The Penn High School Showcase has been rescheduled to Tuesday, Dec. 2 from 6-8 p.m.

Penn High School, one of Indiana’s premier high schools, will feature its outstanding learning opportunities and programs for prospective and current students at the 2025 Penn High School Showcase.Due to the e-Learning Day onMonday, Dec. 1, 2025, the event has been rescheduled to Tuesday, Dec. 2 from 6-8 p.m..

Incoming Freshmen click here for additional details.

Sophomore Scheduling information click here.

The Showcase allows incoming Freshmen (current Eighth Graders) and prospective move-ins, along with their families, to have the opportunity to tour Penn, meet with staff and students, and hear about all the college and career readiness opportunities Penn offers through its eight Academies.

All prospective Penn students and current Penn 9-11 graders and their families are welcome to join us to learn about classes and clubs they can look forward to as Penn students.

Penn High School is filled with so many opportunities that the choices can be overwhelming. This is a great time to speak to teachers and current students about course options. Some classes will be available to see live in action!

Starting next school year, there will be several new classes for Penn students to take as part of the new graduation pathways. All of these classes focus on real world career pathways students can explore before graduating. Some of these new pathways even provide opportunities for students to ear certificates in fields such as real estate, healthcare and finance. Click here to read more about these new course offerings.

Besides the Live Classrooms, students and parents are encouraged to visit the Academy booths, which will be set up around the building, to gain information about the Academy structure at Penn High School. Teachers representing both Academy and elective classes will be available to answer questions and provide information. We will also have representatives of the Early College Academy, Exceptional Education and the Elkhart Area Career Center. We will also have tables with club representatives set up in the Sunshine Hallway. Stop by to see the many clubs and extracurricular activities available to Penn students.

Counselors will also be on hand to answer questions and meet with students and families.

Your involvement in your child’s education is vital to making their high school experience a positive one. We value your participation in decisions related to planning your child’s class schedule. A collaborative effort between parents, students, teachers and counselors is essential and represents P-H-M’s “Triangle of Success!”

Penn Showcase has been rescheduled to Tuesday, Dec. 2 from 6-8 p.m.

Penn High School, one of Indiana’s premier high schools, will feature its outstanding learning opportunities and programs for prospective and current students at the 2025 Penn High School Showcase from 6-8 p.m., Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. The snow date is set for 6-8 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 2.

Click here for more detailed information about the Showcase and attending Penn High School.

The Showcase allows incoming Freshmen (current Eighth Graders) and prospective move-ins, along with their families, to have the opportunity to tour Penn, meet with staff and students, and hear about all the college and career readiness opportunities Penn offers through its eight Academies. There will also be opportunities to observe live classroom activities and get information on Penn’s student clubs.

All prospective Penn students and current Penn 9-11 graders and their families are welcome to join us to learn about classes and clubs they can look forward to as Penn students.

The Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees voted unanimously this morning to appoint Mrs. Jennifer (Jen) Smoker to fill the Penn Township Seat #1 vacancy created by the resignation of Matthew Chaffee in early October. 

A long-time resident and active community volunteer, Mrs. Smoker is a dedicated P-H-M parent of four children attending district schools. Her service and advocacy for students and staff have been felt across the district and throughout the greater community.

Mrs. Smoker currently serves on the P-H-M Education Foundation (PHMEF) Board of Directors, where she has chaired the Grants Committee since 2019. In that role, she helps oversee the process of awarding teacher and school grants that enhance learning, spark innovation, and promote excellence in all 15 P-H-M schools. She also supports PHMEF’s fundraising events and community partnerships that benefit students across the district.

Beyond her PHMEF service, Mrs. Smoker is deeply involved in several community organizations. She serves on the Board of Directors for Granger Community Church, where she helps guide strategic planning and budget oversight; chairs the Grissom Middle School PTO Scholarship Committee, which awards scholarships to Penn High School seniors; and previously served as Board Secretary for Jr. Irish Soccer Club and Development Chair for Girls on the Run Michiana. Through these roles, she has combined her love of youth development, leadership, and service—supporting programs that build character, confidence, and connection.

Professionally, Mrs. Smoker brings two decades of business leadership and creative experience. A graduate of Miami University’s Farmer School of Business, she began her career as an Account Executive for major advertising firms in Detroit and Chicago, managing national brands such as Lincoln/Mercury and Quaker Oats. In 2003, she founded and operated CardCare.com, an online greeting card company she successfully led for 20 years.

