Class of 2023 Senior Recognition Night

Approximately 876 Penn students will be eligible to graduate at Notre Dame’s Purcell Pavilion on Monday, June 5, 7:00 p.m. A live stream of Commencement will again be provided to friends and family not in attendance on Penn’s website, https://penn.phmschools.org/2023PennGraduation.  

On Tuesday, May 9, Principal Sean Galiher, Director of Counseling John Westra, Counseling Department, Penn Faculty, PHM Administrators and members of the Board of School Trustees gathered with graduating seniors and their families to celebrate the accomplishments of the the Class of 2023. The event recognizes the academic success that members of the Senior Class have achieved recognizing them for awards, honors and scholarships that they’ve earned for graduation.

Awards conferred at last night’s Senior Recognition included academic excellence, leadership, service to school and community, citizenship, attendance, athletic accomplishments and a whole host of other accomplishments. The majority of these awards are recognized in this web story. Click here to see the full listing of the Academy Medal Awards.

Click here to see the full photo gallery at the bottom of this story.

Many students were recognized for winning private scholarships during the program. So far the Class of 2023 graduates have earned approximately more than $15 million in scholarships! This number will continue to grow as notifications for private scholarships continue to come in over the summer months. We encourage students to notify the Penn Counseling Office of all your scholarships, even after you’ve gradated; it helps us measure the success of our graduates. Click here to see examples below of just some of the private scholarships recognized during the program.

The 2023 graduating class is the third class to receive recognition through the Latin Honors System:

• 23 students are graduating Summa Cum Laude with the highest praise by earning an Academic Honors diploma with a GPA greater than 4.25.
• 99 students are graduating Magna Cum Laude with high praise by earning an Academic Honors diploma with a GPA greater than 4.0. 
• 110 students are graduating Cum Laude with praise with a GPA greater than 3.75.

More than half of the Class of 2023 are graduating with an Academic Honors diploma! That’s 446 students! To be eligible for an Academic Honors Diploma, students must accumulate a minimum of 47 credits in a prescribed curriculum and have a grade point average of 3.0.

Nearly a third, 253 seniors, are graduating with High Honors! These students have maintained a 3.5 grade point average or above for the first seven semesters of high school study.

The Core 40 with Technical Honors diploma is awarded to students who complete professional internships and or college courses in a technical area; this year 41 graduates will graduate with a Technical Honors diploma. 

The Class of 2023 is the 6th cohort of the Early College Academy. A total of 119 students are graduating from Early College. Click to read more about this year’s ECA senior class.

The Penn High School Principal’s Academic Excellence Award was presented to eight seniors based upon academic excellence and overall achievement: Abigail Crawford, Tory Temeles, Alison Roeda, Nathan Brazeau, Caroline Quinquio, Benjamin Burns, Jordan Koszyk and Lauren Miller.

The Principal’s Leadership Award is presented annually to students who contribute their talent, time, energy, and motivation to the leadership of Penn’s student body. Nathan Pratt and Emily Nochowitz were honored for helping to make a difference in the culture of Penn on behalf of their classmates. Principal Galiher noted that the work and dedication of Natasha and Sophia went above and beyond that of any normal Penn student leader.

The Principal’s Citizenship and Service Award was presented to eight Penn High School students who have selflessly donated many hours to make sure that Penn High School is well represented in whatever service project they are involved in. The winners of the 2023 Principal’s Citizenship and Service Award were: Valentina Gianesi, Paulo Diaz-Enciso, Sandra (Kathure) Kiunga, Isaak Prince, Jessica Ivie, Andrew Wolter, Eshaal Kizilbash, and Sobia Ahmed.

The Class of 2023 boasts 17 valedictorians. This year’s valedictorians’ GPA ranges between 4.30 – 4.47 on a scale of 4.0! Click here to learn more about them and where they plan attending college.

