The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) announced today (Friday, May 23) that Northpoint is among the 16 schools newly named STEM Certified Schools–certified leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education!

Our school completed a rigorous application and review process, which must be repeated every five years to remain certified Click here for more information on the IDOE’s STEM Certification process. Click here to view the materials we submitted for the IDOE’s review. 

The IDOE’s STEM Certification program recognizes schools committed to teaching STEM disciplines beyond the classroom. STEM Certification exemplifies a highly innovative approach to education, employing a great deal of inquiry, project-based learning, community engagement, entrepreneurship, student-centered classrooms, integration into humanities and related arts and out-of-school STEM activities. For secondary schools in particular, earning STEM Certification requires heightened intention and coordination in terms of vision, scheduling and interdisciplinary collaboration. More than 100 schools statewide hold STEM Certification.

We also congratulate our fellow P-H-M elementary school, Elm Road, for receiving their re-certification after first being named a STEM Certified School in 2020.

Northpoint Elementary 3rd grade students have been learning about life cycles in a hands-on way.

Thanks to the generosity of a Northpoint parent who owns a farm, fertilized chicken eggs were donated to the classrooms. Over the past few weeks, students carefully weighed and monitored the eggs while keeping them in incubators.

This week, the chicks began to hatch. After hatching, the chicks were moved to a holding tank equipped with heat lamps to keep them warm.

Students are now observing the chicks and continuing to learn about their development.

Once the hatching process is complete, all chicks will be returned to the donor’s farm.

For the 12th consecutive year, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation was named among the 2025’s Best Communities for Music Education (​BCME) in the country by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation! P-H-M has received this recognition more than any other school district in Indiana!

This year NAMM has named 935 school districts as the nation’s Best Communities for Music Education, and P-H-M is one of them! The award program recognizes and celebrates outstanding efforts by teachers, administrators, parents, students, and community leaders who have made music education part of a well-rounded education. Designations are made to districts that demonstrate an exceptionally high commitment to and access to music education. 

In P-H-M elementary schools, music class is part of the regular curriculum following state standards. Students are instructed in both vocal and instrument classes. Beginning in 6th grade, P-H-M students at our three middle schools (Discovery, Schmucker and Grissom) have the opportunity to choose choir, orchestra or band as their music elective. Students at Discovery also have the option of choosing Piano Lab. Schools from elementary all the way up to Penn High School also perform musicals.

Penn High School offers the Fine Arts & Communication Academy as part of its unique academy structure. The seven academy design provides Penn students with relevant and meaningful coursework taught in smaller, supportive environments where each student is known well by his teacher and peers. Nearly a third of Penn’s total 3,500 students are enrolled in the Fine Arts Academy with the majority being involved with music programs, either Choir, Orchestra, Band or another music program.

To qualify for the Best Communities designation, P-H-M answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program, and community music-making programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas. Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music.

In a series of landmark studies by scientists and researchers at Northwestern University a link was found between students in community music programs and life-long academic success, including higher high school graduation rates and college attendance. In another study from the University, it was discovered that the benefits of early exposure to music education improves how the brain processes and assimilates sounds, a trait that lasts well into adulthood. Beyond the Northwestern research, other studies have indicated that music education lays the foundation for individual excellence in group settings, creative problem solving and flexibility in work situations, as well learning how to give and receive constructive criticism to excel.

The annual one mile run for P-H-M fourth and fifth graders is held at Penn’s Cross-country course, which is located behind Elm Road Elementary School. The race is sponsored by P-H-M’s Education Foundation,

This event encourages fitness, healthy choices and wellness. Fourth and fifth graders, from all 11 P-H-M elementary schools are encouraged to sign up for the free running club. Designated coaches at each school are then tasked with training the runners for the 6-week club which then culminates with the Running is Elementary one mile race.

More than 500 students participated this year! The students are cheered on by their fellow students, their families, principals, teachers and running coaches; it’s amazing to see the dedication and hard work the students put in to complete the race. Click here to see the full photo gallery below.

