In a special meeting held Tuesday, May 27, the Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees unanimously (7-0) approved the appointment of Dr. Heather Short as the district’s next superintendent effective July 1, 2025.

Nearly 50 P-H-M teachers, administrators, staff, family and friends showed up to express their overwhelming support of Dr. Short’s appointment.

Dr. Short, a lifelong educator who has dedicated her entire 31-year career to P-H-M, will succeed Dr. Jerry Thacker, who is retiring after 19 years of transformative leadership. Dr. Short has served as Assistant Superintendent for Instruction since 2017. During her tenure, P-H-M students have experienced consistent academic growth and achievement.

“I am deeply honored by the Board’s confidence and grateful to Dr. Thacker for his mentorship throughout my career,” said Dr. Short. “It has been the privilege of a lifetime to grow as a leader within this incredible district. I’m excited to continue working alongside our talented staff, dedicated families, and exceptional students to expand opportunities and ensure every child thrives.”

Under Dr. Short’s leadership, P-H-M ranks in the top 4% of Indiana districts based on ILEARN scores. The district also outpaces the state average by 20 percentage points in overall percent passing rates.

“There is no one better—or more qualified—to lead P-H-M’s continued path of academic excellence than Dr. Short,” said Chris Riley, President of the Board of School Trustees. “Her academic expertise and visionary leadership in developing rigorous, relevant curriculum have been key to our students’ success. Dr. Short was the Board’s clear and unanimous choice for superintendent.”

P-H-M is home to some of Indiana’s highest-performing public schools in both English/Language Arts and Math. Prairie Vista Elementary ranks #3 in the state, while Discovery Middle School ranks #2. In Spring 2024, P-H-M’s IREAD pass rate was 86.8%, surpassing the state average of 82.5%. Three P-H-M elementary schools—Prairie Vista (97.7%), Northpoint (95%), and Horizon (95.3%)—achieved pass rates above 90%.

Included in her district-wide academic strategy was a robust Response to Intervention (RtI) program and expanded summer offerings that support both enrichment and remediation.

Dr. Short’s leadership journey reflects deep roots and unwavering commitment to P-H-M. She began her career as a classroom teacher before serving as an Instructional Leader and High Ability Coordinator. Click here to learn how Dr. Short and Board Trustee Katie Bell’s paths crossed when Dr. Short was a 3rd grade teacher at Northpoint. In 2004, she became principal of Prairie Vista Elementary. Recognizing her talent for professional growth and instructional excellence, Dr. Thacker appointed her in 2007 as P-H-M’s first Director of Professional Development—a role she held for a decade before being named Assistant Superintendent.

Throughout her career, Dr. Short has been deeply committed to developing others. She co-created a nationally recognized leadership development program designed to build internal capacity among P-H-M educators and administrators. Her strategic focus on professional development has empowered teachers at every level—from new educators to veteran principals—through initiatives like the annual Literacy Summit and the New Teacher Series.

As Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Short has combined her instructional leadership with strong fiscal stewardship. She has overseen the management of multimillion-dollar budgets and successfully secured hundreds of thousands of dollars in state grants—investments that have directly enhanced classroom instruction, expanded student programs, and strengthened districtwide operations.

“Dr. Short possesses one of the most valuable qualities a leader can have: the ability to build genuine relationships,” said Dr. Thacker. “She makes personal connections with teachers, principals, staff, families—and most importantly, students. She understands the P-H-M culture because she helped build it. There is no one more fitting to serve as the next superintendent.”

After the Board approved Dr. Short as the district’s new leader, Board members shared well wishes and comments. Trustee Katie Bell (elected in November 2024) talked about how things have come full circle for her as a former student of Dr. Short’s when she taught 3rd grade gifted and talented students at Northpoint. The two were actually featured in an article that ran in the South Bend Tribune in March 2003. The article featured Dr. Short teaching her students how to use PowerPoint for their Geography reports on Asia. Click here to read the original story.

