What’s recently happened?
On Friday, October 27, the Penn High School Football team battled against Elkhart High School in its first Sectional game of the season. The game was played at Penn under the lights in front of a pinked out student section.
Penn football’s first state action began at 7 p.m. Seniors entered into the game knowing that this could be their last. In the days preparing for its sectional opener, the team was practicing harder and with more focus. The players were prepared for anything that would be thrown at them.
“This game’s preparation was very intense and serious. The last time we played Elkhart, we struggled as an offense, and we used that as motivation this time around. We took advantage of every day and every moment of practice to get better as a team,” Senior Quarterback Nolan McCullough said.
In the first quarter, McCullough sprinted 34 yards to score the Kingsmen’s first touchdown of the night. McCullough went on to score two more touchdowns and assisted for the Kingsmen’s second touchdown that was run in by Senior Running Back Jake Balis.
“As a team and as a group of seniors, we took this possibility of playing our last game and redoubled our efforts and made sure to give the game everything we had. We knew if we played our game and played for each other, we would be given another game and that was proved,” McCullough said.
The fourth and last touchdown was scored by Senior Dominic Bonner, who intercepted the ball and ran 54 yards to score. That made the score 35 for the Kingsmen and 0 for the Elkhart Lions. Parents and students cheered, and the Kingsmen celebrated as the team dominated and brought home the win in its sectional home opener.
The Kingsmen controlled the entire game, and its total yards of 358, compared to Elkhart’s 84, was full proof of the outcome. The Kingsmen host Warsaw High School for its second game of sectionals on Friday November 3; kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m..
“We are taking and preparing for Warsaw very seriously as they are a very solid team. We know we need to have another great week of practice and take it to another level,” McCullough said.
What’s coming up?
The 2023 Penn showcase is set for December 4. The showcase will be held from 6-8 p.m., and the snow day for the year will be on December 5. The showcase allows incoming freshmen and transfer students, with their families, to come and tour the school.
On showcase day, students will be able to meet with staff and other students to hear about Penn’s college and career readiness opportunities offered through the school’s eight academies.
The academies of Penn serve as a guide to not only incoming freshmen but to all students who seek to grow deeper into a specific subject or career that they are interested in. The Freshmen Academy is for all ninth grade students who seek to have a highly supportive first-year experience.
The freshmen will learn about the opportunities in the four achievement academies that will be available to them when they are upperclassmen. The Early College Academy is for students who are focused on obtaining an Associate Degree while finishing high school.
Penn’s four career achievement academies are Fine Arts and Communications Academy, Management and Business Academy, Health and Human Services Academy, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Academy. These four academies allow students to begin learning and to gain experience in their preferred career along with their high school work.
The World Languages Academy offers English and foreign language instruction for all students. The Exceptional Education Academy provides exceptional education to students with special needs in an inclusive environment.
On showcase day, all students in grades nine-11 and their families are encouraged to come and learn about classes and clubs that Penn offers. Students, whose last names begin with the letters A-L are encouraged to enter through doors B, C, or D.
This group of students will begin at the CPA, Penn’s auditorium, at 6 p.m. to hear a presentation from administrators and counselors. After, the students and their families are welcome to tour the school and visit open classrooms.
Students whose last names begin with the letters M-Z are encouraged to enter the school through doors A, M, or L. This group will begin by touring the building and visiting open classrooms and after will go to CPA for presentation.
Showcase Day is a great time to speak to teachers and other students about what life is like at Penn and what a freshman should be expecting or preparing for in the upcoming school year. Showcase Day allows students to introduce themselves to their future teachers, and this gives them an advantage because they will be creating a relationship with the teacher.
Junior Rishi Patel recalls his experience when he did the tour with his parents as an incoming freshman.
“As an incoming freshman, I had a lot of things I had to worry about. I thought high school would be hard for me. I was nervous, but overall the tour was all right because there were a lot of people helping around, pointing where certain classes were,” said Patel.
The students who go to showcase day and meet the staff and their teachers will show their teachers they are excited for the year and that they would like to have a successful year.
Staff spotlight:
Curt Rallo has been teaching at Penn since 2001. He teaches English and Sports Journalism at Penn and coordinates the athletic media for the school. He also handles public relations and information duties at the school.
Rallo is a Penn graduate and has a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University South Bend and a master’s degree from Bethel University. He has more than 40 years of experience as a journalist and covered the University of Notre Dame’s women’s basketball team for seven seasons for the “South Bend Tribune.”
He is well-known and beloved by many students at Penn for his care in helping students succeed in his class and for always sharing his wisdom and knowledge with his students when it is most needed.
“I love the togetherness at Penn,” Rallo said.
Rallo’s Sports Journalism class is quite popular. In Sports Journalism, Rallo guides students in learning the art of photography and posting on the school's sports news page.
Furthermore, they will work on recording podcasts on what sports events are happening around the school and also sports news in general.
His students have recorded and posted several podcasts on Spotify. Rallo continues to teach his large and popular Sports Journalism class, and he is helping the school and the students to thrive.
“There is a spirit of collaboration among students and teachers that leads to excellence in our learning community,” Rallo said.
Student spotlight:
Abbigail Gingerich is a junior at Penn and a defensive specialist and setter for the Girls Varsity Volleyball team. She has played volleyball for Penn for the three years she has been there. Gingerich does a good job balancing her school and practices, making her a great athlete and a great student.
Gingerich is successful in both her sport and her academics. She has made many friends over the time she has been at Penn. Before all of this, starting the process of picking classes and preparing for her high school years while knowing that she was entering a school of 4,000 students, was intimidating.
One thing that gave her confidence and courage to step into a new chapter in a big school was to tour it beforehand.
“Thinking about going to high school at Penn was always scary, but when we went for the incoming freshman tour, it was an amazing and exciting experience. Being able to do the tour made me less nervous, and I was able to see where some of my future classes were,” Gingerich said.
The tour was the starting mark of a successful and ongoing high school athletic and academic career full of fun and friendships. Gingerich is now working on her career path to be an equine veterinarian, a licensed veterinarian who specialize in caring for horses.
Her time on the volleyball team also allows her to create many relationships. These relationships are being strengthened along the way.
“I love the sisterhood and the feeling of family. There was good teamwork and I loved the team bonding,” Gingerich said.