Cindy Batalis, Mary Frank P.E. teacher, began the yearly tradition of Running Is Elementary back in 2008. Batalis’ own love for running and her desire to pass that love on to students is evident in the passion she puts into the Running is Elementary event each year. 

CONGRATULATIONS to all the students who participated! It is a tremendous accomplishment to complete a one-mile cross country course race. Below are the race results show 1^st, 2^nd, and third place winners.

Race Results:

5^th Grade Girls Winners

1. 6:31, Bib #518, [Prairie Vista]
2. 6:45, Bib #90, [Elm Road]
3. 7:01, Bib #11, [Bittersweet]

5th Grade Boys Winners

1. 6:03, Bib #484, [Northpoint]
2. 6:21, Bib #221, [Horizon]
3. 6:26, Bib #551, [Prairie Vista]

4^th Grade Girls Winners

1. 6:45, Bib #462, [Northpoint]
2. 7:21, Bib #476, [Northpoint]
3. 7:35, Bib #64, [Bittersweet]

4th Grade Boys Winners

1. 6:27, Bib #309, [Madison]
2. 6:29, Bib #468, [Northpoint]
3. 6:50, Bib #437, [Moran]

Click Here for Full Photo Gallery

• 5th Grade Girls – 3:00 p.m.
• 5th Grade Boys – 3:20 p.m.
• 4th Grade Girls  – 3:40 p.m.
• 4th Grade Boys – 4:00 p.m.

Limited parking is available at Elm Road School. Overflow parking is at Grissom Middle School with shuttle buses running to Elm Road School. 

PARENTS: Please give yourselves plenty of time to arrive and get parked. You may end up having to park at Grissom and take the shuttle. Please follow the signs for parking at Grissom; school is still in session and releases at 4:00 p.m.

Spectators who park at Elm Road may be asked to wait to pull out of the lot if student runners are on the course. Please do not get impatient with volunteers; this is for our students’ safety.

Ongoing issues from yesterday’s storm (Sunday, March 30, 2025) still persist, having an impact across our area and school district, and also resulted in P-H-M Administration calling for an eLearning today, Monday, March 31st. Tens of thousands of households and businesses are still without power, and numerous travel hazards remain throughout the district and are actively being addressed. 

Northpoint and Mary Frank Elementary Schools are still without power, and Indiana Michigan Power (AEP) has indicated that restoration efforts in that area could last through late tomorrow evening, Tuesday, April 1, 2025.

Right now, P-H-M plans to open all schools tomorrow, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, with the possible exception of Mary Frank and Northpoint Elementary. 

We will continue monitoring power restoration efforts and will directly communicate with impacted families if Mary Frank and Northpoint Elementary Schools must remain closed and have an eLearning for tomorrow, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Any announcement of a decision to call an eLearning day would be made by 6:00 am on April 1, 2025.

As a reminder, P-H-M spans 135 square miles, covering Penn, Harris, and Madison townships, which receive service from Indiana Michigan Power (AEP), Mishawaka Utilities, and NIPSCO. 

Meanwhile, P-H-M Transportation and Safety and Security Administrators are actively evaluating road conditions and coordinating with St. Joseph County officials to monitor closures and hazards. If you are aware of conditions that may prevent bus service to your home or neighborhood or have concerns about your child’s safe travel to school tomorrow, you have the following options:

• Transport your child to school yourself, or
• Keep your child home—this will be considered an excused absence, though your child will be responsible for making up any missed work.

P-H-M will allow groups and sponsors to proceed with voluntary, previously planned events and activities this evening, with the exception of Mary Frank and Northpoint Elementary. Participation at P-H-M’s other 13 schools is optional and at the discretion of the organizers.

We appreciate your patience, understanding, and cooperation as we work through these challenges. Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

Northpoint Elementary students took the stage for a historic moment—performing in the school’s first-ever musical production, The Big Bad Musical!

This courtroom-themed comedy put a creative twist on classic fairy tales. The story follows the Big Bad Wolf as the defendant in a class-action lawsuit brought forward by familiar characters like Little Red Riding Hood, the Three Little Pigs, and more. With each witness taking the stand, the audience is left to decide—is the Wolf really as bad as they say, or is there more to the story?