“Mrs. Smoker’s commitment to servant leadership and her deep connection to our schools make her an outstanding addition to the Board,” said Board President Christopher Riley. “She has demonstrated her heart for P-H-M through years of volunteerism and community involvement and will bring a strong parent perspective to the table.”

Superintendent Dr. Heather Short added, “Jen’s energy, insight, and collaborative leadership reflect the very best of P-H-M’s Triangle of Success—students, teachers, and parents working together. Her service to our schools and community exemplifies P-H-M Excellence.”

Arrangements will be made with the P-H-M Board Attorney for Mrs. Smoker to take her Oath of Office. She will serve through the remainder of the current term, which expires in 2026. She may choose to run for election to the ensuing four-year term in the November 2026 general election.

Mrs. Smoker was chosen from five applicants. The other four candidates were John “Todd” Douthit, Brandon M. Kastner, William “Matt” Ludwig, and Ryan C. Woodruff (click here for their resumes). Public interviews of these applicants took place during a special board meeting held Tuesday, October 28th. President Riley said the decision to fill the vacancy was a difficult one, as all five candidates would have been excellent choices.

Click here for the process the Board of School Trustees followed for filling the vacancies.

U.S. News and World Report released its “Best Schools” rankings for public K-8 and high schools.

They ranked the best public high schools by state. Out of Indiana’s 395 public high schools, Penn ranked #26.

Data is based on the 2021–2022, 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 school years.

They also examined Indiana’s 989 elementary schools and 483 middle schools.

All of P-H-M’s elementary schools are ranked among Indiana’s “Best Elementary Schools”:

• Northpoint #1
• Prairie Vista #2
• Horizon #37
• Mary Frank #39
• Bittersweet #94
• Elm Road #172
• Moran #175
• Elsie Rogers #297
• Madison #273
• Meadow’s Edge #370
• Walt Disney #385

Two of P-H-M’s middle schools were also recognized:

• Discovery #3
• Schmucker #53

The U.S. News & World Report analyzed 103,391 pre-K, elementary and middle schools nationwide for their rankings. The rankings use the same methodology for all included grade levels. For each state, schools were assessed on their shares of students who were proficient or above proficient in their mathematics and reading/language arts state assessments. Half of the formula assessed the scores themselves and the other half incorporated the test results in the context of socioeconomic demographics. In other words, the top-ranked schools are all high-achieving and have succeeded at educating all their students. Click here for more information on the methodology.

The highest ranked U.S. public schools in U.S. News & World Report’s 2025-2026 Best High Schools rankings are those whose students demonstrated outstanding outcomes above expectations in math, reading and science state assessments, earned qualifying scores on an array of college-level exams, and graduated in high proportions. They reviewed data on 17,901 public high schools. Click here for more background information on their ranking system.

Students in Zack Lopez and Michelle Miller’s Co-Taught 9th Grade Biology class recently explored real-world environmental science during a visit to the Richard Clay Bodine State Fish Hatchery in Mishawaka.

Operated by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Bodine Hatchery has been raising fish for over four decades. Completed in 1983, the facility produces Skamania steelhead trout, Little Manistee steelhead trout, and Coho salmon, and also handles the early rearing of rainbow trout. The hatchery’s work is part of a cooperative fish management program between the Indiana and Michigan DNRs to support healthy fish populations in the St. Joseph River. These efforts—along with the construction of fish ladders that allow species to travel freely up to the Twin Branch Dam—have helped create a world-class trout and salmon fishery right here in northern Indiana.

During the field trip, DNR staff gave Penn students an inside look at how fish are raised from eggs to adulthood, explaining the science behind hatchery operations and the role of habitat management in sustaining aquatic ecosystems. Students were especially interested in learning about coho salmon, one of the hatchery’s signature species, and even had the opportunity to feed rainbow trout during their visit.

“We got to see and talk about the different stages of life for the fish and the importance of DNR staff stocking our local water systems. It’s very relevant information for our students on ecosystems, positive human interactions with the environment, and a potential career field that students may not have thought about,” Lopez said.

The trip connected perfectly with the class’s studies on ecosystems, food chains, and conservation, offering students a firsthand look at how science and stewardship work together to preserve Indiana’s natural resources.

Click here to see the full photo gallery from the class field trip.

October is National Principals Month! To celebrate, we’re sharing short Q&As with each of our principals—giving you a glimpse into their leadership style, favorite parts of school life, and what drives their #PHMExcellence every day.

If you could swap places with a student for one day, what class or activity would you be most excited to participate in — and why?

Advanced Team Sports (ATS) I enjoy being active and in a competitive environment.

