Northpoint Elementary students delivered an exceptional performance at the 39th Annual P-H-M Elementary Spell Bowl, held this week at the Penn High School Entrepreneurial Operating Systems Center for Performing Arts.

Northpoint teams earned first place in all three grade levels, including a perfect score in fifth grade.

In third grade, Northpoint took first place with 28 points. The fourth grade team secured first after an intense three-round tiebreaker, finishing with 29 points. In fifth grade, Northpoint capped off the night with a perfect score of 30 points.

The fourth grade competition was one of the most exciting moments of the evening. Northpoint and Prairie Vista both finished with 29 points, sending the contest into a three-round tiebreaker that lasted 15 words. Northpoint ultimately claimed the top spot.

Penn High School Spell Bowl Coach Angela Yarrell served as emcee for the evening, and Superintendent Dr. Heather Short welcomed families to the event.

The annual Spell Bowl highlights academic excellence across P-H-M, and Northpoint students led the way with an outstanding showing.

2026 Results

3rd Grade

1st: Northpoint – 28 points

2nd: Horizon – 26 points

3rd: Bittersweet – 24 points

4th Grade

1st: Northpoint – 29 points (won in tiebreaker)

2nd: Prairie Vista – 29 points

3rd: Bittersweet and Mary Frank – 27 points

5th Grade

1st: Northpoint – 30 points

2nd: Bittersweet – 26 points

3rd: Madison – 23 points

The halls of Northpoint were filled with music and joy as our Winter Carolers made their way through the school on Monday, December 15th!

This talented group of student singers brought smiles to students and staff alike, performing festive favorites in each grade-level nook, from Pre-K to 5th grade. Their cheerful voices and holiday spirit helped make the day truly magical!

A big thank you to everyone involved in organizing this special event and to everyone who came out to listen! 

Click here to view the full photo gallery.

#PHMExcellence

The Penn-Harris-Madison Education Foundation (PHMEF) continues its mission of supporting excellence in education by awarding $73,715.48 in classroom innovation grants for the 2025-2026 school year, marking one of the largest funding years in foundation history! And Northpoint was fortunate to receive $2,350.98 in grant dollars!

Each year, PHMEF’s Annual Grant Cycle provides teachers across the district with opportunities to bring creative, hands-on learning projects to life, projects that go beyond traditional classroom resources. The grants are made possible through the generosity of community donors, local businesses, and district supporters.

During the first couple of weeks of December, PHMEF Executive Director Jennifer Turnblom surprised grant recipients. Click here to see the full photo gallery. 

Northpoint was awarded one traditional grant (more than $1,000) and one EZ grant (under $750) for a total of two grants. The descriptions are listed below:

1. Northpoint WSTAR Grove 
Nichol Mondy • $1,912.98
Funds to modernize/upgrade equipment in the WSTAR broadcasting studio and expand opportunities for students to participate in live news production (via daily newscasts and announcements.) This is a collaborative partnership with Penn High School’s Penn News Network broadcasting program and an after school club of elementary students. The partnership will serve as a districtwide model to establish an elementary through high school broadcasting pathway.

2. Spherobolt Mats
Molly O’Rear • $438.00
Mats to Enhance Use of Spherobolt Robots

“On behalf of the entire PHM Education Foundation Board I want you to know how deeply we believe in our teachers and staff,” said PHMEF Executive Director Jennifer Turnblom. “Your dedication, and passion for making a positive impact are what make our schools truly exceptional. We are committed to funding your innovative ideas because you are the heart of excellence in PHM, and we are proud to support the remarkable work you do every day.”

For more on the P-H-M Education Foundation’s 2025-26 grant awards, click here.

Northpoint families came together in a big way for this year’s cereal box donation drive, contributing 1,547 boxes of cereal to support the Clay Church Food Pantry. The donation will help provide local families with essential breakfast items for several months.

The school also continued its beloved tradition of lining the cereal boxes through the hallways like dominos. The whole school gathered to watch the chain reaction as hundreds of boxes toppled from one end to the other, creating a fun and memorable celebration of the school’s service project. Check out the video recap below:

Student leaders capped off the event by staying after school to help load every box of cereal onto the truck, ensuring the donations made their way safely to Clay Church Food Pantry.

Click here to take a look at the photo gallery from this fun, impactful event. #PHMExcellence

U.S. News and World Report released its “Best Schools” rankings for K-8 public schools by state and Northpoint is #1 out of Indiana’s 989 public elementary schools!

Data is based on the 2021–2022, 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 school years.

All of P-H-M’s elementary schools are ranked among Indiana’s “Best Elementary Schools”:

• Northpoint #1  
• Prairie Vista #2 
• Horizon #37
• Mary Frank #39
• Bittersweet #94
• Elm Road #172
• Moran #175
• Elsie Rogers #297
• Madison #273
• Meadow’s Edge #370
• Walt Disney #385

Two of P-H-M’s middle schools were also recognized:

• Discovery #3
• Schmucker #53

Indiana’s 395 Indiana public high schools were also ranked, and Penn ranked #26.

The U.S. News & World Report analyzed 103,391 pre-K, elementary and middle schools nationwide for their rankings. The rankings use the same methodology for all included grade levels. For each state, schools were assessed on their shares of students who were proficient or above proficient in their mathematics and reading/language arts state assessments. Half of the formula assessed the scores themselves and the other half incorporated the test results in the context of socioeconomic demographics. In other words, the top-ranked schools are all high-achieving and have succeeded at educating all their students. Click here for more information on the methodology.

