The Moran 500

The real Indy 500 takes place Memorial Day Weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but Moran students got to experience a little bit of the excitement in school this week using the school’s Sphero robots in the school’s first ever “Moran 500.”
 
The first part of this schoolwide STEM initiative took place in the classroom with teachers working with students first learning more about the Indy 500.
 
Students then designed their Sphero cars. Each class had a trial run for their car, learning about the rules for the “Moran 500” and some details about the race and how to code their Spheros.  Lastly using code they practiced driving their cars with the Sphero. This gave the students the opportunity to change different parts of their cars so they would work best on the day of the race.  
 
Race Day took place during each grade level’s double special time so that there would be grade level winners. Check out the full photo gallery below.
 
Here are the winners broken down by grade:
 
  • 1st grade: Alexandria Moore, Blake Ridenour, Jermaine Wade, Asher Harter, Colin Simpson, Jeremiah Skomac, and Tyler Weiss
  • 2nd grade: Micha Stith, Max Hawkey, Zaine Burns, Trey Nemeth, Dominic DeDario, and Wyatt Welker
  • 3rd grade: Xavier Erdes, Mason Harris, Caydon Murray, Holden Arnold, Loeah Beehler, and Paige Warner
  • 4th grade: Gregory Rizhkov, Blake Callantine, Iker Aguero Regueiro, Esmin Mecavica, Elizabeth Ward, and Axle Wilkinson
  • 5th grade: Cameron Arbaugh, Diesel Wilkinson, CJ Stockbridge, Joseph Palacios, Connor Cole, Henry Hunsberger, Jayden Vanhphoumy, and Nick Vacarro

On May 25, we invited in some VIPs to give the Spheros a spin with Principal Lisa Russell: PHM Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Heather Short, and Soon to be Human Resources Director Dr. Lisa Soto Kile. From PHM’s Board of School Trustees Secretary Mrs. Clare Roach and Board Member James Turnwald also participated. Mr. Turnwald walked away with the Moran’s own version of the Borg-Warner Trophy! See more pictures of the VIP race in the full photo gallery below.

Moran 500
Board Secretary Clare Roach, Dr. Thacker, Dr. Soto Kile, Mr. James Turnwald, Dr. Short, Principal Russell
Moran 500
The VIP Race
Moran 500
Board Member James Turnwald wins Moran 500 VIP race

This schoolwide group project came together with a lot of work and collaboration, between Laura Scott, Wynn Trowbridge, Kathy Dressel and Jessie Kinney all working together!

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Community Connections Fair set for Saturday, March 26

Picture above taken at the 2018 Community Connections Fair

Community Connections Fair

Saturday, March 26, 2022

10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Schmucker Middle School

56405 Bittersweet Rd., Mishawaka

The Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation’s ENL Services’ is sponsoring the District’s FREE Community Connections Fair!

Come check out what the Mishawaka, South Bend, and Elkhart communities have to offer to your families!

P-H-M is inviting area businesses who want to participate in the Community Connections Fair to sign up. Click here to request a table at the event. 

The Fair will also include cultural performances from P-H-M students and families. Families wishing to sign up to perform, click here.

Flyers about the event are available in the following languages, please click to download and print:

Bilingual interpreters will be on hand at the event to assist those families who need it.

Come out and enjoy the many cultural performances and student work that will be on display representing countries from all over the world! 

Please join us!

For more information, please contact:
Nicole Parker
P-H-M Elementary ENL Coordinator
(574) 259-2486, Ext. 53261
nparker@phm.k12.in.us

Young Authors’ Conference, Sat. March 5

(picture above was taken March 2019)

Mark your 2022 calendars for P-H-M’s Young Authors’ Conference:

Saturday, March 5

8:30 – 11:00 a.m.

Schmucker Middle School

P-H-M Elementary students, grades K-5

Registration Fee: $5 per child

Online registration is at phm.revtrak.net. The deadline for registration is Friday, February 18, 2022.

 

The Young Authors’ Conference is for P-H-M students in grades K-5. The event, sponsored by Corporations for Education, a division of the P-H-M Education Foundation, provides an opportunity for students and their parents to meet and hear from a well-known children’s authors. Click here to view the photo gallery of the 2019 event.

