excellence recognized
Within just one month of the start of the school year, Penn High School has received three straight recognitions for academic excellence.
2023 Cognia School of Distinction
On Thursday, September 15, Penn was named a 2023 Cognia® School of Distinction for excellence in education based on its 2022–23 Accreditation Cognia review. Penn has participated in Cognia’s rigorous, research-based Accreditation Engagement Review. The process involves a third-party review of evidence by education experts, interviews, and classroom observations. The review evaluates institutions and seeks evidence of growth in learning, a healthy culture for learning, engaging and high-quality instructional environments, and effective leadership for learning. Click here to learn more about Penn's latest distinguished recognition.
IDOE's Excellence in College Readiness Award
On Friday, September 8, Penn Principal Dr. Sean Galiher, Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker, and other Penn administrators accepted the Excellence in College Readiness Award along with a $250,000 grant at the Indiana Department of Education’s (IDOE) second annual Educational Excellence Awards Gala.
The Excellence in College Readiness Award recognizes an individual school that has demonstrated a commitment to helping students earn a credential of value before graduating high school. Penn High School has been the top Indiana high school with the highest number of students earning ICC (Indiana College Core) or AGS (Associate of General Studies) certificates earned for back-to-back school years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023! Click to learn more about this award.
At the September 11 Board meeting, Dr. Thacker and the Board of School Trustees honored Dr. Galiher and more members of his team.
Other P-H-M honorees recognized at the Gala included:
U.S. News & World Report ranking
At the end of August, Penn was notified that it had once again been listed among the nation’s best public high schools and ranked by U.S. News & World Report . Penn ranks 1st in the South Bend area, 22nd in Indiana (out of 377 schools ranked in Indiana), and #1,581 in the national rankings (out of 17,680 nationally ranked high schools). This puts Penn in the top 8.9% of the nation’s best high schools for 2023! Click to learn more about the U.S. News & World Report’s ranking system.
making an impact
All P-H-M teachers across the district are dedicated to helping their students achieve personal academic success. The newly created P-H-M Impact Award shines the spotlight on those teachers who are showing the most significant overall student growth. For Round 1 of the awards, we're recognizing growth during the 2022-2023 school year. These amazing educators have helped their students achieve individual academic growth on their formative assessments over time.
Banks’s Class went from 3% proficiency at the beginning of 2022 school year (Clear Sight), to 97% proficiency on the Spring 2023 ILEARN. Horvath’s class went from 5% to 90% proficiency. Banks’ class had a gain of 94% and Horvath’s 85%! The average 5th Math grade gain across P-H-M 5th grade was 50%.
Discovery 7th grade Math Teacher Emma Zerfas also received an Impact Award. Her students had the highest consistent 7th grade Math growth of all 7th grade Math teachers in P-H-M’s three middle schools. Zerfas’ students averaged 47% growth in proficiency; the average P-H-M proficiency growth was 28%.
All three teachers were completely surprised by the “drop-in award presentation” by Dr. Thacker, school principals and other PHM Administrators. Click here to see the photos on Facebook.
Thank you to the Education Foundation for covering the cost of these beautiful keepsake awards.
This was only Round 1 of surprising teachers with the Impact Awards. There are many more P-H-M teachers who will be recognized in the days, weeks and months ahead!
best in the state
The Indiana Association of School Psychologists (IASP) presented our very own Mike Manis, Lead School Psychologist for P-H-M, with the School Psychologist of the Year on September 13!
P-H-M Board of School Trustee Secretary Clare Roach was recognized with the Friend of School Psychology Award.
Manis and Roach partnered with IASP, Indiana Medicaid and Representative Michael Karickhoff (R-30) on House Bill 1205 that was enacted into Indiana Code 12-15-1-16 the 2023 spring legislative session. The new law adds a school psychologist as a qualified provider for purposes of the Medicaid program and allows school corporations to obtain Medicaid reimbursement for specified services.
25 years and counting
The Employee Recognition Dinner may be not be until May 2024, but that doesn't we can't celebrate some milestones a little early.
The same birdie also shared with us this group Elm Road staff picture of the 25+ years crew.
