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

This year's “Short Hair Because We Care” will hold a hair donation event for the Children With Hair Loss organization will be held Saturday, November 16 at Penn High School's Studio Theater.

Anyone in the community can donate their hair, but the minimum is 8 inches of hair. Hair that is colored and permed is accepted. Local professional hair stylists will be donating their time to cut volunteers hair for free. Because this is for hair donation, the service provided is just a simple cut, no style.

This event was started in 2019-2020 school year by a group of 7th grade Grissom Middle School students, one of which was Ella Smoker, Valedictorian Class of 2024.

“It started as something that students could give, that wouldn’t be money or something they wouldn’t have control over being young students, but everyone can donate their hair, so that’s why we started it: to give everyone an opportunity to serve even if they don’t have other resources,” said Smoker. Click to see the WNDU-TV's story.

Last year, 33 people donated a total of 334 inches (click to see photos)! Donate this year and help beat last year's totals!

If you're interested in donating, click here to sign up using the Google form.

Email shbwcphs@gmail.com with questions, and follow the group on Instagram at @shbwc_phs. 

If you can't make it to the event or don't have enough hair to donate, you can still help out by donating directly to Children With Hair Loss.

Children With Hair Loss is a nonprofit organization that provides hair replacements at no cost to children or young adults facing hair loss at no cost. Whatever the cause, hair loss can have effects that go deeper than cosmetics. Providing this hair is how this organization gives back to the community. You can help us give back to your community and the children facing hair loss by donating your hair or simply spreading the word about the event to everyone! 

With the start of the 2024-2025 academic year, P-H-M is switching to ParentSquare, a new unified, user-friendly, communications platform designed with parents and guardians in mind. CLICK HERE TO GET ALL THE INFO YOU NEED TO GET STARTED.

ParentSquare provides a centralized location for families to receive communications from school principals, teachers, coaches, and front office staff on all their students, in all schools, in all classrooms! CLICK HERE TO GET ALL THE INFO YOU NEED TO GET STARTED. 
 

Parents/guardians receive alerts, updates, and posts on:

• important notifications, such as school closings and delays
• attendance
• principal & teacher newsletters
• school & classroom calendar of events
• volunteer & RSVP for events
• fill out permission slips & other forms
• … ALL IN ONE LOCATION!

Families chose their preferred mode of communication for non-urgent notifications– app, text, email, phone. Parents/guardians can also chose to have all communications automatically translated to their preferred first language.
 

As we approach the first day of school (Wednesday, August 21), principals and teachers will be using ParentSquare to share important "Back to School" information. Parents and guardians are asked to activate their accounts by Monday, August 12, 2024. 

PLEASE NOTE: If your child is transitioning to a new building from last school year, the information will be updated later this summer. You are still able to register for ParentSquare.

To activate parent/guardian accounts, parents need to check their email for the welcome and introductory email.

The email was sent between Thursday, July 11 and Friday, July 12, 2024 with the subject line: “Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp. is now using ParentSquare.” 

The sender of the email will appear as “Penn-Harris-Madison via ParentSquare” with a donotreply @parentsquare.com email address, similar to this … donotreply+01d8d49e-b6f1-47f3-ac23-d45abf67b233@parentsquare.com

Today (Friday, September 15, 2023) Penn-Harris-Madison’s Learning Division awarded their first Teacher Impact Awards. New this year, the P-H-M Impact Award is being presented to educators who have helped their students achieve individual academic growth on their formative assessments over time. All P-H-M teachers across the district are dedicated to helping their students achieve personal academic success. The P-H-M Impact Award is shining the spotlight on those teachers who are showing the most significant overall student growth during the 2022-2023 school year (Round 1 of Awards). These teachers are prime examples of how our teachers and students achieve P-H-M Excellence!

With the help of Principal Elizabeth Cunha and Assistant Principals Troy Kauffman and Kevin McMillen, Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Heather Short, Dr. Lavon Dean-Null, Ryan Towner, and Executive Director of the P-H-M Education Foundation Jen Turnblom surprised 7^th grade teacher Emma Zerfas while she was teaching Math Class. Her students were overjoyed for her! Zerfas students had the highest consistent 7th grade Math growth of all 7th grade Math teachers in P-H-M’s three middle schools. Zerfas’ students averaged 47% growth in proficiency; the average P-H-M proficiency growth was 28%. Click here to see photos on Facebook.

