P-H-M’s Annual Community Tailgate is a long-standing tradition that brings families, students, staff, and community members together to show their Penn pride. The event is held before the Penn Football home opener and is a chance for everyone across the district to connect, celebrate, and support the Kingsmen.

This year’s home opener will be “The Backyard Brawl” against Mishawaka on Friday, August 29th, 2025. Click here for game ticket info.

Gates open at 5:00 p.m. You must have a ticket to the football game to enter. Once inside the stadium head down to the white tents in the south end zone at the Yeoman Family Plaza.

Friday night marks the 67th meeting between Penn and Mishawaka. Penn leads the all-time series 49-16-1. 

Penn-Harris-Madison invites students, families, alumni, and community members to celebrate Homecoming 2025 on Friday, September 26, 2025 courtesy of the PHM Education Foundation.

The annual celebration includes the Homecoming Parade on Bittersweet Road in front of Penn High School, showcasing student groups, athletic teams, school clubs, and community organizations, followed by the Penn Kingsmen football game against South Bend Adams at Everwise Freed Field.

This is an event for the ENTIRE community and will have activities for people of all ages. Mark your calendars and plan to join in the fun! More details will be shared closer to the date.

Horizon Elementary’s Show Choir wrapped up the year with a high-energy performance inspired by classic country music!

Students took the stage dressed in western gear—cowboy boots, flannel shirts, denim, and hats—singing classic country songs and performing line dances that got the crowd clapping along. The set was decorated with wagon wheels and oversized guitar picks, creating a fun, country-style atmosphere.

The group performed for friends and family on the evening of Thursday, May 8, then put on an encore Friday morning for the entire school. It was a fun and memorable way to close out the Show Choir season.

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This afternoon Mrs. Rulli’s 4th grade students along with their “Kindergartener Buddies” from Mrs. Wallick’s and Ms. McCambridge’s classes took part in a meaningful service activity—packing duffle bags for local foster children.

The event was part of Project Purpose: One School, One Purpose, a schoolwide initiative focused on spreading kindness and giving back to the community. This year, Horizon partnered with SAFY Foster Care to assemble 300 duffle bags filled with essential items like hygiene kits, books, and blankets—items that can make a big difference for children entering foster care.

Throughout the year, Horizon families and staff donated supplies and funds to support the effort. The packing event was the culmination of that generosity, and a hands-on opportunity for students to learn about empathy and service.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to making a positive impact, one duffle bag at a time.

To learn more about SAFY and their work supporting foster children, visit safy.org.

The “Project Purpose” initiative is building on Mrs. Rulli’s classroom theme last year, “You Are Loved.” Not only did she have this motivation printed on t-shirts for her students, they in turn spread the love throughout the school by sharing special Valentines with teachers and staff on February 14, 2024. Click here for that story.

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We’re happy to introduce P-H-M bus driver Marisa VanDeventer as the Culver’s Bus Driver of the Month for March 2025! 🚌🏅

Marisa has been a dedicated driver for Penn-Harris-Madison schools since 2010. Known for her reliability and strong work ethic, she rarely misses a day of work. Her calm, friendly demeanor and positive attitude make her well-liked by both students and parents.

As a P-H-M parent herself, Marisa understands the importance of creating a safe and welcoming environment for children. Her strong rapport with students and commitment to her role shine through in everything she does.

Thank you to Culver’s and the P-H-M Education Foundation for partnering to recognize outstanding staff like Marisa! 

Exciting news for Horizon Elementary students! Today, Mrs. Roberts’ 2nd-grade class had the special honor of unveiling Inchy’s Bookworm Vending Machine—a brand-new addition to the school library that is designed to encourage a love of reading.

The book vending machine is part of an innovative literacy incentive program, where students earn special tokens that can be used to “purchase” a book from the machine. The best part? The books are theirs to keep, fostering a sense of ownership and excitement about reading. The exact details of how students will earn the tokens are still being worked out and will be communicated when it’s appropriate. 

Over the next couple of weeks, all Horizon students will have the chance to learn about and interact with the vending machine during their library specials.

The initiative was made possible through funding from the P-H-M Education Foundation, which awarded one to Horizon and is valued at up to $7,169.

With the tagline “Feeding Your Mind One Book at a Time,” this book vending machine is set to make reading more rewarding and accessible for our Horizon community!

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Due to the absence of local, state, or national elections on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, all P-H-M schools will be in session on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.  P-H-M will no longer have a Recess Day on this date.

As a result, the last day of school for students will now be Thursday, June 5, 2025. This is one day earlier than previously scheduled. P-H-M Teachers Association worked collaboratively with the District Administration to make these calendar changes.

Indiana law requires schools to be in session for 180 days each year. If necessary, P-H-M can utilize up to three weather-related eLearning days, as permitted under Indiana law (HB-1093). If additional makeup days are needed, they will be added to the end of the school year, following the new last student day, Thursday, June 5, 2025. Currently, no eLearning days have been called.

The new 2024-2025 school year calendar is posted on the P-H-M website, click here to view the updated calendar.

Horizon Elementary teachers and staff received exciting news today as Jennifer Turnblom, Executive Director of the PHM Education Foundation (PHMEF), visited classrooms to announce grant awards for two innovative projects.

The first stop was Ally Schmidt’s room, where Ms. Turnblom presented a check for $329.00 to support the creation of a Foreign Language Club. The grant will fund the purchase of the curriculum, designed for elementary students, that will help get them start with foreign languages. 

Next, Ms. Turnblom visited Sue Roberts and Emily Cornett to deliver a check for $7,169.00 to fund a book vending machine for the school! The vending machine will serve as part of an incentive program encouraging literacy. Students will earn tokens to use in selecting books, which they can keep as a reward for their efforts. The vending machine, featuring PHMEF branding, will be placed prominently in the school’s library or lobby, providing a fun and engaging way to promote reading.

Both grants highlight Horizon Elementary’s commitment to enhancing student learning and engagement through innovative programming, made possible with the support of PHMEF. Congratulations to the grant recipients!

Thank you to EVERYONE who came to the 2024 Homecoming Parade and Football game. It was a terrific time not only for the Penn students, but also for the entire community.

The Parade, Expo, Fun Zone, Food Trucks and Fireworks were all bigger and better than ever.

After the game was over, the fans in attendance were treated to a fireworks show set to music!

There are three photo galleries below, one of the parade floats and participants, one of the parade spectators and one of the fun zone and expo. Take a look and we’ll see you in 2025!

Parade Floats

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Parade Spectators

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Fun Zone & Expo

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