Penn Theatre is excited to present Agatha Christie’s “The Hollow”, Thursday-Friday-Saturday, Nov. 9-11, in the Studio Theater.

A Photo Gallery is posted below.

Thursday and Friday shows begin at 7 p.m., and Saturday’s show is at 3 p.m.. Tickets to the murder mystery play are only $5 for any students Grade 12-and-under (including from other schools) and adults are just $10. Tickets can be bought at the door or online at https://phmschools.hometownticketing.com/embed/all Please note that this production involves pre-recorded shot sound effects.

Cast includes: Adriana Aquila, Mina Blalack, Maggie Cohorst, Andrew Dell, Miles Kraus, Five Love, Ben McPherson, Nico Reyes, Mars Slavinskas, Kingston Smithson, Lauren Turnquist, Eva Wells

Student-Director: Evelyn Shrout

Lights: Drew Lynn

Sound: Mikey Hogg

Costumers: Toby Prince, Elizabeth Sweet

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The Showcase will be held from 6–8 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 4 (“Snow Day” will be Tuesday, Dec. 5, 6–8 p.m.)

This year the IDOE honored Penn High with the Excellence in College Readiness Award for being #1 in the state with the most students earning ICC (Indiana College Core) or AGS (Associate of General Studies) certificates earned! Click here to read more about Penn’s Points of Excellence.

Penn High School’s exceptional learning opportunities and programs will be on display for prospective and current students at the 2023 Penn High School Showcase.

Incoming Freshman 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 the 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 as Penn students.

Student Last Names A-L (it is suggested you enter through Doors B, C, or D)

• Begin in the CPA at 6 p.m. to hear a presentation from administrators and counselors.
• After the presentation, families can tour the building, visit open classrooms, talk to staff & students.

Student Last Names M-Z (it is suggested you enter through Doors A, M, or L)

• Begin by touring the building, visiting open classrooms, talking to staff & students.
• Report to the CPA at 7 p.m. to hear a presentation from administrators and counselors.

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!

 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 into 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 club and extracurricular activities available to Penn students.

Penn Administrators and Freshmen Counselors will give presentations about Penn, both what to expect, support structures, and information about four-year planning. Last names A-L will attend the presentation at 6 p.m., while last names M-Z will have this opportunity at 7 p.m. 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!”

Incoming Freshman click here for additional details.

Sophomore Scheduling information click here.

Penn High School Short Hair Because We Care Club held its sixth annual hair donation event on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023.

A Photo Gallery is posted below.

Penn-Harris-Madison students and community members donated hair that was cut by professional hair stylists. The hair is sent to Children With Hair Loss, a non-profit organization that makes free wigs for children who are experiencing hair loss due to medical reasons.

This year’s event surpassed last year’s in the amount of inches of donated hair. This year 33 people donated a total of 334 inches! Last year 35 participated and donated 200 inches.

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Penn-Harris-Madison schools celebrated the musical talents of its students with the Kaleidoscope I Concert on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023, at the Penn High School Main Arena.

Students representing the eighth-grade bands from Discovery Middle School, Grissom Middle School and Discovery Middle School were featured, along with Penn’s Symphonic Winds, Advanced Jazz Ensemble and the Marching Kingsmen.

The Kaleidoscope II Concert is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 17, in the Center for Performing Arts.

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The Short Hair Because We Care Club is hosting a Hair Donation event on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023.

**8 inches minimum, hair can be colored, bleached, or dyed

Who: Short Hair Because Care Club @ Penn High School, Instagram account @shbwc_phs

What: This year we are excited to announce the 6th annual Short Hair Because We Care hair donation event will be held on Saturday, November 4, 2023 at Penn High School from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Anyone in the community can come and donate their hair for FREE! Donators should enter Penn through Door F. 

Hair can be dyed and color-treated, as long as there is 8 inches to donate. All hair will be cut by professionals and sent by the club to Children With Hair Loss, a non-profit organization that makes free wigs for children who are experiencing hair loss. Again, anyone in the community can donate, so invite your friends and family!

Children With Hair Loss: Children With Hair Loss, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization established over 20 years ago, is a charity that provides human hair replacements at no cost to children and young adults facing medically-related hair loss. When a child’s hair is lost due to Cancer treatments, Alopecia, Trichotillomania, Burns, etc., the painful effects are far deeper than just cosmetic. Each year, the number of children requesting our hair replacements increases and with your support, we can continue to increase the number of children we are able to help in the future!

When: Saturday, November 4, 2023 @ 11:30a -2:30p

Where: North end of the cafeteria (enter through door F)

Hygiene Drive: On top of that, we are hosting a hygiene drive in the week leading up to and during the event to give community members another opportunity to donate to those in need. Hygenic items, including deodorant, razors, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and hand warmers, can be brought to the hair donation event to be donated as well! Or donated in the bin located outside of Mr. Berres’ room.

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Sponsor: Carolyn McGuire

The purpose of the Red Cross Club is to offer students a chance to explore the field of emergencies and expose them to the procedures and steps taken to keep the community around them safe in case of medical emergencies in their area.

The club will offer opportunities to participate in activities and volunteering opportunities in which they can work together to create a community of safety and security. 

Club dues are $15 a year.

As part of the P-H-M Education Foundation naming rights campaign, Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Thacker have generously donated $10,000 to the Education Foundation to have the basketball court in Penn High School’s Main Arena named after Hall of Fame and Penn’s legendary coach, Al Rhodes, renaming the court “Al Rhodes Kingsmen Court.”

The Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees voted to approve the sponsorship agreement at the Monday, October 9, 2023, Board meeting. The donation will be paid in one lump sum to the Foundation.

Coach Rhodes retired at the end of the 2022-2023 school year, with a 28-2 record. The Kingsmen reached the Final Four led by Rhodes protégé and standout Markus Burton who won the coveted Mr. Basketball Award. Burton is only the third player from St. Joseph County to be named Mr. Basketball. Now at Notre Dame, he was the MVP of the 2023 Indiana-Kentucky All-Star series.

Rhodes also played for the Kingsmen from 1966-1970. He went on to play for Tri-State University (now Trine University) before embarking on his coaching career.

Starting his head coaching career at Warsaw in 1980, Rhodes coached the Tigers through the 2002 season. His 1984 Warsaw team claimed the State Championship.

Rhodes and his Kingsmen teams cut down the nets six times as Sectional or Regional Champions. Penn reached the Final Four in Indiana’s revered Hoosier Hysteria state tournament for the third and fourth times in the school’s 65-year history. Rhodes posted an overall record of 693-320 in 42 seasons, including an overall state tournament record of 101-41. The Kingsmen won 18 Sectional Championships, nine Regional Championships, four Semi-state Championships and one State Championship. Coach Rhodes retired as the winningest coach in Kingsmen Boys Basketball history with a record of 239-128 in 15 seasons.

Dr. and Mrs. Thacker’s donation to name the court after the Hall of Famer was a natural decision, said Dr. Thacker. “It’s only fitting that the hardwood where Kingsmen student-athletes racked up so many wins under Coach Rhodes’ leadership would be named after him. This is an excellent way to commemorate and celebrate Penn Basketball’s winningest coach ever!”

The unveiling of the new court signage is scheduled to take place at the Penn-Clay game on December 1, 2023. The new court name will be displayed above the scoreboard.

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.

Dr. Thacker has been superintendent of Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation since 2006 and has supported the Education Foundation wholeheartedly. Over the course of 17 years, Dr. and Mrs. Thacker have donated $202,500 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. This is the second time they have made a donation to the naming rights campaign. In 2021, they donated $25,000 to have the Kingsmen Athletic Center renamed the Chris Geesman Kingsmen Athletic Center after Penn’s legendary football championship coach. Click here to see pictures and video of the dedication.

“The Foundation Board and I are so appreciative of Dr. and Mrs. Thacker’s generosity through the years,” said Jennifer Turnblom, Executive Director of the P-H-M Education Foundation. “Their unwavering support has been a tremendous help to us fulfilling our mission. The Thackers’ donations alone have made it possible for the Foundation to fund approximately 20% more classroom grants, activities and programs possible for the students of all P-H-M’s 15 schools. Their impact has been nothing less than incredible!”

The Arena is still available for naming rights.

Senior packets are available in the high school’s main office. The packet contains a catalog and ring sizer. You will receive a sample of your graduation announcement in the mail. The announcement is an important part of the graduation order to send to family and friends regarding your commencement details. Jostens will be sending additional information during the campaign week to assist you with your ordering process.

IMPORTANT – Campaign week starts Friday October 13th and ordering is open ONLINE by scanning the QR code at the bottom of this flyer and by PHONE at 574.216.6336. The group order DEADLINE is FRIDAY, OCT. 27. Any student who orders the below items by the group order deadline will receive those items during SENIOR CELEBRATION on WEDNESDAY, NOV. 1

.These items are: Pullover Fleece Hoodie, Class of 2024 T Shirts 2 pack, Stretch Jogger, Black Sweatpants, Gray Sweatpants, 2024 Beanie, 2024 Trucker Hat, 2024 Key Ring, Water Bottle, Swag Bag and/or Souvenir Tassel.

SENIOR PACKET INFO for details.

https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/catalogBrowse/1072642/PENN-HIGH-SCHOOL/Graduation/2086444544/CATALOG_REPOSITORY/

This afternoon P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker handed out the last two teacher Impact Awards as part of Round 1. This portion of the awards highlighted the teachers with the most significant overall student growth during the 2022-2023 school year.

Today’s awardees are both math teachers. Penn’s Brian Griman teaches College Algebra, Pre-Calculus & Trigonometry, and Calculus courses; and Tony Krupa teaches 8th grade Math at Schmucker Middle School. Dr. Thacker was able to surprise both Griman and Krupa with the help of some other members of P-H-M A Administration: Asst. Superindent of Instruction Dr. Heather Short, Director of Professional Development Dr. Lavon Dean-Null, and Director of Literacy & Title I Ryan Towner. P-H-M Education Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Turnblom was also on hand. The Foundation covered the cost for the awards given to each winner.

To surprise Mr. Griman, Dr. Thacker enlisted the help of Penn Principal Dr. Sean Galiher. At Schmucker, Principal Sarah Smith and Assistant Principals Cam Brundage and Matthew Garber helped surprise Mr. Krupa in the middle of class.

Serendipitously, both Griman and Krupa’s children were both in their father’s classroom today when they received the surprise awards, making the awards even more special.

Click here to see more pictures on Facebook.

Griman received his Impact award because he had the largest increase of student growth in passing, from PSAT to SAT. The growth in the number of students proficient from PSAT to SAT was 11%.

Krupa was recognized because his students had 85% growth in proficiency from Clear Sight 1 to ILEARN. Krupa also had two of the top three highest growth 8th grade math classes.

P-H-M appreciates all teachers across the district for their commitment to helping their students achieve academic success. 

Round 1 of the Impact Awards is now complete. Round 2 of the Impact Awards will be handed out mid winter.