Freshman AP History teacher William “Cub” Irons got quite the April Fool’s surprise this morning, except it was no joke!

With the help of Penn High School’s Administrative Team, P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker dropped by Mr. Irons’ class to let him know that his class had the highest AP History passing percentage at Penn, scoring a 3 or higher on AP History of the World exam.

In classrooms across the district, our experienced teachers are working hard to help their students learn, retain and grow their knowledge base.

The Spring 2025 P-H-M Teacher Impact Awards are given to educators who had the most significant individual student growth with DIBELS, IREAD, ILEARN, and AP testing. Dr. Thacker awarded four other teachers with Impact Awards on April 1st. Click here more details.

Thank you to the P-H-M Education Foundation for covering the cost for the beautiful crystal awards which teachers can proudly display in their classrooms.

Glenn Northern, who has guided Penn bands to a nationally regarded status, will hand over the conductor’s baton at the end of the 2024-2025 school year.

Northern’s retirement was announced by Penn High School Principal Dr. Sean Galiher.

Northern has carved out a remarkable legacy in his 36-year journey as an educator.

Serving the Penn-Harris-Madison community for 24 years, Northern has been the Director of Bands and Fine Arts Academy Leader for the past 14 years. Prior to that, he was the assistant band director at Penn for 10 years.

“My twenty-four years at Penn have been the highlight of my teaching career,” Northern said. “The students, colleagues and parents have been a joy to work with. I will miss everyone very much. I am so proud to have been a part of life at Penn High School for all of these years.”

Penn bands students have consistently earned Gold Ratings at ISSMA contests under Northern’s direction.

The Marching Kingsmen have an elite status among high school marching bands, competing in the Indiana State Marching Band Finals 20 times in the largest school Open Class A division. Penn’s Marching Band has performed in the Tournament of Roses Parade, the Orange Bowl Parade, the Fiesta Bowl Parade, the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the Hollywood Christmas Parade.

Northern graduated from Ashtabula (Ohio) High School and the University of Evansville. He was named the Phi Beta Mu Outstanding Bandmaster in 2015 and Northern was named the Indiana Music Educators Association “High School Music Educator of the Year” in 2018.

The Penn High School Symphonic Winds, directed by Northern, were the 2015 Indiana State Champion Concert Band and the 2024 Indiana State Concert Band Champion Runner-Up.

A new chapter in Penn High School’s rich sports history will begin in the Fall of 2025, as the Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees voted to approve the formation of a Girls Flag Football Program. 

The P-H-M School Board vote on Monday, March 24, gives a green light to join the Girls Flag Football initiative in Indiana. The Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) announced on Monday that 55 schools have committed to Girls Flag Football Teams for the 2025 season, an increase from 27 teams in 2024.

“We are thrilled to add girls flag football as a fall sport at Penn,” Athletic Director Jeff Hart said. “With the strong support of the IHSAA and the Indianapolis Colts, the interest around the state has been strong and we look forward to building a program that competes at a high level.  We will begin the process soon of hiring a head coach and meeting with interested students. We can’t wait to get started!”

The IHSAA is one of 19 state associations currently piloting the Girls Flag Football in conjunction with the NFL and the Indianapolis Colts. The NFL and the Colts are providing grants to Penn High School totaling $6,500 to support the 2025 and 2026 seasons. In addition, they will provide 25 black jerseys with “Vegas gold” lettering.

Plans are for Penn to play a seven-game regular-season schedule followed by the state tournament. The Northern Indiana Conference is projecting six teams for the 2025 season – Penn, Elkhart, South Bend Adams, South Bend Riley, South Bend St. Joseph and South Bend Washington.

Girls Flag Football will be played in a 7-vs.-7 format, with games lasting 60 minutes.

Plans are for Penn to field a Varsity team in 2025, with a Junior Varsity team to be added later. Tryouts/practice for the Penn Flag Football Team are scheduled to start on Monday, August 4.

Previously, Penn offered a Girls Flag Football tournament once a year around Homecoming, called “Powder Puff.” Four teams, made up of student-athletes from each class year, playing each other. The annual tournament has been very popular, and will remain part of Penn’s Homecoming week traditions.

Girls Flag Football at Penn will provide a new competitive outlet that fosters teamwork, leadership, and increased participation in education-based athletics. As the sport gains traction nationwide, this program will offer female students access to emerging scholarship opportunities and potential career pathways in sports. Additionally, it will strengthen the Penn Athletic community, build school spirit, and further enhance Penn’s reputation as a leader in Indiana high school sports.

Penn High School hosts an Indiana FIRST Robotics Competition on Saturday, March 1, and Sunday, March 2, 2025.

A Photo Gallery is posted below.

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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.

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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.