Press release from Fort Wayne Community Schools:
New leaders named for three LEAD Schools
New leaders were approved for three of Fort Wayne Community Schools’ five elementary LEAD Schools by the FWCS Board of School Trustees Monday, Feb. 22. The changes were made as part of the district’s effort to create incubators of reform in 11 district schools. Abbett, Adams, Bloomingdale, Fairfield and South Wayne elementary schools, Kekionga, Miami and Northwood middle schools, and North Side, South Side and Wayne high schools are the district’s LEAD Schools. LEAD stands for Leading Educational Achievement with Distinction.
At two of the elementary schools, the current principals will remain in place because this is the first year they have been leading their buildings. Robin Peterman will remain at Abbett, and Jeff Cline will remain at Fairfield. Adams, Bloomingdale and South Wayne will each have new principals next year.
Tim Bobay will become principal of Bloomingdale Elementary School. Bobay began his career in education in 1999 with East Allen County Schools. In 2006, he came to Fort Wayne Community Schools as an assistant principal at Fairfield Elementary. A year later, he was named principal of South Wayne Elementary. At Bloomingdale, he replaces Lucy Schmidt.
Replacing Bobay at South Wayne is Brenda West, who is currently principal at Adams Elementary. West joined FWCS in 1987 as a substitute teacher. She worked as a teacher at Pleasant Center, Fairfield and South Wayne from 1988 to 2001. In 2001, she completed an administrative internship at Fairfield and then spent a year working in the Curriculum Department. In 2003, West was named principal of Adams.
Federa Smith, currently principal of Nebraska Elementary, will replace West at Adams. She started her career in Marion Community Schools in 1972 working as a teacher and administrator. She remained at Marion until she joined FWCS as Nebraska principal in 2006.
The Board on Monday also approved Tim Burton as the new athletic director at South Side High School. Burton began his career in education as a substitute for FWCS in 1988. From 1989 to 1992, he worked as an English teacher at Garrett-Keyser-Butler. In 1992, he returned to FWCS as an English teacher at Elmhurst High School. During the 2005-06 school year he served as an administrative intern at Lakeside Middle School. In 2006, he became athletic director at Elmhurst, and in 2008, moved to athletic director at Wayne High School. At South Side, he replaces Jerry Amstutz.
About Fort Wayne Community Schools
With nearly 32,000 students, Fort Wayne Community Schools is Indiana’s second-largest school district. FWCS proudly allows families to choose any of its 53 schools through its successful school-choice program creating diversity in each school, including some with more than 75 languages spoken. FWCS offers seven magnet schools focusing on areas such as fine arts or Montessori at the elementary and middle school level as well as the prestigious International Baccalaureate program for high school students.
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