Penn High School’s Model United Nations team, sponsored by Eric Bowers, was named the Outstanding Small Delegation at the Indiana University Model U.N. competition.

Aydn Kurama was named Outstanding delegate, Marie Stambaugh earned honorable mention, and Rebecca Wagnam earned Verbal Commendation.

Sponsor: Eric Shipp

The purpose of Penn Pre-Vet Club is help guide students towards their dream career by discussing what it takes to become a veterinarian and different aspects of the career field.

There are no dues for the club.

Meetings will be held once a month on a Friday (3:30-4 p.m.)

📍 Penn High School | 🗓 March 7–8, 2026
🎟 Admission: Free

Penn High School will host a FIRST Indiana Robotics District Competition on Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, March 8, 2026. The competition will take place in the Main Arena and feature more than 40 teams from across Indiana.

Click here to see a photo gallery of last year’s competition.

📅 Event Schedule

Saturday, March 7

• 10:30 a.m. – Opening Ceremonies

• All Day – Qualification Matches

• @7:00 p.m. – Competition concludes

Sunday, March 8

• 9:30 a.m. – Opening Ceremonies

• 2:00–5:00 p.m. – Playoff Matches & Awards

🤖 About the Competition

• Theme: FIRST AGE (Archaeology)

• Game: REBUILT

• This event serves as a qualifier for the FIRST Indiana Robotics Championship
  (April 17–19 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds)

• Top teams may advance to the FIRST Robotics World Championships

👉 Click here for more information on the REBUILT game

🚗 Parking & Entry

• Parking: Penn High School parking lots: Main, Softball, Soccer; and across the street at Schmucker Middle School

• Spectator Entrance: Door D (northwest corner of the school)

🍔 Food & Amenities

• Food trucks available both days

• Spectator-friendly event for all ages

Come cheer on Indiana’s best student engineers and experience innovation, teamwork, and problem-solving in action!

Sponsor: Brian May

The Beyblade Club is for students to have fun and make friends while playing with spinning tops, and teach them sportsmanship with their fellow classmates

The purpose of the Club is to learn about how tops work, involving rotational inertia and other physics. The club will be able to teach students about how two moving objects will affect each other.

There are no club dues.

Meetings: Every Thursday after school in Room 136.

Penn High School’s swimming pool is a three-part pool, with a wading area (6-inches by 2-feet), an eight-lane swimming pool (25 meters, 440,000 gallons of water), and a diving well (14 feet deep) that has two diving boards. The pool has a Colorado Timing Touchpad System, an LED scoreboard, and updated lighting to reduce glare on the water

The pool has an adjustable bulkhead to change the length of pool for both practice and competition. The pool complex has male and female locker rooms and showers.

There is seating for 500 spectators. Concession stands and restroom facilities are adjacent to the pool complex.

Penn’s pool has hosted IHSAA sectionals.

The pool is also used for Penn High School Wellness classes. It is also open to the public for community use and education.  In addition it hosts swim lessons for children each summer. 

Click here for parking information.

Opened for student use January 2026, the 80,000 sq. ft. Dr. Jerry and Donna Thacker Fieldhouse will increase the amount of active learning space available before, during, and after the school day for academic programming and most importantly increase the total amount of space for all students to participate in extracurricular, co-curricular, and intramural offerings.

The facility is named in honor of longtime, retired P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker and his wife Donna who served on the PHM Education Foundation Board for a 19 years.

It’s a multi-use facility offering added space for Penn High School students to not only hone their athletic skills, but it will also provides a safe, climate controlled space for Marching Band and Color Guard to practice. Middle school students form P-H-M’s three feeder schools participating in Future Kingsmen speed and agility training will also use the facility. 

For more on all the opportunities this new Fieldhouse provides not only Penn students, but all P-H-M students, click here.

Click to see the images of the facility.