What’s your go-to morning routine (or must-have snack/coffee order) that helps you tackle the day?

I start with my day with an Americano that I learned to make recently.

What were you like as a middle or high school student — and what’s one piece of advice you’d give your younger self?

My middle school and high school years were fun but at that point in my life, I really did not anticipate or know what my future career would be. My advice to my younger self would be to trust the process and work hard and whatever you are currently doing as future opportunities will be a result of that hard work. Also, get involved in extracurricular activities as these activities can help drive motivation and help you as a future adult tackle challenging moments.

If your job as a principal had a theme song, what song would be your walk up song–the one playing when you walked into school each day?

Indiana Jones: Raiders March

What was your favorite school lunch or snack when you were a student? What is your favorite school lunch now as a principal?

Rectangular pizza as a high school student. As a principal, I enjoy a Mexican rice bowl from our cafeteria.

What’s one fun fact about you that most students or staff don’t know?

I have my own baseball card from my time playing baseball after college. I was in the state of Indiana 3 point shooting contest in Indiana in 1995 and made it to the finals in the RCA Dome.

Do you have any hidden talents or hobbies outside of school that might surprise people?

I enjoy all genre’s of music and believe I still have Vanilla Ice’s song Ice Ice Baby fully memorized…I think!

What’s one thing on your bucket list you still hope to do one day?

Travel to Europe

What’s your favorite school tradition or event?

Commencement

If you could describe your school in one word, what would it be?

United

P-H-M’s ENL Department is hosting their annual Community Connections Fair on Saturday, November 1st.

Join us for activities, arts & crafts, food, performances, and to learn about resources in our community. It is completely FREE and all P-H-M families are invited to attend. Click here to see photos on Facebook of past Fairs.

For any families that want to sign up to perform, please click here to fill out the Google form.

Penn High School Principal Dr. Sean Galiher announced that a school-record 15 Penn students have earned National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist status.

Sreeja Bhattacharjee, Mehreen Buchh, Balthasar Cammett, Madeline Dunn, Connor Geoghegan, Zachary Girton, Quinn Hayden, Wasif Javed, Sultaan Khan, Trenton Mager, Ishita Masetty, Leo Ni, Joshua Oh, Roman Ramos and Grant Spadafore  are the academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring.

“We are incredibly proud of our 15 National Merit Semifinalists whose academic excellence reflects years of dedication, curiosity, and a deep commitment to learning,” Dr. Galiher said. “This milestone celebrates not only the exceptional talent of our students but also the collective effort of our teachers, families, and the Penn community that continues to foster a culture of excellence and engagement where all students can thrive.” 

More than 1.3 million juniors in about 20,000 high schools entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. From over 16,000 Semifinalists, more than 15,000 are expected to advance to the Finalist level, and in February they will be notified of this designation.

Penn recently celebrated National Custodian Appreciation Day, grateful for all that our custodians do to support our students, staff and families.

Penn-Harris-Madison Supt. Dr. Heather Short said that Custodians do far more than keep our buildings clean and safe. They’re the first to arrive and often the last to leave, ensuring our schools are welcoming spaces where students can learn and staff can do their best work. Their care, dedication, and hard work often go unseen, but the impact is felt every day in every classroom and hallway.

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P-H-M is hosting a districtwide drug awareness parent and community meeting to help educate P-H-M families and the greater community about the current drug trends attracting teenagers. This valuable information is something all adults should be aware of. This event is open to all Parents/Guardians of all grade levels, K-12, and all families in the community are invited and encouraged to attend.

The session will be led by Tall Cop Says Stop™ contracted educator, Melissa Moore, CPS. Tall Cop Says Stop™ was created by Officer Jermaine Galloway, an Idaho law enforcement officer since 1997. Galloway is regarded as one of America’s top experts in various drug and alcohol trends and specializes in underage drinking and drug enforcement. For more than 15 years, he has trained school administrators and safety personnel in spotting the dangers that threaten teens and the community. Melissa Moore, a 24-year public health experienced professional, who works to advance the mission of Tall Cop Says Stop™ in helping educate parents/guardians and students about the latest deadly effects of so-called recreational drug use.

We hope that P-H-M families and adult members of the community are able to attend this very important education session.

Due to the nature of the discussion, children of any age are not permitted at the parent session the evening of Tuesday, October 21. Moore will present a student focused presentation to Penn students (grades 9-12) during the school day on October 21st and 22nd.

Livestream

Check back on this page for the livestreamed video. It will be embedded in this page: phmexcellence.com/DrugAwareness