Saturday, March 7, 2026   

9:15 a.m. – 11:25 a.m. 

Penn High School

for P-H-M students K – 5th grade

FREE! There is no cost for this event, but registration is required and limited.

REGISTRATION: Opens January 16 – deadline is Friday, February 13, bit.ly/BooksandBots2026

Sponsored by the P-H-M Education Foundation, Young Authors’ Conference is an opportunity for P-H-M students in Kindergarten – 5th grade to meet and hear from well-known children’s author and speaker Jill Esbaum, participate in a variety of robotic explorations and engage in a dinosaur exploration activity.

Jill Esbaum is the award-winning author of more than 65 children’s books, both fiction and nonfiction. A few recent titles include It’s Corn Picking Time!, Polecat Has a Superpower, and Bird Girl – How Gene Stratton Porter Shares Her Love of Nature with the World. Back in 2012 National Geographic Kids asked Jill to write a book featuring the Angry Birds and dinosaurs titled Angry Birds Playground: Dinosaurs, which gave her Dino Fever. Her dinosaur books since then include If a T. Rex Crashes Your Birthday Party, How to Grow a Dinosaur, and a three-book graphic early reader series, Thunder & Cluck. Jill lives on a family farm near Davenport. 

As part of the morning activities, students will participate in three rotations: one session with author Jill Esbaum, one dinosaur exploration session, and one session where students will enjoy the hands-on exploration of technology with Sphero Bots, Dot and Dosh, Bee Bots, Ozobots and more! Our amazing P-H-M teachers and volunteers will guide students and their parents through the interactive session guiding them on how develop a character and create their own puppet.

At least one parent or guardian must accompany the student(s)!  If more than one child is registering for Books and Bots, the family will stay together so only one adult is needed.  Siblings YOUNGER than kindergarten may not accompany adults. This experience is for your young author(s) and the parent/guardian.

CONFIRMATION: Participating students will receive additional information prior to the conference through their home school at the end of February.

QUESTIONS: If you have any questions, please contact Candace Cussen at ccussen@phm.k12.in.us.

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

Today, Northpoint Elementary, a STEM-certified school, celebrated National STEM Day a day early with a variety of engaging, hands-on learning activities! Students explored science, technology, engineering, and math concepts through creative and collaborative projects.

Throughout the day, students took part in experiments like the Musical Jars Science Experiment, built Pumpkin Catapults, programmed Sphero Robots, designed Creature Catchers, explored the Scientific Method, and even learned about VR technology—and much more!

These experiences showcased Northpoint’s commitment to STEM education and helped students strengthen their curiosity, problem-solving skills, and teamwork.

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The Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees voted unanimously this morning to appoint Mrs. Jennifer (Jen) Smoker to fill the Penn Township Seat #1 vacancy created by the resignation of Matthew Chaffee in early October. 

A long-time resident and active community volunteer, Mrs. Smoker is a dedicated P-H-M parent of four children attending district schools. Her service and advocacy for students and staff have been felt across the district and throughout the greater community.

Mrs. Smoker currently serves on the P-H-M Education Foundation (PHMEF) Board of Directors, where she has chaired the Grants Committee since 2019. In that role, she helps oversee the process of awarding teacher and school grants that enhance learning, spark innovation, and promote excellence in all 15 P-H-M schools. She also supports PHMEF’s fundraising events and community partnerships that benefit students across the district.

Beyond her PHMEF service, Mrs. Smoker is deeply involved in several community organizations. She serves on the Board of Directors for Granger Community Church, where she helps guide strategic planning and budget oversight; chairs the Grissom Middle School PTO Scholarship Committee, which awards scholarships to Penn High School seniors; and previously served as Board Secretary for Jr. Irish Soccer Club and Development Chair for Girls on the Run Michiana. Through these roles, she has combined her love of youth development, leadership, and service—supporting programs that build character, confidence, and connection.

Professionally, Mrs. Smoker brings two decades of business leadership and creative experience. A graduate of Miami University’s Farmer School of Business, she began her career as an Account Executive for major advertising firms in Detroit and Chicago, managing national brands such as Lincoln/Mercury and Quaker Oats. In 2003, she founded and operated CardCare.com, an online greeting card company she successfully led for 20 years.

“Mrs. Smoker’s commitment to servant leadership and her deep connection to our schools make her an outstanding addition to the Board,” said Board President Christopher Riley. “She has demonstrated her heart for P-H-M through years of volunteerism and community involvement and will bring a strong parent perspective to the table.”

Superintendent Dr. Heather Short added, “Jen’s energy, insight, and collaborative leadership reflect the very best of P-H-M’s Triangle of Success—students, teachers, and parents working together. Her service to our schools and community exemplifies P-H-M Excellence.”

Arrangements will be made with the P-H-M Board Attorney for Mrs. Smoker to take her Oath of Office. She will serve through the remainder of the current term, which expires in 2026. She may choose to run for election to the ensuing four-year term in the November 2026 general election.

Mrs. Smoker was chosen from five applicants. The other four candidates were John “Todd” Douthit, Brandon M. Kastner, William “Matt” Ludwig, and Ryan C. Woodruff (click here for their resumes). Public interviews of these applicants took place during a special board meeting held Tuesday, October 28th. President Riley said the decision to fill the vacancy was a difficult one, as all five candidates would have been excellent choices.

Click here for the process the Board of School Trustees followed for filling the vacancies.

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.

P-H-M’s ENL Department is hosting their annual Community Connections Fair on Saturday, November 1st.

Join us for activities, arts & crafts, food, performances, and to learn about resources in our community. It is completely FREE and all P-H-M families are invited to attend. Click here to see photos on Facebook of past Fairs.

For any families that want to sign up to perform, please click here to fill out the Google form.

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

P-H-M hosted a districtwide drug awareness parent and community meeting on Tuesday October, 21, 2025 to help educate P-H-M families and the greater community about the current drug trends attracting teenagers. This valuable information is something all adults should be aware of, click the image above to watch the recorded video of the presentation. It will only be available until end of business day Thursday, Nov. 20th.

The session was led by Tall Cop Says Stop™ contracted educator, Melissa Moore, CPS. Tall Cop Says Stop™ was created by Officer Jermaine Galloway, an Idaho law enforcement officer since 1997. Galloway is regarded as one of America’s top experts in various drug and alcohol trends and specializes in underage drinking and drug enforcement. For more than 15 years, he has trained school administrators and safety personnel in spotting the dangers that threaten teens and the community. Melissa Moore, a 24-year public health experienced professional, who works to advance the mission of Tall Cop Says Stop™ in helping educate parents/guardians and students about the latest deadly effects of so-called recreational drug use.

Click here to access Melissa Moore’s resources referenced in her presentation.

Questions can be directed to the presenter at m3consultingllcwi@gmail.com.

Moore also presented a student focused presentation to Penn students (grades 9-12) during the school day on October 21st and 22nd.