What’s recently happened?
As autumn falls over the brick walls of Penn High School, both students and staff ramp up for what the academic year has to offer.
Throughout the month of September, two Penn staff members were going through the casting process to be on Netflix’s “Squid Game: The Challenge.”
This show is a reality remix of the hit Netflix series “Squid Game.” In this version of the series, 456 contestants take part in a lineup of heart-stopping games to become the sole survivor and walk away with the $4.56 million cash prize.
Coaches Brad Harper and Bennett Blazo are both in the final round of casting for the hit reality show, surpassing the hopes and dreams of over 267,000 others.
“I just looked at the credits on the last episode of the first season and it just said ‘are you interested in being in the next season?’ I was like, ‘You know what? Some of these people are ridiculous, and I deserve to be on,’” Blazo said.
Both Harper and Blazo will discover if they win or not in late November.
In student news, the annual Penn Homecoming took place on October 4 and 5, with a game against Elkhart High School.
The Spirit Week before the weekends events was full of Penn pride, with Monday being dress up or dress down day, Tuesday being anything but a backpack day, Wednesday hosting jersey day, Thursday being decades day (Seniors wore togas, juniors dressed in ‘90s apparel, sophomores in ‘80s, freshmen in ‘70s, and teachers in ‘60s clothing), ending with a neon theme that plays into the school’s overall theme of construction.
New this year, Penn presented a Homecoming Prince and Princess for all underclassmen grades. This section of the court was presented at the pep rally taking place the afternoon before the game.
Freshmen nominees included Alaina Cook, Maddi Underhill, and Madeline Gruse for Princess, and Collin Hubbard, Nicholas Matze, and Julian Reynolds for Prince. Gruse and Hubbard took this win.
Sophomore nominees included Sophia Hurley, Andy Sanchez, and Logan Edwards for Princess, and Andrew Dell, Carter Minix, and Kale Shirk for Prince. Hurley and Minix held the crown for their grade, but Hurley decided to give the crown up to Sanchez, as Sanchez and Minix are in a romantic relationship.
“I just couldn’t do that to Andy,” Hurley said.
Junior nominees included Nataliya Bryant, Phoebe Wood, and Tanijah Doss for Princess, and Brody Cashen, Jeremiah Hannor, and Trent Mager for Prince. Wood and Cashen were crowned.
After the Pep Rally, preluding parade (which hosted floats from all sorts of Penn clubs and sports), and the first half of the football game, this year's King and Queen were announced.
Nominees for King included Sean Bell, Brayden Plummer, Jack Scalise, Jake Cadotte, and Kellen Watson. Nominees for Queen included Lydia Shely, Olivia Bennett, Zoe Weaver, Josie Clarke, and Anika Guenther.
Shely and Plummer won this honor, earning the approval and applause of their peers.
As a finale for the fun-packed weekend, the Penn Harris Madison Education Foundation hosted its Homecoming Dance on October 5. The dance’s theme was titled “Building Your Own Fairytale” to suit the school year’s overall theme of “Building Bright Futures.”
What’s coming up?
On October 11-13, The Penn Theatre Department will host its 11-Hr Theatre Festival. This event entails all kinds of students producing a short play in 11 hours.
Seven writers have three hours to complete an original short script, seven directors and 21 actors have six and a half hours to rehearse, and four technicians have one and a half hours to perfect the performance.
The official presentation of the short play will be on October 3 at 3 p.m. in the Penn Center for Performing Arts. Tickets will be available for $5 at the gate.
Penn’s Early College Academy is taking a trip to several Indiana colleges on October 14 and 15. Students will visit Indiana University Bloomington, be honored during the halftime show of an Indiana Pacer’s Basketball game, and visit multiple Indianapolis universities as well.
This trip is completely free to all juniors and seniors in the academy, sponsored for a grant from the Urban College Accelerated Network.
Staff spotlight:
With every new year at Penn, new teachers roam the halls of the school. Spanish 2 Teacher Maria Guillen-Garcia is one of these few teachers.
Growing up in Venezuela, Guillen-Garcia has always been passionate about both English and Spanish. She came to Indiana in early 2019, attaining an associate’s degree in general studies from Southwestern Michigan College and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Indiana University South Bend.
Since then, she’s worked as a medical interpreter and as an English as a New Language teacher's aid at Penn before becoming a full time Spanish teacher. Becoming a teacher wasn’t Guillen-Garcia’s original goal, but it’s a decision she’s glad she made.
“I wouldn’t say that I always wanted to be a teacher, because I wanted to be so many other things when I was younger,” she said. “When I experienced teaching for the first time, I realized that is what I wanted to do.”
While the transition from teaching English in Venezuela to teaching Spanish in the United States wasn’t easy, Guillen-Garcia handled it perfectly. She’s proud of the excellence she’s brought with her.
“It’s different - the expectations, the procedures - but it’s been great,” she said.
Guillen-Garcia is also thankful for the warm welcome she’s received at the school.
“It’s a really safe space. Whenever I ask a question, someone is always willing to listen to me,” she said.
She teaches Early College Spanish II, with a mix of regular Spanish II classes. Regardless of her foreign background, Guillen-Garcia has adjusted greatly to the world of Penn.
Student spotlight:
While a large number of Penn student athletes are multi-sport, few go to the lengths that Freshman Shreya Nayee does.
In the fall, Nayee participates in Cross Country and plays as midfielder for the Girls Soccer Team. In the winter, Nayee plays forward for Penn’s Girls Basketball Team, and runs for the Track & Field Team in the spring.
Nayee doesn’t remember a time before her athletic reign, as it’s all she’s ever seemed to know. She’s played both soccer and basketball from what she feels was the beginning of time.
“I’ve played forward from a really little age. The basketball team I play for has been like a family for me. We’ve formed our own AA group,” she said, “We're all really close - and the coach, he's always been super cool. He would always say the team was like a family.”
Nayee continues to emphasize the student in student-athlete despite her full schedule, and is described as very school oriented and efficient by her teachers.
“Sometimes I procrastinate,” she said. “I’ll be up late studying, but it’s worth it.”
With two loving parents and two older brothers, Nayee has had a successful model set up for her her whole life. She hopes to fulfill the expectations she’s had set for her and has also set for herself.
“They both did so well in high school, so I feel like I have to live up to that to some degree,” she said.
Nayee attended Northpoint Elementary School and Discovery Middle School before aging up to Penn, and is still unclear about what she wants to pursue in the future.
However, with the support of her friends and family, Nayee is confident in her future, knowing that her determination and love for what she does will get her through it.
“Sometimes I think, ‘Oh my gosh, I don't want to do this,’ or ‘Can I not go today,’ but I always end up going and then it's fun in the end. It's like a process,” Nayee said.
With a fiery start to her high school career, Nayee shows no signs of stopping. With determination and grit, motivation and organization, and the support of everyone around her, she’s got the eye of the tiger.