Dr. Thacker and team also gave two awards to 5th grade co-teaching team of Lexie Banks and Erin Horvath at Mary Frank. With the help of Principal Christie Heerschop, Dr. Thacker was also able to surprise Banks and Horvath. Banks and Horvath had the two highest Math growth scores for 5th grade in P-H-M. Banks’s Class went from 3% proficiency at the beginning of 2022 school year (Clear Sight), to 97% proficiency on the Spring 2023 ILEARN. Horvath’s class went from 5% to 90% proficiency. Banks’ class had a gain of 94% and Horvath’s 85%! The average 5th Math grade gain across P-H-M 5th grade was 50%.Click here to see photos on Facebook.

As a side note, Horvath’s classroom was Dr. Thacker’s room when he taught at Mary Frank!

P-H-M is grateful to the Education Foundation for covering the cost of these beautiful awards. 

The Teacher Impact Awards are also a testament to the hard work and outstanding learning and comprehension of our students and the support they receive from their families. That’s P-H-M’s Triangle of Success!

This was only Round 1 of surprising teachers with the Impact Awards. There are many P-H-M teachers to recognize in the days, weeks and months ahead!

The last day of school for the 2025-2026 school year is Thursday, June 4, 2026. But your child’s education does not have to end, and should not. Research shows students may lose two or more months’ worth of reading achievement, a month or more of spelling learning skills and about 2 months’ worth of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills during their summer break.

That’s why P-H-M offers a wide variety of activities over the summer from District enrichment camps to Penn athletic camps, as well as opportunities for students to improve their academic skills in Summer School. The enrichment academies are offered through P-H-M’s Learning Division and are FREE! We believe that children’s summer break can be fun while also giving students the academic boost they need.

Listed below are some of the activities available to P-H-M students and children in the greater community this summer. Parents are responsible for transportation unless otherwise noted. Not all camps are open to students who do not attend P-H-M schools, so please read the qualifications for each camp carefully. Click here for a listing of non-PHM community organizations that also offer summer camps activities.

Please Note: Camp Availability Subject to Change

Penn Athletic and Academic Camps

• Kingsmen Camps: Penn coaches and members of the P-H-M faculty offer a wide variety of athletic and academic summer camp opportunities, including sports such as cheerleading, basketball, baseball, flag football, and boys and girls volleyball, as well as academic options like robotics and speech and debate. Camps are open to current students in grades K–8 (most are open to all children in the community). There is a cost for these camps.
  • Click here to see the full listing on Penn’s website. 

Enrichment Academies

• Visual Arts Academy (July 13 – 17, July 20 – 24, or July 27 – July 31, 2026)
  In this award-winning one-week academy, current P-H-M Kindergarten – 5th grade students learn art history, art production and writing through a unique integration program. The program is based at Penn High School and in collaboration with the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art. Families may select the week that is most convenient for all of their children to attend, regardless of their grade.  The program is free of charge. Registration is required and it is on a first come first served basis as space is limited for this week long learning opportunity!
  • Click here for complete information and to register for the Visual Arts Academy
     
• Junior STEM Academy 
  In this one-week academy, current P-H-M Kindergarten – 5th graders will discover how math and science are applied in the real world. Each week is reserved for specific grades and will be held at Penn High School.  The program is free of charge.  Registration is required and it is on a first come first served basis as space is limited for this week-long learning opportunity!
  
  • Kindergarten and 1st grade attend the week of July 27 – July 31
  • 2nd and 3rd grade attend the week of July 20 – 24
  • 4th and 5th grade attend the week of July 13 – 17
  • Click here for complete information and to register for the Junior STEM Academy
     
• Junior Foreign Language Academy (July 13 – 17) 
  This academy integrates the German language, social studies, culture, visual arts and music into an intensive and enriching learning experience.  The one-week camp is held at Penn High School and is open to current P-H-M 3rd, 4th or 5th grade students.  The program is free of charge.  Registration is required and it is on a first come first served basis as space is limited for this week long learning opportunity!
  
  • Click here for complete information and to register for the Junior Foreign Language Academy
     
• Learn a Foreign Language Academy (June 15 – 26) 
  This two-week academy is open to current P-H-M 6th and 7th graders.  The course will be taught by Penn High School Foreign Language teachers who will teach the students how to read, write, and speak in Spanish.  The program is free of charge. Registration is required and it is on a first come first served basis as space is limited for this week long learning opportunity!
  