Fast forward to 2013 to when Dr. Short was P-H-M’s Director of Professional Development, she interviewed Bell for a teaching position. Bell was hired as a kindergarten teacher in 2016 at Prairie Vista Elementary School and Dr. Short led the professional development for all new teachers. 

“Dr. Short and I are a testament that it’s never goodbye, it’s always see you later,” Bell said. “And I think that shows the true impact of a teacher, that they are in your lives forever, and that you will always remember them.”

Media Coverage

• South Bend Tribune
• ABC 57
• WSBT-TV
• WNDU-TV

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.

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!

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The P-H-M Education Foundation is proud to support teachers and students by funding innovative classroom grants that enrich learning experiences beyond the school district’s budget. From small purchases under $100 to larger projects exceeding $1,000, every grant enhances classrooms in meaningful ways. Click here to read about Education Foundation Grants and to see the full list of winners, or read the recap below.

Total Grants Awarded: $59,999.96 (Total 2024-2025 Grant Budget – $60,000)

● Total EZ Grants Requested – $24,533.26
● Total EZ Grants Approved – $10,369.23
● Total Traditional Grants Requested – $87,874.09
● Total Traditional Grants Approved – $49,630.73

EZ form grant requests for $750 or less:

1. Remediation Phonics
○ Meadow’s Edge Elementary
○ Ufli & Secret Stories Curriculum for 2nd grade
○ Awarded $260.00

2. “One Choice” Book Study
○ Schmucker Middle School
○ Purchase 60 copies of the the Jack & Nick Savage story “One Choice” books
○ Awarded $600.00

3. Elsie Press back in commission
○ Elsie Rogers Elementary
○ Funding for the Elsie Press Newspaper
○ Awarded $165.00

4. Third Grade Writing Portfolios
○ Meadow’s Edge Elementary
○ Publishing and resource materials for writing
○ Awarded $479.58

5. Infant CPR Training Kits
○ Discovery Middle School
○ Infant CPR Training kits from the American Red Cross
○ Awarded $685.62

6. Star Buddies, Coffee Shop for All
○ Discovery Middle School
○ Materials and supplies for coffee shop for teachers run by exceptional education students
○ Awarded $300.00

7. Film Photography Processing
○ Penn High School
○ Materials and tools for the film classes and darkroom
○ Awarded $320.00

8. Let your Learning GLOW
○ Elm Road Elementary
○ Black lights and materials for ILearn review in 4th grade classrooms
○ Awarded $661.51

9. Middle School Clay Assistant
○ Grissom Middle School
○ Slab roller for clay materials
○ Awarded $666.62

10. Ricochet Stools for Fidgety Students
○ Discovery Middle School
○ Stools designed for students to rock/tip safely
○ Awarded $638.20

11. Wiggle Seats for Classroom/Small Group Table
○ Prairie Vista Elementary
○ Wiggle seats/flexible seating for students
○ Awarded $509.94

12. Enhance Comprehension through updated Classroom Libraries
○ Elm Road Elementary
○ New books that encourage the comprehension process
○ Awarded $544.71

13. The One and Only Bob Literature Story
○ Prairie Vista Elementary
○ 25 copies of The One and Only Bob” books
○ Awarded $250.10

14. North Point Drama Club “The Dazzles”
○ Northpoint Elementary
○ Creation of a Drama Club including “The Big Band” Musical
○ Awarded $583.00

15. Scintillating Science
○ Discovery Middle School
○ Tabletop ice maker for the Science classes
○ Awarded $371.49

16. Photography Club: Explore to Fine Art Photography
○ Penn High School
○ SD memory cards for cameras
○ Awarded $107.88

17. Microscope for all learners
○ Penn High School
○ Digital microscope that can connect to a computer
○ Awarded $479.00

18. “Wonder” Novel Study
○ Bittersweet Elementary
○ Purchase of 30 copies of the novel “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio
○ Awarded $377.70

19. Coding with Beebots for Kindergarten
○ Northpoint Elementary
○ STEM based coding robots for all kindergarten classes to share
○ Awarded $676.00