FIELDHOUSE FEATURES

Track

• 6-Lane Indoor 200 Meter Track
• Pole Vault Area
• Two Long Jumps Runways and Pits
• High Jump Area
• Two Shot Put Throwing Areas with Net Protection

Basketball/Volleyball

• Two Wood Floor Courts
• Two Courts on Resilient Playing Surface
• Main Competition Court
• Accommodate Four Games Simultaneously

Baseball/Softball

• Four Batting Cages
• Fielding and Throwing Areas

Student groups

• Physical Education Classes
• Athletics Teams
• Marching Band and Color Guard
• Cheer and Dance
• Student Intramurals
• District/School Events and Activities
• Robotics
• Youth Camps
• Middle School Future Kingsmen Training and Lessons

First floor

• Fieldhouse/Indoor Track: 54,239 SF
• Secured Entry
• Lobby
• Concessions
• Two Locker Rooms
• Two Dressing Rooms
• Training Room
• Storage

Second floor

• Student Commons
• Observation Overlook of Fieldhouse
• Two Classrooms/Conference Rooms
• Two Locker Rooms
• Two Dressing Rooms

Divider curtains

• Allow Simultaneous Events
• Provide Separation Between Wood and Resilient Courts

Support features

• Event Parking (200 spaces)
• Bus Parking
• Covered Entry

[Show slideshow]

Penn Theatre will be presenting “Shuddersome: Tales of Poe”, the week before taking it to State competition.

A Photo Gallery of the play is posted below.

It is a re-telling of four of Edgar Allan Poe’s thrilling and spooky stories.

Performances at Penn will be on Thursday, Jan. 15, and Friday, January 16, at 7 p.m. in the EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems) – Tania Bengtsson Center for Performing Arts.

The show is approximately 45 minutes long. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults; they can be purchased at the door the night of or online ahead of time (https://events.hometownticketing.com/boxoffice/phmschools/L2VtYmVkL2FsbA%3D%3D).

[Show slideshow]

1 2 ►

Penn German Students Experience Holiday Traditions at Chicago’s Christkindlmarket

Penn High School German students took their learning beyond the classroom this month with a field trip to Chicago’s Christkindlmarket, a traditional German-style holiday market that brings European culture to life in the heart of the city.

Surrounded by twinkling lights, handcrafted ornaments, and the scent of roasted nuts and pretzels, students experienced authentic German holiday traditions firsthand. They practiced conversational German with vendors, sampled traditional foods, and explored the cultural roots behind one of Germany’s most beloved seasonal celebrations.

This immersive experience not only strengthened students’ understanding of the German language, but also deepened their appreciation for the country’s rich history and festive customs.

Thank you to Penn’s German teachers for providing students with such a memorable cultural learning opportunity, a perfect blend of education and Holiday Cheer! 

The annual Penn High School Student Choreography Showcase will be presented at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, at the EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems) – Tania Bengtsson Center for Performing Arts.

A Photo Gallery is posted below.

Click here for tickets.

At the Monday, December 8th Penn-Harris-Madison School Board Meeting, Mrs. Rachel Fry was approved to serve as Penn High School’s next principal. Dr. Sean Galiher was approved to move into the district’s Chief Operations Officer role.

Mrs. Fry has served as Penn’s Associate Principal since 2016. She brings a strong academic background to the role, including her experience in mathematics instruction and curriculum development. She has supported instructional leadership, strengthened academic programming, and built strong relationships with students, staff, and families. Her deep understanding of Penn, combined with her commitment to excellence, will support continued growth, stability, and achievement at the high school.

When Superintendent Dr. Heather Short recommended Mrs. Fry for the position, Mrs. Fry shared the message below with Penn families and staff.

I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve Penn High School as principal. Penn has been my professional family for many years, and I hold tremendous pride in the achievements, traditions, and spirit that define our school. My journey here has prepared me well for this role. I began my career teaching special education before dedicating a decade to high school mathematics. I’ve been fortunate to learn from incredible mentors throughout my career, who have shaped my growth as an instructional leader through experiences as an Instructional Coach, Academy Leader, and Associate Principal. 

Penn has flourished under Dr. Galiher’s leadership, and I am fortunate to have learned from him these last nine years. I look forward to deepening the relationships we’ve built, supporting the incredible work happening in our classrooms, and partnering with the Penn community to advance the vision of excellence. I admire the remarkable dedication of Penn’s students, staff, and families, and I am truly humbled by the trust placed in me to lead our continued success. 

On a personal note, my husband, Lucas, is a Class of 1999 graduate of Penn, and we are very proud to be raising two future Kingsmen:  Cooper, a sixth grader at Discovery Middle School, and Laney, a first grader at Horizon Elementary School.

I am eager and excited to begin this new chapter with all of you.

Warm Regards,
Rachel Fry