  • Click here for complete information and to register for the Learn a Foreign Language Academy

Opportunities through P-H-M Community Education – Click for Full Brochure

Community Education classes are open to any student in the community; the child does not need to be a P-H-M student or live within the District to be eligible.

Learn to Swim Classes: (Penn High School, Session I: June 15-26, 2026; Session II: July 6-17, 2026; Session III: July 20-July 31, 2026)
All three sessions are 10 classes held at the Penn High School pool.  Classes are 30 minutes each and take place both in the morning and afternoon with 8 different class times to pick from. Children must be at least 4-years-old and potty trained. The cost is $50 per child, per two-week session. Click for more details.

Camp Invention (Mary Frank Elementary School – June 22-26, 2026)
A week-long summer enrichment program for children entering Grades 1–6. Camp Invention program instills life skills such as problem-solving and teamwork through
hands-on fun! Camp will be held Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. It will be based at Mary Frank Elementary School. The cost is $290 Click here to register and pay online through the Camp Invention website.

Super Kids Camp (Horizon; June 15-19, 2026 | Mary Frank; July 13-17, 2026 | Elsie Rogers; July 27-31 2026)
Students entering Grades 1- 6 will experience an engaging rotation of science, music, art and fitness activities in this half-day camp. Camp hours are 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at three locations. The cost is $50 per child per camp. Click here for more details.

Youth Theater Camp at Penn High School (Session I: June 22-26, 2026; Session II: July 20-24, 2026)
A one-week creative and expressive experience for students entering Grades 5 – 8. Pick one (or both) of these weeks for your child to attend. This half-day camp is offered 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. The cost is $90 and includes a t-shirt. Click for more details.

Summer Kids Club (June 8th – August 14th)

Full-day childcare will be offered for  current P-H-M students in grades K-5. Children will enjoy a variety of educational and recreational activities, crafts and field trips. Click here for more details and online registration. 

Summer School Information 

P-H-M will conduct two Summer School sessions prior to the start of the 2026-2027 school year. Current P-H-M students who need the academic boost from summer instruction will receive invitations to attend. Penn High School students are able to take high school classes for credit in either summer session. Some students will work online to complete coursework and make up credits.

For elementary, middle and high school students, Summer School will be offered. Times vary depending on the program, please refer to the programs below.  

ELEMENTARY SUMMER SCHOOL (Grades K-4, June 11 – July 1)

• Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Meadow’s Edge and Moran Elementary School, breakfast & lunch provided, P-H-M Transportation available to students that live within PHM boundaries

MIDDLE SCHOOL SUMMER SCHOOL (Grades 5 – 7, June 11– July 1)

• Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., Penn High School, P-H-M Transportation available to students that live within PHM boundaries

YOUNG ADULT & LIFE SKILLS (Grades 6 – Young Adult, June 11– July 1)

• Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., Penn High School, P-H-M Transportation available to students that live within PHM boundaries

PENN HIGH SUMMER SCHOOL, Session 1 (June 11 – July 1)
PENN HIGH SUMMER SCHOOL, Session 2 (July 9 – July 29)

• Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., Penn High School, P-H-M Transportation available to students who live within P-H-M boundaries

P-H-M students entering grades 9-12 must register with their school counselor to take high school summer school classes. Click here for more information on Penn’s website. 

We’re thrilled to welcome back all of our 11,000+ students and are excited to help all our students achieve Excellence.

The first day of school will be Wednesday, August 20, 2025 for grades 1 – 12.

• All students in 1st through 12th grades will report to their school buildings that day, and all those who are signed up for transportation services may ride the bus that day.  
• Kindergarten orientation takes place on Wednesday, August 20, 2025 with the first full day of kindergarten being Thursday, August 21st.

BACK TO SCHOOL EVENTS. MARK CALENDAR & ATTEND! 

• Our elementary schools are hosting many fun Back to School family events starting the week of August 11. Be on the lookout from communication directly from your school principal. 
• All three Middle Schools are also planning a Walk-Around on Thursday, August 14^th. Be on the lookout from communication directly from your school principal. Make sure you mark your calendar and plan to attend!
• Penn is hosting a “Walk Around” to help parents and students get familiar with the school:
  • Penn High School’s “WALK AROUND” on Saturday, August 16, from 9 a.m. – Noon gives students a chance to familiarize themselves with the school and find where their classes and activities are located.