20. Door M Picnic Table Part Deaux
○ Penn High School
○ Picnic table for outdoor space for teachers’ and students’ use
○ Awarded $750.00

21. Preschool Playground Revamp
○ Penn High School
○ Refurbish and install new equipment and play areas outside of Door K including a sandbox in partnership with Penn Construction for the Penn Preschool
○ Awarded $419.38

22. Discovery Band Tuners
○ Discovery Middle School
○ Devices that clip to music stands helping students tune their instruments
○ Awarded $523.50

Full Funding:

1. Learning by Induction
○ Penn High School – John Gensic, John Fitch, Rachael Meyers, Brian May, Steven Sanders, Toni Boger-May
○ 10-12 grade Sciences & Culinary Arts students
○ Awarded $1,347.74
○ A unique collaboration between STEM and FACs classes at Penn obtaining equipment to modernize space in the culinary classes to include more user-friendly and energy efficient induction cooking materials. Science students will use previously funded thermal cameras and partner with culinary students to help them see a direct connection between science, technology and the application in everyday lives in the kitchen.

2. Drumming Up Creativity
○ Elm Road Elementary – Cynthia Berryman
○ All kindergarten through 5th grade students through Music class
○ Awarded $1,655.84
○ 12 new “tubano” drums that will promote bilateral coordination and facilitate complex rhythms using two hands. Students will become composers and create their own music with partners and will perform within the school community.

3. Schmucker Speech Room Upgrade
○ Schmucker Middle School – Jenna Pacheco
○ All middle school students receiving Speech Therapy
○ Awarded $2,626.00
○ Upgrades in interactive technology through a video smart board that allows for effective and interactive therapy sessions benefiting students with communication difficulties under the guidance of speech therapy.

4. Mary Frank and Northpoint Tech Upgrades Phase 2
○ Mary Frank Elementary & Northpoint Elementary – Jason Poff
○ All K-5th grade students
○ Awarded $5,036.98
○ Expansion of sounds and lighting equipment to enhance Fine Arts performances. These upgrades will help students become more effective communicators through performance experience and more technical lighting and sound engineers.

5. You Can’t Swipe This Screen – Screen Printing Basics
○ Penn High School – Alex Dunfee
○ Digital Design students in grades 9-12
○ Awarded $3,373.58
○ Provides students the opportunity to learn the screen printing process in class (one of the most common ways to print on fabric.) Students will design and make their own ink-based screen printed shirts and have the opportunity to collaborate and produce products with other student organizations within Penn High School.

6. Feeding You Mind One Book at a Time & Inchy’s Bookworm Vending Machine
○ Horizon Elementary – Sue Robers & Emily Cornett
○ Elsie Rogers Elementary – Hollie Truckowski
○ All K-5th grade students
○ Awarded up to $7,169.00 per vending machine; $14,338 total (schools to negotiate and work together on pricing/vending machine design)
○ Funds to purchase a book vending machine as part of an incentive program allowing students to earn tokens to then use to purchase a book with the help of staff from the vending machine. Students will have the opportunity to keep the book encouraging the promotion of literacy as a reward with increased student engagement. Vending machines will have the PHMEF logo branding and will be displayed prominently within each school (library or school lobby.)

7. Grissom’s Embouchure Project
○ Grissom Middle School – Camille Roper
○ Band students in grades 6-8
○ Awarded $1,757.50
○ Purchase of embouchure (mouth shape) and ear training skill building tools for the band program allowing students to correctly and quickly improve their progress in learning music. Students will build fundamental skills in embouchure development, tone production and audiation skills.

8. Integrating Children’s Books into Physical Education
○ Walt Disney Elementary – Stephen Gouorko
○ All K-5th grade students
○ Awarded $300.50
○ Unique collaboration with classroom teachers and librarians to implement an interdisciplinary learning program that promotes literacy and physical activity in students. Students will use books to research new ways to eat healthy and make better choices while playing games and participating in physical activities based on the books.