This year students and their parents will meet and hear from well-known children’s author, teacher, and speaker, Gabrielle Balkan. Mrs. Balkan is best known for non-fiction books that delight readers ages 3-12 with curious and essential facts about the United States, animal record-breakers, and ground-breaking artists. Mrs. Balkan will share her experiences as a writer and illustrator during her engaging, grade-level  presentations.

Participants and parents will also enjoy an interactive, up-close animal experience from the Potawatomi Zoo staff.   As part of the morning activities, students will share their own writing piece in small, adult-led group sessions with students from other P-H-M elementary schools. While students are meeting with their peers, parents will join P-H-M Teacher and writing expert, Mary Nicolini, as she explores how writing can be a method for remembering and preserving events using real-life stories, drawings, and photographs.

Elementary student attendees will also work in small adult-led breakout sessions sharing their own writing pieces with other P-H-M students.

COST: The registration fee of $5.00 per child is used for conference expenses. There is no cost for the parent. One parent only must accompany students!  However, keep in mind that students and parents will separate for a portion of the day.  YOUNGER siblings may not accompany adults. This experience is for your young author and parent.

REGISTRATION: Online registration will be available at phm.revtrak.net. If you don’t have a P-H-M Revtrak account, you will need to create one. There is a fee for using this service. The deadline for registration will be Friday, February 18.

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

QUESTIONS: If you have any questions, please contact Lindsay Schirripa at lschirripa@phm.k12.in.us.

Register Now for the 2020 Silver Mile Bubble Bash on Sat., May 16

Saturday, May 16

8:30 a.m. – Noon

Penn High School

 

Register online today! Early Bird Registration is available until Sunday, May 3 ($20 for adults, $10 for students)!

Do you like bubbles? Well, if you do, you’ll enjoy the Silver Mile Bubble Bash!  

Highlighted changes for this year’s event:

  • Early start time, 8:30 a.m.
  • 1.5 mile and 5K route options
  • Lower early bird prices: $20 for adults, $10 for students
  • Family Pricing: $60 for four or more (at same address)

Missed out on all the bubbly fun last year? Don’t let it happen two years in a row! Watch the video and see how much fun you and your whole family will have …

The Silver Mile Run is the largest fundraiser for the P-H-M Education Foundation and all the proceeds go towards providing innovative P-H-M teaching grants, scholarships to students, staff development, and other corporation-wide initiatives.

Presenting sponsor Saint Joseph Health System will offer free health screenings including body mass index and blood sugar! Other area businesses will also be on hand to showcase health and fitness related activities, resources and services. 

After a fun day, leave with great bargains purchased at the Silent Auction. The P-H-M student talent showcase is always a crowd pleaser. Last year, the student groups included Horizon Show Choir, Bittersweet Cardio Drummers, Elm Road Jumping Eagles, Meadow’s Edge Dancers, and Penn High School Dancers.

Choose to walk or run the 5K or take a shorter loop. This exciting untimed race welcomes runners of all experience levels while blasting through foam bogs and fun spirit stations along the course.

The Silver Mile Bubble Bash is a chance for P-H-M families and local community members to get together and show their support for excellence in education in all P-H-M schools.  Proceeds are returned to P-H-M schools by awarding innovative teacher grants, scholarships to students, staff development and other corporation-wide initiatives.

Click here to take advantage of early bird registration and for more information on the Bubble Bash.

Robotics Tournament a Family Event, March 14 & 15

Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 14 & Sunday, March 15 for the FIRST Robotics St. Joseph District Event. Penn High School is once again hosting more than 40 high school FRC robotics teams from Indiana and Michigan who will battle it out for the title. Join more than 5,000 students, coaches, mentors, parents and fans during this one-of-a-kind two-day FREE event!

Saturday, March 14 

10 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Next Gen (K-8): 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

 

Sunday, March 15 

9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Click to watch the video below to check out all the upcoming excitement, then come out to cheer on Penn Robotics Team 135!

Make sure to also bring your young Robotics fans to “Next Gen,” an area for students ages K-8, who can get hands-on engaging fun with some of Team 135’s other robots. Next Gen will be open Saturday from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. This event is also FREE ADMISSION!