This year’s valedictorians include: Sakina Al-Fadhl, Ryan Cheng, Tanya Datta, Eshaal Kizilbash, Gwyneth Lannon, David Luan, Reagan Ludwig, Zenia Qasim, Abigail Schroeder, Derick Shi (She), Sydney Szklarek, Grace Wang, Zichu Wang, Carl Xu, Allison Yu, Janet Yu and Madelyn Zavada.

This year, Penn has four salutatorians: Jillian Adams, Anna Buckler, Arda Kurama and Amelia Martin. 

The US Presidential Scholars program was established in 1964 to recognize and honor some of our nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors.  Each year, from nearly 3.6 million graduating high school seniors, over 5,200 students are identified as candidates in this program.  620 semi-finalists are identified nationwide and advance to the final round.  Of the semi-finalists, up to 161 students are named as Presidential Scholars, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students.  Scholars have all demonstrated leadership, scholarship, and contribution to school and community. Currently, Penn has 8 students who are considered candidates for this program: Jillian Adams, Allison Yu, Tanya Datta, Ryan Cheng, William Chenoweth, Sydney Szklarek, Janet Yu and Madelyn Zavada.​

This year 14 Penn High School students designated as National Merit Semi-finalists based upon their high PSAT scores have ALSO been named National Merit Finalists. These students advanced to Finalist standing in the Merit Scholarship competition of 2023 by demonstrating, through distinguished performance, high potential for future academic accomplishment. They are in the top 1% of all students in the country and eligible for one of the 8,000 scholarships to be awarded this spring. Penn’s 2023 National Merit Finalists are: Sakina  Al-Fadhl, Ryan  Cheng, Tanya Datta, Noah  Durand, Hadley Jessop, Eshaal Kizilbash, Gwyneth  Lannon, Reagan  Ludwig, Derick Shi, Grace  Wang, Zichu Wang, Allison Yu, Janet Yu and Madelyn Zavada.

The following National Merit Finalists also received a scholarship from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation: Tanya Datta, Noah Durand, Allison Yu, Janet Yu and Zichu Wang.

Nine students received recognition from the College Board and were awarded National Merit Commended Scholar status: William Chenoweth, Luke Johnson, Amelia Martin, Benjamin Marvin, Jacob Moehn, Samuel Palmer, Rudra Patel, Sydney Szklarek and Elaina Wright.

Valedictorian Allison Yu have also been selected as a 2023 Regional Academic All-Star. Each Indiana high school can nominate one senior for this prestigious award. Allison was selected and honored as one of 50 regional winners chosen by a selection committee from across the state. Awards are presented to the students and an influential educator of their choice. Allison chose her Calculus teacher Denise White to be recognized with her.

Sydney Szklarek was awarded the Community Foundation of Saint Joseph County Eli Lilly Endowment Scholarship based on their high academic merits and test scores. The prestigious Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship provides full tuition, required fees, required books, and equipment for four years of undergraduate study leading to a baccalaureate degree at any accredited Indiana public or private college or university. Since this award began in 1998, Penn has had 34 total Lilly Scholars which accounts for more than any other high school in the county, accounting for 25% of the total number of Scholars since the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County began administering this scholarship! Sydney plans to attend Notre Dame. Zichu Wang and Allison Yu were also awarded this scholarship, but have plans to attend college outside the state of Indiana. Zichu plans to attend Carnegie Mellon University, and Allison plans to attend Yale University.

Four Penn students have been selected to receive full scholarships to Purdue University! Jasmine Zidan, Steven Sutton, Biddyclair Moore and Tasneem Ahmed were selected to be a part of the Posse Scholars program earning them full tuition and leadership scholarships from Posse partner colleges and universities. Click here to learn more about the Posse Scholarship Program. Jake, Johnnay, and Nikita are Penn’s second graduation cohort of this prestigious award; they were selected from 1,300 nominations to become a recipient of the Posse Scholarship. As a part of Purdue University Posse, they become a member of a larger network of over 10,000 Posse Scholars and Alumni nationwide. 