9. The Prairie at Prairie Vista
○ Prairie Vista Elementary – Dr. Keely Twibell
○ All K-5th grade students, other PHM schools and the greater PHM Community
○ Awarded $10,250.00
○ In collaboration with community volunteers, the school community and PTO organization, Prairie Vista will restore and utilize the natural prairie area on school property. The grant will create learning opportunities for all PHM students allowing them to engage directly with the natural world. Teachers can bring classes out to the natural environment to create a dynamic learning environment. Students and community members will be encouraged to take an active role in prairie conservation efforts, clean-up activities, seasonal maintenance and seeding initiatives and will be an area that other schools can visit to pursue research projects and advanced study. Restoration efforts include but aren’t limited to Wildlife identification and trail marker signs, observation station stumps, a natural obstacle course, raised garden beds, bird and bat houses, microscopes, binoculars, magnifying glasses and field guides to enhance the learning experiences.

10. Tinker and Thrive – 3D Printing for Focused Students
○ Penn High School and all 11 Elementary Schools – Kyle Marsh
○ K-5th grade students and 9-12 grade Penn students
○ Awarded $4,936.56
○ Purchase and installation of 3D printers in all elementary students with a designated teacher lead. Students who use fidget toys as a tool for focus and accommodation in the classroom, will have the ability to design and create their own fidget toys using 3D printing technology, empowering them with the ability to customize tools that best supports their unique needs for attention and engagement.

11. Write On!
○ Walt Disney Elementary – Katie Carroll
○ All K-5th grade students
○ Awarded $1,884.03
○ Organization and expansion of the student Engagement Lab where students and teachers use props and visuals to illustrate/bring to life student’s written work. It will provide an opportunity for cohesive and engaging writing experience for students as they grow in Math, Language Arts, Science and Social Studies. Materials will also be incorporated into school community events like the Math and Literacy Night and Culture Night at Walt Disney Elementary.

Partial Funding

1. Power Hour: Fitness & Focus for a Strong Future
○ Discovery Middle School – Terry Arter, John Hedrick, Kevin McMilen & Autumn Stout
○ All 6th-8th grade students
○ Requested $5,000.00
○ Awarded $1,795.00
○ Funds to purchase new workout equipment to start a workout club before school, enhance exercise during PE and offer opportunities for athletes before and after school. The current equipment is unsafe and damaged. These funds will be used to begin replacement of old equipment. Funds are in collaboration with the Discovery PTO and Dr. Aaron Leniski & Mrs. Elizabeth Cunha’s existing budgets.

2. Foreign Language Academy
○ Horizon Elementary – Ally Schmidt
○ All K-5th grade students
○ Requested $1,049.00
○ Awarded $329.00
○ Purchase of a Spanish Language Curriculum, Calico Spanish, which is designed for kindergarten through fifth grade students. Students will be taught in six 1-hour sessions as a part of an afterschool club. There is the possibility to expand into other languages in the future. Grant is in partnership with Horizon Staff funded through the Horizon PTO and in collaboration with Penn High School Mentors as suggested volunteers for the program.

Saturday, March 1, 2025   

9:15 a.m. – 11:25 a.m. 

at 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 17 – deadline is Friday, February 14, https://bit.ly/BooksandBots

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 Shannon Anderson, participate in a variety of robotic explorations, and visit a “Make It and Take It” puppet making session!

Shannon Anderson has spent 25 years teaching, from first grade through college level. She is now a full-time author, with picture books titled: B is for Belonging, Heroes Don’t Have to Fly, I Love Strawberries, and more. She is also known for her biography series, with books like The Story of Benjamin Franklin, The Story of Helen Keller, and so many more. A champion of kindness and positivity, Shannon believes that every day offers a new opportunity to make a meaningful difference.  

As part of the morning activities, students will participate in three rotations: one session with Shannon Anderson, one interactive puppet-making 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.