The highest ranked U.S. public schools in U.S. News & World Report’s 2025-2026 Best High Schools rankings are those whose students demonstrated outstanding outcomes above expectations in math, reading and science state assessments, earned qualifying scores on an array of college-level exams, and graduated in high proportions. They reviewed data on 17,901 public high schools. Click here for more background information on their ranking system.

October is National Principals Month! To celebrate, we’re sharing short Q&As with each of our principals—giving you a glimpse into their leadership style, favorite parts of school life, and what drives their #PHMExcellence every day.

If you could swap places with a student for one day, what class or activity would you be most excited to participate in — and why?

If I could swap places with a student for one day, I would want to be in a Kindergarten class when they are learning about all the countries in Asia during our multicultural week. The students get passports, and then experience a flight simulation through videos. Teachers give virtual tours of the places they are learning about.

What’s your go-to morning routine (or must-have snack/coffee order) that helps you tackle the day?

I must have my homemade carmel macchiato decaf coffee and my book of prayers.

What were you like as a middle or high school student — and what’s one piece of advice you’d give your younger self?

Very social and talkative, still am. A piece of advice I would give younger self would be to share the air sometimes and listen closely without the need to respond.

If your job as a principal had a theme song, what song would be your walk up song–the one playing when you walked into school each day?

Good Morning by Mandisa

What was your favorite school lunch or snack when you were a student? What is your favorite school lunch now as a principal?

Favorite school lunch was cheese pizza, Now I love teriyaki chicken and rice.

What’s one fun fact about you that most students or staff don’t know?

That I was born in Zimbabwe, and can speak Ndebele.

Do you have any hidden talents or hobbies outside of school that might surprise people?

I love dancing and Zumba is my favorite exercise.

What’s one thing on your bucket list you still hope to do one day?

Travel to Zimbabwe with my family.

What’s your favorite school tradition or event?

Multicultural Night and STEM Night, I love them equally.

If you could describe your school in one word, what would it be?

Exceptional

Northpoint Elementary kindergartners took learning on the road with a field trip to Amazing Acres, turning a day on the farm into hands-on lessons in science, STEM, and agriculture.

Students rotated through interactive stations that brought classroom concepts to life:

Physics in motion

From a kid-friendly zip line to balance bicycles and even playful pig races, students felt forces, speed, and motion in action while practicing observation and prediction.

Agriculture up close

Guides walked students through how a working farm operates—from crops and equipment to the people who keep things growing—building early understanding of where food comes from.

Animal husbandry

Children met and observed pigs, rabbits, chickens, and longhorns, learning how animals are cared for and why proper nutrition, shelter, and safety matter.

Water force (and duck races!)

At the always-popular duck races, students used flowing water to move rubber ducks down channels—an engaging way to experience water force and talk about cause and effect.

Teachers said the farm’s mix of movement, exploration, and real-world examples made the learning stick. Back in the classroom, students will build on the trip with reflection drawings, new vocabulary, and simple science connections.

Way to go, Northpoint! #PHMExcellence

Northpoint is starting the school year with cause for celebration—97.1% of our third graders passed IREAD in 2025, up from 95.4% in 2024. This success is a testament to our students living the STARS expectations: Safe, Trustworthy, Accountable, and Respectful.

“Our students put into practice the literacy foundations taught by P-H-M’s dedicated teachers, and their families reinforced that learning at home. I also thank our principals, administrators, and support staff who worked tirelessly to provide the best and safest learning environments so our students could excel.” — Superintendent Dr. Heather Short

District-wide, 93.7% of P-H-M third graders passed IREAD, up from 86.8% in 2024—a 6.9-point increase, the largest gain in district history. P-H-M outperformed the state average of 87.3% by 6.4 points, helping Indiana achieve its largest single-year gain since IREAD began in 2013. 

Click here for more information on P-H-M’s overall 2025 IREAD district success.

Northpoint is ready to build on this momentum for another outstanding school year.

At Monday night’s P-H-M Board of School Trustees meeting Superintendent Dr. Heather Short, presented three current P-H-M administrators for promotion. This was Dr. Short’s first school board meeting as superintendent since she started in the role on July 1. The following administrative changes were approved at the meeting:

Randy Williams was approved as the new Director of Academic and Student Support. Williams previously served in several administrative roles within PHM since 2008, including Principal of Madison and Walt Disney Elementary Schools, Dean of Students at Penn and Associate Principal of Penn. In 2018 he was honored as a member of the “Forty under 40” class. In 2023 He became the Director of Secondary Education and Student Services for the Middlebury Community School system. Williams now returns to Penn-Harris-Madison with a wealth of new professional experiences and an enhanced skill set.

Maddie Schmidt was approved for the Assistant Principal position at Grissom Middle School. Schmidt is a former Kingsmen and a graduate of Judson University. She has a master’s degree in Educational and Business Administration from Bethel University. Schmidt began her career teaching language arts at Schmucker Middle School. During her time there, she also served as an Instructional Leader. She is an active member of PHM’s Excellence in Leadership initiative and has held multiple teacher leadership roles at SMS. Most recently, she served as a Dean at Schmucker. 

Beth Stroven was approved for the Assistant Principal position at Schmucker Middle School. This past year, Stroven served as a math teacher at Grissom Middle School and is a member of PHM’s Excellence in Leadership initiative. Prior to joining P-H-M, she was a teacher in Elkhart Community Schools, where she was recognized as the 2019 District Elementary Teacher of the Year and received the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Fellowship Grant where she earned a master’s degree in Educational and Business Administration from Indiana State University. She later served as the principal of Mary Daly Elementary School.