
- 98 earned an Associate’s Degree from Ivy Tech
- 21 Valedictorians
- 4 Salutatorians
Click here for more information about the Class of 2024.
The official photos of every graduate were taken by InterState Photography and are available for purchase. Please refer to the Senior Parent Communications for the link and password.
The photos in this photo gallery are unofficial candid photos were taken by Penn-Harris-Madison School Communications Department staff. We have uploaded these candid photos to the photo gallery below. To download these high-resolution jpg files for FREE from the photo gallery below, just simply right click and select “Save image as” and save it to your desktop or device.