The BACK TO SCHOOL INFORMATION listed below will help P-H-M parents and students get ready for the 2025-26 School Year! 

CONTACTING SCHOOLS OVER THE SUMMER

• Elementary and Middle School Front Offices open Monday, August 4th.
• Penn is open every week day over the summer.
• All schools are open Monday – Friday during business hours. Those hours vary by school.
• Click here for the School Directory of all 15 schools

REGISTERING STUDENTS

• Register a new elementary or middle school student by visiting the school after offices open August 4, 2025. Click here to know what documentation you need to bring with you for registration.
• Register a new Penn High School student by calling (574) 254-2851. We will help you schedule your registration appointment and advise you on what information to bring with you to the appointment.  

BACK TO SCHOOL PACKETS & FORMS

• Back to School packet & information sheets
• Parent/guardians will sign these three forms in ParentSquare:
  • Photo Consent
  • Mandatory Curriculum Consent
  • Handbook Certification   
• These forms will be in Skyward Family Access:
  • CHIRP Release
  • Chromebook packet
  • Authorization to administer non-prescription medication at school
• Back to School Info Sheets

Click here for more information on how to login into your Skyward Family Access account

SCHOOL CALENDARS

• Here is the SY 2025-26 one-page calendar showing “at a glance” the start and end dates, as well as scheduled recess and vacation dates.
• All P-H-M families are mailed a District Activities Calendar early August. It lists key school and district events throughout the year.
• Our online (Google) calendars are the most up-to-date. You’ll find a link to the P-H-M Corporate Calendar posted on the home page of the District website. It’s a Google calendar that can be added to your personal calendar.
• Each school also maintains an online Google calendar on the home page of each school website that is updated frequently with the school’s scheduled activities and event details. You can also the school’s Google calendar to your personal calendar to remember important dates.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

• All P-H-M schools provide basic school supplies to our students, free of charge. Therefore, our schools do not issue supply lists. You will need to purchase a backpack, water bottle, lunch box, and other items you want your child to have at home or take with them to school. If other specific items need to be purchased for a class or lab, your child’s teacher will inform you after school starts.  

IMMUNIZATIONS AND HEALTHCARE SERVICES

• Click here to make sure you child is up-to-date with all required immunizations. 
• Proof of immunizations must be provided to the school office by the first day of school.
• Kindergarten parents, please click here to learn about important kindergarten health information and medical forms before your kindergartner’s first day of school. 
• Click here for the forms administering medications at school
• Click here for more information on P-H-M Healthcare Services 

TRANSPORTATION

• School bus route times and locations will be shared with parents in a Transportation letter to be emailed before school starts
• Parents can check EZRouting to see your child’s bus route information online
• Here Comes the Bus provides real time GPS bus location info so parents know when to send their students out to the bus stop
• Have more questions about Transportation? Visit their webpage for contact information.

FOOD SERVICE

• Visit our Food & Nutrition page  to see monthly menus and find nutritional information
• See if you qualify for Free/Reduced Lunch and Textbook Assistance. Click here to apply online.
• Online payment for child’s meals
• Other Payment options

PARENTSQUARE

• Penn-Harris-Madison uses ParentSquare to send urgent alerts, such as school closings and delays.
• Principals and teachers also use it for noncurricular school and classroom communications.
  • Penn High School coaches and teachers who sponsor clubs, academic teams or extracurricular activities use StudentSquare to safely communicate with students, without exchanging cell phone numbers. Click here for details on how students can sign up for StudentSquare.
• Click here for instructions on setting up your account.
• Once your account is set up, families can chose their preferred mode of communication for non-urgent notifications–app, text, email, phone. You can also chose to have all communications automatically translated to your preferred first language. Click here for details on how to personalize your account and check your notification settings.

CLOSINGS/DELAYS PROCEDURES

• Make sure you sign up for ParentSquare to receive school closings/delays urgent alerts.
• Click to see how, when and what factors into P-H-M’s decision makings for 2-hour delays and closings. 

Penn-Harris-Madison’s culture of excellence, what we call #PHMExcellence, is built upon the “Triangle of Success”– linking students, teachers, and parents for the the best outcome for students. Success depends on supportive parents … help us help your children!

PARENTS Click here for ways to stay informed, as well getting connected and volunteering.