Every year since 1967, Penn’s faculty vote to recognize an outstanding member of the graduating class based on service, character and leadership; the student must also, at the end of seventh semester, be in the top 10% of their graduating class. The senior selected is awarded the Paul H. Schmucker Award in memory of the distinguished member of Penn High School faculty from 1960-1967. This year’s recipient is Jackson Arter.

Each year, the graduating class also nominates a classmate who best exemplifies the qualities of service to his/her school community, school spirit, respect for classmates and Penn High School for the Kingsman of the Year Award. A tradition since 1970, the recipient is recognized for his/her leadership and willingness to accept challenge and is a great honor and show of respect from the recipients fellow classmates. The Class of 2023 Kingsman of the Year Award winner is Lawrence Johnson-Espinoza.

Penn High School’s Markus Burton carved his name into the Indiana Boys Basketball history books and was named the 2023 Indiana Mr. Basketball in a vote by the state’s coaches and media. The honor was announced at the Indiana High School Sports Awards Show, presented by the Indiana Pacers, at Butler University’s Clowes Memorial Hall on Wednesday, April 19. Burton, a Notre Dame signee, is the first Mr. Basketball from Penn High School! He is only the third Boys Basketball player from St. Joseph County to win the coveted Mr. Basketball Award! This season, Burton led the state with a scoring average of 30.3 points a game. The Kingsmen Senior ignited a high-flying attack as Penn led the state with an average of 77.9 points a game. Penn also led the state with a 30.0 point average margin of victory. Burton also earned an IHSAA Sportsmanship Award in the 2022-2023 season, and he is a two-time winner of the Northern Indiana Conference Most Valuable Player Award. Markus will wear the #1 jersey when he plays on the Indiana All-Star Team representing Penn High School when the Indiana All-Starts go up against the Kentucky All-Stars in June.  

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PRIVATE SCHOLARSHIPS

Every year scholarships are also awarded for the Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Thacker Scholarship and the Larry Beehler Scholarship. Dr. Jerry Thacker is Superintendent of Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation. He and his wife Mrs. Donna Thacker have handed out direct scholarships to Penn graduating seniors since 2014. Mr. Larry Beehler is a longtime member of P-H-M’s Board of School Trustees serving nearly 40 years! Students are in good standing and involved in extra curricular activities. The awards for these scholarships are $1,000 each.

The 2023 recipient of the Larry Beehler Scholarship was Danielle White. This scholarship is presented to a former Madison Elementary graduate. 

Dr. & Mrs. Thacker have been awarding their General Scholarship for nearly a decade. This year there were were three recipients of the Dr. & Mrs. Jerry Thacker General Scholarship: Valentina Gianesi, Tory Temeles, and Emma Sidorowicz. These students are excellent students possessing great character and serve as positive role models.  Seniors eligible for this award must be highly involved in extracurricular activities that benefit Penn High School and the community. Each student received $1,000 scholarship from Dr. and Mrs. Thacker!

Dr. & Mrs. Thacker also sponsor a second scholarship for a Penn graduating senior of color who will be pursuing a degree in teacher education. Outstanding character, leadership and being involved in the community are important factors considered when selecting this winner of a $1,000 scholarship. This year’s awardee was Azra Sirajudin.

Other private scholarships recognized during Senior Night:

• Lawrence Johnson-Espinoza is the recipient of the Gates Scholarship: The TGS is a highly selective scholarship that pays full tuition and is awarded to a outstanding minority high school senior with leadership qualities and exceptional personal success skills.
• Valedictorian Reagan Ludwig is the recipient of two scholarships:
  • Maria DiLoreto Society Scholarship: The Italian-American club formed in 1933 and offers two awarding students who expound upon exceptional character, citizenship and community service.
  • “Doc” Hittle Memorial Scholarship: Doc Hittle taught in Penn’s Science Department for over 24 years. The scholarship acknowledges students who have demonstrated qualities of good citizenship, who will attend a two or four year college, and is in good academic standing.
• The United States Marine Corps awarded the following three awards to Penn graduates:
  • William Chenoweth received the United States Marine Corps Semper Fidelis Award. This award is presented based upon exemplary musical efforts, academics and outstanding character. The Marine Corps Musical Organization was formed in 1793. The Marine Corp realizes that there would be no Marine Band without the efforts of dedicated young musicians.
  • Joe Smith (Boys Basketball) and Jenny Keegan (Girls Soccer) were each recognized with a U.S. Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete Award. The Marines recognize that the foundation for good physical fitness is developed through high school athletics in addition to good training habits. High school student-athletes are well aware of teamwork and discipline, two important elements of the Marine Corps. This award represents students’ who have distinguished themselves in athletics.
  • Zachary Pelletier won the United States Marine Scholastic Excellence Award, which recognizes a student for academic achievement and leadership. The student has shown the greatest determination in the pursuit of his/her studies and has inspired others to excel.
• Mya Nuber is this  year’s  Dale Whitehead  Scholarship  winner, which honors the student who has participated in band, orchestra or choir for three years and will be pursuing a degree in either music education or performance. 
• Emma Sidorowicz and Max Sanders are Class of 2023 recipients of the Penn Booster Club Scholarship. This scholarship has been established by the Penn Booster Club to honor and recognize one female and one male PHS student who has participated in a Penn High School Athletic or Academic Club for at least two years prior to graduation. The selected recipients have volunteered and/or supported Penn Boosters in some capacity, supported the mission of the Penn Boosters, and exemplified the character and traits associated with the level of excellence that is expected from our students and student-athletes here at Penn.
• Valedictorian Zichu Wang is the recipient of the Elks National Foundation Most Valuable Student Scholarship: This award is given to a student for academic achievement and community service.
• Larissa Evans is the recipient of two scholarships:
  • Notre Dame Credit Union Scholarship, which is awarded to an applicant planning to begin their undergraduate studies in the fall. Selection was based on academic achievement, SAT/ACT scores, letters of recommendation and having a parent that works for Notre Dame Credit Union.
  • Purdue Alumni Club of St. Joseph Valley Scholarship is awarded to a graduating senior from our area who will be attending Purdue University in the fall.
• Cole Cira and Chloe Cruz are recipients of the Patrick Glossenger Honorary Scholarship. The Niles Scream Park is a non-profit project that has been around since 1974.  Since records have been kept, the Scream Park has donated over 2.4 million dollars to more than 65 charities and non-profits.  Each person that volunteers at the Park donates their time to one of these charities/non-profits. Patrick Glossenger, one of their best volunteers, wanted to donate his money raised to a scholarship fund for two students at Penn High School, his alma mater.
• Mariah Forbes is the winner of the Anderson Foundation Scholarship. The award winner of this scholarship is randomly selected from a pool of applicants that meets specific GPA criteria.
• Kotaro Tsuji is the winner of the Hazel Dell Neff Smelser Renewable Scholarship. It is awarded to students who have demonstrated a financial need and exemplified academic achievement. 
• Kendall Foley is the recipient of this year’s Tony ‘Doc’ Portolese, Wally Yeoman, and Steve Ciszczon Scholarship. This award is presented to seniors who excel academically and who have dedicated themselves to service in athletic training.
• Nina Pulja is the winner of the Chick Evans Scholarship for Caddies. The scholarship is in honor of legendary amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr. The Western Golf Association awards full tuition and housing to deserving caddies.
• Maxwell Sanders, Anthony Turley and Collin Smagala won the Edmondo DeAmicis Mutual Aid Society Scholarship, which is awarded to graduating seniors who have shown involvement in their school and the non-for-profit community. ​
