What’s recently happened?
After a six year hiatus, the Penn High School Talent Show made its return on Jan 22. Over 200 people gathered in the Center for Performing Arts to watch 14 student acts, consisting of: comedy, singing, rock bands, spoken word poetry, and even a student who could impressively chug a whole liter of Mountain Dew.
Acts were judged by a panel of teachers and special guest judge Brittney Baily from B100 country music station. There were prizes given for first, second, and third places.
Senior Nix Hardman came in third for their performance of their original song “Glass Walls.” Hardman also won the audience favorite award, which featured a special trophy.
The Royal Base Quartet, a group of four students in the school's upcoming “The Spongebob Musical” production, placed a close second for their rendition of “What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor.”
The first place prize went to a group of Penn Seniors consisting of David Guarraci, Andrew Neely, John Isaacson, and Sam Hubert for their cover of Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida.”
Junior Noah Rossow was named the “South Bend Tribune’s” Student of the Week for the week of January 13.
Rossow is an active member of the Health and Human Services Academy and the Swim and Dive Team at Penn. Teachers describe him as a model student-athlete because of his dedication to his studies and sport.
“I want to be a math teacher,” Rossow said. “I want to impact the next generation.”
Outside of the classroom, he also volunteers his time coaching and mentoring middle school student athletes before school with the futures lifting program.
What’s coming up?
The annual Snowball Dance is just weeks away, with tickets priced $30 for Feb 16. This year's theme is “An Evening in the Garden.”
Taking place over Presidents Day Weekend, the week preceding the dance features four Spirit Day themes: Pajama Day, Twin Day, Country vs. Country Club, and Elphaba vs. Glinda (Green vs. Pink).
Husband and Wife Duo Mark and Kelley Watts will be co-head coaches of the Penn Boys Volleyball Team for its first Indiana High School Athletic Association sanctioned season.
Mark Watts has played for the Purdue Men’s Volleyball Club, the Midwest Professional Volleyball Association, and placed third place with the U.S. Volleyball Association, while Kelley Watts has played at Benton Central High School and with the Lafayette Area Volleyball Association.
Boys Volleyball had its first season at Penn in 2024, but the pair is taking over the team as it becomes officially recognized by the state
“We’re going to build this program from the ground up, so we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, but we’re excited to give back to our community, who’s given so much to us,” Kelley Watts said.
Practice for the team is ongoing, and the season officially begins in March.
Eight Penn debaters will travel to Des Moines, Iowa this summer for the National Debate Tournament. This comes after Penn’s Debate Team took second place at the Indiana Debate State Championships, falling only to Carmel High School.
Alina Luck, Jaanavi Kaush, Amina Spahic, Rebecca Wolter, and Akul Bhamabani qualified for the National Debate Tournament at the Northwest Indiana District event. Chris Chen, Stanley Liew, and Noah Shafer are also set to travel to Des Moines, Iowa for the nationwide tournament this summer for the second consecutive year.
Staff spotlight:
Penn Sports Journalism Teacher and Sports Information Director Curt Rallo was recognized for his impact in the month of January. He was named to the Class of 2025 Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame.
He’s taught at Penn for the last 24 years, and has more journalism experience than most. Graduating from Indiana University-South Bend with his bachelor’s degree and then Bethel University with his master’s degree, Rallo has covered athletics with “The South Bend Tribune" for 38 years. He’s covered Big Ten Men’s Basketball and Football, all four major sports leagues, and all sorts of high school sports.
“He’s very organized, that’s how he’s so successful,” said Sports Journalism Student James Mason.
Alongside his current content with the Associated Press, Rallo tasks himself with running The Pennant, Penn’s sports media program. Alongside this, he announces some Kingsmen sporting events, as well as being a Penn-Harris-Madison (PHM) District Communications Team member.
His enthusiasm for what he does slips through in his teachings, and he’s inspired a fair number of students to pursue sports journalism either as a hobby or career.
“I love it because there’s always something new. Because there’s going to be drama, there’s going to be fascinating people, there’s going to be excitement,” Rallo said.
Rallo has reported on athletes such as Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and many others. It's been a long time coming for Rallo to be recognized on a state level, and he’s honored to be honored.
“It’s really a special moment for me, and it's something I appreciate. I didn't expect this, but it's kind of a weird feeling,” he said. “It's an honor for something I love doing. I love covering sports and meeting incredible people, so I'm really grateful and humbled by it.”
Rallo sees this accomplishment as just another step in the ladder as he grows even further as a writer and reporter.
Student spotlight:
Every year, the Scholastic Arts and Writing Competition seeks to highlight the creativity and dedication of high school students across the country. Every year, numerous Kingsmen win Gold Keys, which automatically send their submissions to national competitions, and Silver Keys, which submit work to regional programs.
Junior Eliza Wright won one Gold Key and two Silver Keys for her photography work.
Wright’s Gold Key work is a double exposure film photo, a combination of a picture of a girl looking up at the sky on top of a picture of street signs.
“Every picture I take portrays who I am,” she said. “I do photography because it gives me a sense of self and a way to express myself uniquely. There is so much that can be displayed through this art.”
Her love for the art stems from her father, who always had a camera laying around in her childhood. Ever since those early days, Wright’s been obsessed with making active moments still through the click of a button.
“I find inspiration for my photos through what interests me. For example, I have a love for photographing my cats,” Wright said.
As an avid cat lover and generally family-oriented person, Wright’s two Silver Key submissions were of her domestic long hair and her little sister.
Outside of her photography classes, Wright is an active member of Penn’s Early College Academy through Ivy Tech Community College, as well as engaging in city government through the Mishawaka Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council.