Congratulations to all! Thanks for sharing.
coach of the week
Penn Kingsmen head football coach Cory Yeoman got a special visit back on August 30 from Former NFL player and current Youth Football Commissioner for the Indianapolis Colts, Mike Prior.
Prior presented Coach Yeoman with a $2,000 check, which will go to Penn Athletics Department, and the honor of being named Colts/NFL Coach of the Week for Week 2. Yeoman received the award for achieving the milestone of his 200th career win--making him Penn High School's second football coach to receive 200 wins!
Penn is now the ONLY high school in Indiana to have two coaches meet this milestone! The first was legendary Kingsmen Coach Chris Geesman, who Coach Yeoman played under and coached with at the beginning of his career at Penn.
Coach Yeoman got his 200th win with the 28-7 Kingsmen victory over crosstown rival Mishawaka Cavemen on Friday, August 25. It was a great game, take a look ...
penn homecoming 2023
The weather is going to be beautiful this Friday night (September 29th). It will be perfect for everyone--all staff/all families/all ages/all grades--to come out and enjoy another great community night!
Friday is Penn’s Homecoming game against St. Joe. But before the 7:30 kick-off there will be tons to do! The parade starts at 5:30. This year all 15 schools will be in the parade. The Fun Zone is open before and after the parade. There will be FREE jumpies for the elementary age students and the Teacher Dunk Tank for the older kids ($5 for 3 balls or $20 to push the button). If you get hungry, they’ll be Food Trucks. Be sure to stay until the end of the game for the Fireworks show by Pyrotechnico--the company that does the fireworks for the South Bend Cubs.
Saturday night, Penn students will have their Homecoming Dance under the stars at Everwise Freed Field. Have a Penn student who wants to go? Click the button below.
We have the P-H-M Education Foundation and their generous sponsors to thank for all the extra Homecoming festivities. All the proceeds from the money raised will go towards PHEF teacher grants to fund innovative classroom programs. There are a few different ways to help PHMEF raise money during Homecoming this:
- A portion of food truck sales will go to PHMEF
- Teacher Dunk Tank proceeds
- Homecoming Virtual Silent Auction proceeds
- Voting on Penn Student Club Homecoming parade floats
There are a TON OF GREAT Silent Auction items this year. Get a sneak peek at the items now so you can decide what to bid on. Here's a short list of just some of the items:
- Luxury Resort Beach Vacations: Antigua, Panama & Barbados
- Chicago White Sox Private Lounge Experience
- Swiss Valley Ski Package
- Reserved Graduation Seating
- Gift Certificate towards Burns Tent Rental
- Reserved Penn Student Parking Spots
- Ninja Golf Family Package
- Drive & Shine Car Wash Package
- PLUS MANY, MANY, MANY MORE ITEMS!!!
The Virtual Silent Auction opens Friday, Sept. 29 and closes at Noon, Thursday, Oct. 5.
Voting on the Penn Student Club Homecoming parade floats opens online on Friday, Sept. 29 and closes on Tuesday, Oct. 3. Each vote is $5. Thanks to Penn Boosters, Penn students will get their first vote for FREE! The winning floats will receive monetary prizes.
Thank you Penn-Harris-Madison Education Foundation for sponsoring all these great Homecoming extras benefiting our teachers and students!!!
community connections
Save the date for Saturday, October 7, that’s when P-H-M ENL Services will host their annual Community Connections Fair. It will be held at Schmucker Middle School from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. The event brings together families and community members. There will be a host of activities, food, performances and so much more.
join the p-h-m family
We’re always looking for Kids Club Assistants, Bus Drivers, TAs and EAs, Food Service Professionals, Custodians, VSS Security and Facilities staff. Know someone who wants to join the P-H-M family?
Tell them to visit phmschools.org/jobs and fill out an application today!
#phmexcellence
We share examples of #PHMExcellence with the community in a number of different ways: P-H-M social media channels, newsletters, videos, and sometimes even on the local news!
Share your #PHMExcellence stories with us. Visit https://bit.ly/PHMGoodNews to fill out a Google Form.