• Anhaile Wright, Michael Tapp, Liam Mroczek , and Jacob Farney are the award recipients of the Gene Haas Foundation Scholarship: The Gene Haas Scholarship recognizes the future of manufacturing in the U.S. depends directly upon the availability of skilled workers. Therefore they have committed to providing financial assistance for students interested in manufacturing- based careers. 
• Micheal Tapp, Emma Sidorowicz,  Alyssa Brown, and Sam Sullivan received the Granger Business Association Scholarship for their community service and plans to continue their education beyond high school.
• Tasneen Ahmed won 2nd place in the South Bend Human Rights Essay Contest. The contest is open to all St. Joseph County students. Scholarships are awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place essays.  This year’s Essay topic was on “Voting Rights…Is the Voting Act is still needed?  Why or Why Not?”
• Nadine Amouri is the recipient of the “Starfish – You Make A Difference Scholarship.” The award is sponsored by former P-H-M Superintendent, Dr. Vickie Markavich, to honor a student  who has shown great perseverance to achieve his or her goals. 
• Elaina Wright is the recipient of the Tri Kappa of South Bend – Epsilon Lambda Chapter Scholarship. The chapter awards a $1,000 scholarship (Epsilon Lambda Scholarship) to a female student from St. Joseph County. Applicants must be a high school senior or currently enrolled at a college or university in Indiana with the intent of pursuing a degree. The applicant must show continuous involvement in leadership positions and community service. 
• Colin Smagala received the Mishawaka Lions’ Club Scholarship. The Mishawaka Lions’ Club strives to support the academic endeavors of highly motivated students in the Mishawaka community.  This student must plan to attend the institution in the fall immediately following graduation from high school, have demonstrated an interest in community service through extracurricular activities and have received grants/scholarships totaling no more than 50% of the institution’s yearly tuition.
• Elaina Wright is this year’s recipient of the Madison Township Lions Club Scholarship. The Club award is presented to a graduating senior who exemplifies dedication to community service. 
• Samantha Simons and Jacob Farney are this year’s recipients of the Madison School PTO Scholarship. The Madison Elementary PTO recognizes former graduates for being involved in their school and community. 
• Isabelle Personette is the class of 2023 recipient of the Mary Frank PTO Scholarship. The Mary Frank PTO Scholarship is given to graduating seniors who attended Mary Frank and are continuing their education. Recipients were chosen on bases of their community impact through extracurricular activities, summer employment and after school employment.
• Isaac Gould is the winner of the Mary Frank Staff Scholarship, based on being a Mary Frank alumni and his impact on his community through his involvement in community service, extracurricular activities and employment during summer and school months.
• Lawrence Johnson-Espinoza and Delaney DuVal were presented with the Grissom Middle School PTO Scholarship.  These scholarships are for Grissom graduates who maintain strong academics, have outstanding character, extra-curricular involvement and a commitment to further their education. 
• Valedictorian Abigail Schroeder and Salutatorian/Presidential Scholar Candidate Jillian Adams are receiving the Discovery Middle School PTO scholarship. These former Discovery students were selected for their commitment to academics and service to the community.
• Lina Mammolenti was honored with the Howard & Ruth Hensler Scholarship: in which recipients must be residents of Madison Township, enroll in an accredited technical program or attend a two- or four-year college and exemplify commitment to academics and community involvement. 

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EARLY COLLEGE ACADEMY

This is the breakdown of what this year’s ECA graduates have achieved:

• students graduating with Associates Degrees: 89
• students graduating with Indiana College Core: 16
• students graduating with 15 or more credits: 9

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OTHER NOTABLE CLASS HIGHLIGHTS

Here are some others stats for the Class of 2023:

• 23 seniors participated in Penn’s Building and Trades program this year (along with 11 juniors)
  • 6 are going into apprenticeship programs.
  • 1 is attending college majoring in Construction Management
  • 10 are pursuing a career in a construction trade
• 15 seniors have completed the Cadet Teaching program and plan to go into teaching
• 3 seniors completed the Start Up Moxie program
• 38 senior student-athletes received athletic scholarships to continue their sport at the collegiate level
• 12 seniors are going into the Military

To download high-resolution jpg files from the photo gallery below, just simply click the “DOWNLOAD” button on the bottom right-hand corner of the photo while viewing it in the Photo Gallery function. We are happy to provide this service to you, free of charge!