Students took ILEARN in the Spring. The students’ results are more than just a reflection on how well they know and retained what they learned in a particular subject area. Teachers work very hard to help their students review and retain the knowledge, and when necessary interventionist educators use RtI (Response to Intervention) tools.

The Fall 2024 P-H-M Teacher Impact Awards are given to educators who had the most significant individual student growth with Spring 2024 ILEARN (grades 3-8 and high school Biology), AP Testing at Penn, and highest RtI growth. 

Hollie Truckowski, Elsie Rogers Reading Specialist, was reading a story to students when Principal Christy Campbell and P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker walked into the classroom. Dr. Thacker was there to surprise Mrs. Truckowski with an Impact Award for having the highest growth for all students in reading specialist interventions programming. Mrs. Truckowski’s students made well above average growth in two important measures of early literacy, oral reading fluency and NWF, a standardized measure of decoding ability. Mrs. Truckowski works with students who are academically at-risk in reading, and her work puts these students on an important pathway for growth. Click to see the full photo gallery below.

Three other awards were given out on Thursday, December 12:

• LA (Kriss) High, 8th grade Math, Schmucker Middle School – Highest growth for 8th grade math, as measured from Spring ILEARN to Fall ILEARN Checkpoints. 
• Grace Blanchard, 6th grade, ELA/Reading, Discovery Middle School – Highest ELA/Reading growth in 6th grade when measured from mean fall ILEARN to ILEARN Checkpoints Achievement.
• Dawn Boulac, AP Statistics, Penn High School – Increased enrollment and qualifying scores on the AP Statistics Exam in May 2024 and an impressive 103 students met that benchmark! In addition, Penn AP Statistics students outperformed their peers at that state and global level in both mean scores and percentage passing. 

With the help of the building principals, Dr. Thacker surprised the teachers with the Impact Awards. He was accompanied by other members of P-H-M Administration Dr. Heather Short, Asst. Superintendent; Director of Professional Development Dr. Lavon Dean-Null; and Ryan Towner, Director of Literacy. P-H-M Education Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Turnblom was also on hand; PHMEF covered the cost for the beautiful awards which teachers can proudly display in their classrooms.

While all P-H-M teachers make an impact with their students, dedicated to helping them achieve personal academic success, the Impact Award shines the spotlight on educators who have helped their students achieve individual academic growth on their formative assessments over time. The first-ever Impact Awards were handed out in September 2023 and recognized the teachers with the most significant overall student growth during the 2022-2023 school year.

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U.S. News and World Report released its “Best Schools” rankings for K-8 public schools by state and Elsie Rogers is among Indiana’s top 39%. Elsie Rogers is ranked #393out of Indiana’s 1,000 elementary schools.

P-H-M’s elementary schools are at the top of the list:

• Northpoint #1 in Indiana  
• Prairie Vista #2 in Indiana  
• Horizon #19
• Mary Frank #32
• Bittersweet #56
• Moran #163
• Madison #200
• Elm Road #205
• Elsie Rogers #393
• Meadow’s Edge #239

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

• Discovery #3 in Indiana
• Schmucker #40

Our kindergarten students embraced the fall season with a month-long pumpkin adventure! Throughout October, these young learners explored everything there is to know about pumpkins. This hands-on learning experience sparked creativity and curiosity, as each student had the chance to decorate their very own pumpkin in a way that reflected their unique style.

But the real highlight of the pumpkin project happened on November 1st, when students were given the chance to launch their decorated pumpkins into an open field using a “water balloon launcher”  The children excitedly waited their turn before catapulting their pumpkins through the air!

The activity was not only a unique way to end their pumpkin studies but also brought lots of laughter and excitement as students cheered each launch.

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Every year the graduating seniors go back to their former elementary schools for “Senior Parades.” It’s fun not only for the students to see their former teachers, but it’s also fun for the current elementary students to see the graduates, congratulate them and wish them good luck!

Elsie Rogers’ Senior Parade was the last day of school Friday, May 31, 2024.

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