Pana Education Foundation is excited to bring you this year's LICENSE PLATE fundraiser! Forms are now open to submit your license plate choices for the fundraiser in which plates are displayed from October 1 - November 30, 2025. The form will remain open until Friday, July 25th so get those customized plates while you can! Forms can be accessed at the following link: bit.ly/pefplate25
After a weekend seeing sights with their host families, the Panthers and their German classmates reconnected this morning in our meeting room to debrief. After that, we were treated to a tour of a few of the world-renowned vineyards and wine estates of the Rhine-Hesse region, many of which are still family-owned. Viticulture is the economic life blood of this region, just as corn, soy, and other crops are critical to our own. Part of our tour involved sampling an assortment of grape juices while being pulled around behind tractors by two incredibly friendly college students — brothers whose family owns a number of the vineyards we toured. Of course, we didn’t sample any of the wines, but I imagine the students will be able to do that during their college study abroad experiences. Clearly, they’ll want to come back to Germany very soon.
We wrapped up our first week in Germany today in a pretty low-key way. The Panthers spent time in our partner school’s classes, sharing their cultural expertise. The school also celebrated its graduation ceremony today. This weekend, everyone has different plans with their hosts. Some are going to Paris, some are doing some shopping, and some are just bonding with their new extended family members. Whatever they’re up to, we’re sure they’ll be building bridges for future PHS students to cross as we continue our partnership exchange in future years.
Today we took a short trip down the Fairy Tale Road via ship on the Rhine. We made friends with some deer, hiked up some challenging hills, took in the views of the Rhine Valley, endured an impressive wind storm on top of a mountain, and had a close encounter with a part of the world from which endless aspects of our Midwestern cultural heritage are derived. As the PHS German teacher, I can’t think of a better way to give meaning to what we do in class.
A key feature of the German-American Partnership Program is educating about life in the US. We might think that others know a lot about us, but the reality is generally the opposite. Even things that to us seem boring, mundane, or self-explanatory are fascinating tidbits to our school partners. Each of the PHS GAPP students spent some of their time today sharing about the daily lives and practices of Americans. The more we understand each other, the better prepared we are to cooperate.
After many long hours in the air, PHS students were welcomed with open arms by students from our partner school at the airport. One very short and jetlagged night later and we were off to our first day at school and our first field trip. We visited the studios of ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen), one of Germany's major national broadcasters, to learn about the media in Germany and how major broadcast productions make it on the air.
Our GAPP group started our adventure yesterday at ORD! First stop, Istanbul — where we’re currently drinking coffee and recovering from our flight. Next stop, Frankfurt!
The Pana High School Office will be open today and Friday from 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.. If you need to pick up scholarship checks, or Panther Pit gear please do so this week! The office will open back up on July 21st. Have a great summer!
If you ordered Panther Pit shirts, they are in! You can pick them up in the High School front office between 8:00 a.m.-3:00p.m!
🎉🎓 Congratulations to our Honor Roll students at Pana Junior High School! 🌟 Your hard work and dedication have truly paid off! 🙌✨
🎉🎓 Congratulations to our High Honor Roll students at Pana Junior High School! 🌟 Your hard work and dedication have truly paid off! 🙌✨
Congratulations to the May First National Bank Senior of the Month, Lauren Ambrose. Lauren is the daughter of Tony and Tina Ambrose. Lauren is a two year member of the National Honor Society, and a four year member of FCA, FFA, Student Council and CKH. In her spare time Lauren enjoys baking. Lauren plans to attend Lake Land College in Mattoon. Congratulations Lauren!
Congratulations to the Pana Sr. High School Students of the Month for May.
L - R: Freshman - Carley Nicolaides; Sophomore - Madison Davis; Junior- Jaycie Funneman; Senior - Issabelle Reed; Jennifer Mathis – Peoples Bank & Trust
Congratulations to these Panthers on their hard work, dedication, and accomplishments!!
Healthy and nutritious summer meals are available for children (18 and under) when school is out. To find a site close to you,
call or visit the website below.
CALL (800) 359-2163 OR VISIT WeGotYouIllinois.org
Sun Meals and Sun Meals-To-Go are part of the Summer Food Service Program funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by the Illinois State Board of Education.
Pana CUSD 8 recognized certified and non-certified staff for reaching milestone anniversaries with the district, highlighting the value of experience and continuity in Pana’s schools.
35 Years of Service: Eric Arnold
Pana CUSD 8 recognized certified and non-certified staff for reaching milestone anniversaries with the district, highlighting the value of experience and continuity in Pana’s schools.
30 Years of Service (left to right): Lori Harlow, Paul Donahue
Pana CUSD 8 recognized certified and non-certified staff for reaching milestone anniversaries with the district, highlighting the value of experience and continuity in Pana’s schools.
25 Years of Service (pictured below, left to right): Rosilyn Schutt, Carena Watson, Beth King; Not pictured: Darlene Vanus, Tom Foster, Heather Smith
Pana CUSD 8 recognized certified and non-certified staff for reaching milestone anniversaries with the district, highlighting the value of experience and continuity in Pana’s schools.
20 Years of Service (left to right): Anna Patton, Stacey Smedley; Not pictured: Sherry Wallace
Pana CUSD 8 recognized certified and non-certified staff for reaching milestone anniversaries with the district, highlighting the value of experience and continuity in Pana’s schools.
15 Years of Service (left to right): Mark Schmitz, Greg Cothern; Not pictured: Michelle Herbord
Pana CUSD 8 recognized certified and non-certified staff for reaching milestone anniversaries with the district, highlighting the value of experience and continuity in Pana’s schools.
10 Years of Service (left to right): Hillary Whalen, Michael Malisia, Grace Holthaus; Not pictured: Tim Eddy, Jessica Niehart, Tabitha Houseman
