What’s recently happened?
With the new year beginning, several things have happened for the better at Penn High School.
The Sports Performance Center at Penn went through a name change these past few weeks, with a ‘Culver’s’ now in front of it. This follows a $125,000 donation from Keith Remington and Mark Nowak, co-owners of Culver’s, located on McKinley Highway a half mile from the school.
Over the first few weeks of August, several Penn alumni competed at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
Sarah Hildebrandt, who graduated in 2011, won gold in the 50 kg Women’s Wrestling event.
On Sept. 8, Granger’s Urban Swirl & Scoop (owned by Hildebrandt and Penn’s head coach, Brad Harper) hosted a “Welcome Home Sarah Hildebrandt” parade to honor the gold medalist. Additionally, Urban Swirl & Scoop has released its ‘Sarah Smasher’ - a blend of vanilla ice cream with marshmallow cream, Reese’s Cups, cookie dough, and sprinkles.
Annie Drews, who also graduated in 2011, led her team to this year's silver medal in volleyball.
The summer of 2024 is nearly over, so fall sports at Penn are starting to ramp up.
Kingsmen Football started its season against Valparaiso High School on Aug. 23. Quarterback Kellen Watson led the team to a winning score of 49 to 42 by scoring four touchdowns and throwing three to Wide Receiver Tayshon Bardo. This season is Watson’s first as quarterback, following a controversial switch from being a wide receiver made by new head coach Pete Riordan.
Both Penn Boys and Girls Cross Country teams placed first at the NIC Stomp on August 24.
The girls team finished with a final score of 17 points, and the boys finished with a score of 28.
What’s coming up?
Every year, the Kingsmen's school spirit gets better and better. This year, a big change will be made to the student section at football games.
Kingsmen Court, also known as Penn Student Government, has been in the works of finding a mascot to bring engagement up for the student body.
“We plan to have everything laid out by the Homecoming game. It’s a last-minute thing, but it’s something the students have wanted for a long time,” Kingsmen Court Executive Reah Frydrych said.
Senior Ar’rion Love was among the first to show interest in being a mascot for Penn games.
“Showing spirit is not only a fun thing when more people do it, but it encourages our sports teams to try their hardest,” Love said.
With a mascot brewing around the corner, Homecoming week is also approaching quickly.
The third day of Homecoming week, Oct 2, hosts the school's annual Powderpuff tournament. In this tournament, teams full of girls from all grades will compete for the 2024 Powderpuff crown.
Finally, the Kingsmen face off against Elkhart High School on Oct. 4 with both a pep rally and parade foreshadowing the game. The day after, on Oct. 5, the school is hosting its second yearly Homecoming dance.
Staff spotlight:
As one of the freshman guidance counselors at the school, Marni Cronk helps spearhead the current state of the program. While she puts lots of hard work and dedication into the program, she believes it does pay off.
“I love to see older students help younger ones make a smooth transition to high school. It's a win-win for everyone,” Cronk said. “The Mentors get to give back to their Penn community and grow as leaders, and freshmen have the opportunity to make new friends and connect with an older student who will be a friend and resource for navigating high school.”
Cronk has been with the program for 18 years and has been at Penn for 20. Her passion for counseling in general doesn’t go unnoticed by anyone.
“I want to make a difference and give all students a safe space to talk about any issues - whether it be academic, personal, social, family, etc - they are facing, as well as help them work towards achieving their future goals and dreams,” Cronk said.
Outside of her job, Cronk enjoys reading, baking, working out, traveling, and spending time with loved ones. All of this balances her to be the counselor many Penn students know and love.
Student spotlight:
South Bend Museum of Art hosts its annual Festival of Banners every July to September. In this festival, all community artists are encouraged to submit their art to be hung at Chicory Cafe in South Bend. Penn Junior Sophia Salas achieved this honor this year.
With organic line art and complimentary colors, Salas’ piece, Molecule, is currently on display.
The banner comes from an assignment in Salas’ 2D and 3D art class.
“Honestly this was just a fun process and I just made something that was fun,” Salas said. “I got inspiration from 'Monster’s Inc.’”
For this assignment, students were instructed to make a piece that used only fluid lines and complementary colors.
“My favorite complementary colors are blue and orange because they don’t pop out too much to hurt the eyes, but they pop just enough to show the contrast between colors,” Salas said.
Salas feels honored to have her piece appreciated like this, especially one that she likes so much.
“Even though it’s really simple, it was my favorite one out of the three pieces I did for that project,” Salas said.
While Salas is known for her artistry, she also plays lacrosse for several teams - such as Penn’s and the University of Notre Dame’s.
After high school, she plans to continue with the sport, but hopes to pursue a creative career, as she claims it’s part of her as a person.
“I draw on everything I can - walls, paper, nicknacks,” Salas said.
The future of Salas and her art is bright, as she continues to make more and more awarded