Students brought the characters to life through acting, singing, and lots of humor, earning big laughs and applause from the audience.

Congratulations to all the young performers, and a special shoutout to the staff and volunteers who helped make this exciting new tradition possible!

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A 4th grade team from Northpoint competed in the WordMasters Challenge™ finished 2nd in the Blue Division with a score of 189 out of 200.

Prairie Vista was among five schools nationally who had teams place among the Top Ten in three or more grades competing:

• 3rd grade Prairie Vista team scored an impressive 183 points out of a possible 200 in Round 2 placing them #1 in the nation for the Blue Division! Two members of the 3rd grade team received perfect scores.
• 4th grade Prairie Vista team finished 9th with a score of 176 out of 200.
• 5th grade Prairie Vista team finished 2nd with a score of 182 out of 200.

WordMasters Challenge is a national competition for students in grades 3-8 that encourages growth in vocabulary and verbal reasoning. Unlike other language arts competitions for this age group – which focus on grammar, punctuation, spelling and other language mechanics – the WordMasters Challenge™ helps students learn to think both analytically and metaphorically.  The contest addresses higher-level word comprehension and verbal reasoning. Every year more than 125,000 students from some of the best public and private schools throughout the United States participate in the WordMasters Challenge.

It was a clean sweep for Northpoint at P-H-M’s at this year’s Elementary Spell Bowl–with the 5th grade team earning a perfect score! Click here to see the photo gallery below.

The annual event, held March 25th at Penn High School, is a competition between 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th grade student teams from all 11 elementary schools compete. The number of points between the placing teams are within just points of each other!  

Below is this year’s “leaderboard” listing all first, second, and third place team scores:

3rd Grade Winners:

• 1st place- with 29 points, Northpoint, coached by Nichol Mondy
• 2nd place tie- with 28 points, Prairie Vista, coached by Renee Johanson
• 2nd place tie- with 28 points, Walt Disney, coached by Matt Serge
• 3rd place- with 27 points, Mary Frank, coached by Andrea Christensen

4th Grade Winners:

• 1st place- with 29 points, Northpoint, coached by Jen Payne
• 2nd place- with 25 points, Bittersweet, coached by Matt Bodnar
• 3rd place- with 23 points, Prairie Vista, coached by Rachel Kline

5th Grade Winners:

• 1st place- Perfect Score of 30 points, Northpoint, coached by Kendra Suddarth
• 2nd place- with 29 points, Prairie Vista, coached by Shelley Lebiedzinski
• 3rd place- with 28 points, Bittersweet, coached by Michelle Leniski

The teams spend weeks preparing for Spell Bowl with their teacher coaches. They may study word lists, learn about derivations (e.g., Latin roots) and rules (e.g., capitalization, pluralization), and how to spell correctly under pressure.

The format of the Spell Bowl is more like a written test. The emcee reads a word and uses the word in a sentence, the students listen and then write it on paper within a 15-second time limit. The students’ written entries are reviewed by a panel of judges and then their score is posted in front of the audience. Each correct word spelling is worth one point.

The annual event is held in Penn High School’s Center for Performing Arts to not only accommodate all the student teams, but also the students’ “fans,” which are their family, friends and other staff from their home schools!

Mrs. Franca Peluso Mulhern, P-H-M’s High Ability Coordinator, manages the Spell Bowl and works to assure that it is a positive and enriching experience for students. Academic competition can give students confidence, increase their motivation to sharpen their skills and abilities, and expand their opportunities to receive recognition.

Congratulations to all the student teams and coaches; they put in a lot of time and hard work!

When Northpoint Elementary kindergarteners arrived at school this morning, they were in for a surprise! A sneaky leprechaun had visited their classrooms overnight, leaving a trail of mischief. Desks were messy, papers were scattered, and carefully decorated leprechaun traps had been knocked over.

But all was not lost! Among the chaos, the leprechaun left behind special “gold coins” as a small token for the students.

With teamwork and enthusiasm, the kindergarteners worked together to clean up the mess, turning the unexpected visit into a fun and memorable St. Patrick’s Day adventure.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

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