What’s recently happened?
Penn High School’s graduating class left high school years behind on June 4, 2024.
This year's class was made up of 854 students, from both Pennway Alternative School and Penn High School.
The ceremony was held in the Purcell Pavilion at the University of Notre Dame. The Penn class of 2024 earned nearly $16 million in scholarships overall, and 99 students earned their associate degrees through Ivy Tech Community College’s Early College program.
20 Penn students graduated with valedictorian status for this year's class: Mia Aboukhaled, Shayan Asafuddaula, Joel Bell, Owen Black, Henry Gillin, Lilian Gregory, Caroline Johnson, Suzana Josenhans, Bohdan Kolomiiets, Erini Mattheos, Aadil Qasim, Bella Schaetzle, Connor Schmitt, Jaden Shim, Ella Smoker, David Son, Jayden Wang, Lilian Weiss, Audrey Wise, Michelle Yuan, and Felix Zhang.
David Son – former president of Penn’s branch of the National Honors Society, founder of Penn’s Association for Children with Autism, and an executive of Penn’s student government – found his title rewarding.
“Honestly, it wasn’t really all because of me, but rather the people I was surrounded by,” Son said. “My close friends and family always encouraged me to achieve greater goals, and I don’t think I would be where I am today without them.”
Qualifiers for the salutatorian role were Anika Amin, Maria Goffinet, Rhea Rakhra, and Landon Sears. Sears is the first salutatorian to rise from the Early College Academy.
The Penn speech and debate team traveled to Des Moines, Iowa from June 16-21. Coached by Penn teachers Jeremy Starkweather and Danielle Black, Penn’s team ranked 40 in the country (out of 1,500 schools).
“This is by far the most I've had to break to the elimination rounds, which is a huge achievement,” Starkweather said.
The team's World Schools Debate – consisting of incoming seniors Noah Shafer, Chris Chen, and Stanley Liew – made it to the semi-finals and placed 4th out of 200 teams. In the Public Forum Debate, graduates Bohdan Kolomiiets and Noah Schafer ranked in the top 40 out of 280. In the Big Questions Debate, sophomore Mia Helm finished in the top 50 of 150 schools.
What’s coming up?
While the official school year is over, many Penn students are still in the school daily.
Penn’s summer school is split up into two sessions: semester one this year was from June 10-28, and semester two is from July 8-26. Classes offered include P.E. for incoming freshmen, health for incoming sophomores, Early College geometry, and Early College Comm 101.
Incoming Junior Eliza Wright took health before her sophomore year and is now taking Early College’s Comm 101/Fundamentals of Public Speaking.
“I’m grateful for this opportunity because it allows me to open up space in my class schedule next year. It’s special to me because it’s an awesome opportunity to bond with my classmates over the summer,” Wright said.
Outside the individual Penn realm, a lot more is happening in the Michiana community this time of year.
Located 14 minutes north of Penn is Urban Swirl & Scoop in Granger’s Heritage Square. The store has been a staple of the Penn district area since 2011, notorious for their self-serve frozen yogurt. Owned and operated by Penn head wrestling coach Brad Harper, The Swirl hosts several community events throughout the summer.
After taking a break for Independence Day weekend, the Swirl’s Patio Parties return on July 12 and repeat every Friday until August 26. U93’s radio host, Big Perm, is a guest DJ for this event; which features games, giveaways, and (of course) frozen yogurt!
From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. every Wednesday, the store hosts its Summer Reading Hours with a fill your cup for $5 deal.
The Mishawaka Parks and Recreation department hosts weekly outdoor concerts at their three biggest parks: the Battell Park Band Shell, Ball Band Biergarten, and the Central Park Stage. These concerts take place in the early evening and feature local cover bands who play a diverse genre of music.
The St. Joseph County 4-H Fair arrived on June 28 and runs to July 6, while the Elkhart County 4-H Fair takes place from July 19-27. Both events include classic midway rides, such as the Double-Decker Merry-Go-Round and the Star Dancer, daily entertainment, and livestock shows. Tickets and wristbands for both fairs are available online now.
Community member spotlight:
The Michiana area is filled to the brim with independent businesses, including Laurel’s Bench as well as Alloy Jewelry Studio and Gallery in Granger’s Time Square.
Connecticut-born Laurel Karnecki found her love for jewelry making at 13 years old. In 2004, she trained at the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts in San Francisco, California. In 2007, Karnecki created her current brand, Laurel’s Bench.
13 years later, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Karnecki opened her jewelry studio, Alloy.
“It gave me an outlet to display my work along with other artists I had come to know over the years and to share that work with our community one-on-one,” Karnecki said. “I missed meeting with people and opened a store where I could do that.”
The 2010s were filled with coast-to-coast travel for Karnecki before she eventually settled in Northern Indiana with her husband and two children.
“It’s been a long, sometimes challenging road, which will never make me rich with money, but it fills me with a huge sense of accomplishment and joy,” Karnecki said. Anyone interested in inquiring about Laurel’s Bench or Alloy should contact alloy14k@gmail.com.