News release from Fort Wayne Community Schools:
Community Leaders Experience Life as a Principal
(October 14, 2014) – Fort Wayne Community Schools welcomes 55 community members into our schools to serve as guest principals for the annual Principal for a Day event. Guests representing local businesses, elected officials, service organizations and community groups, will visit their assigned schools the morning of Thursday, Oct. 16, unless other arrangements were made.
The guest principals will visit the schools from the beginning of the school day until noon, experiencing what a principal goes through in a day. From welcoming students into a building to dealing with concerned parents to working directly with teachers to improve academic achievement, principals do it all. The guests will see the amount of time principals spend as instructional leaders, a key component to ensuring each student is educated to high standards.
Following the shadowing experience, the principals and their guests are invited to lunch at Anthis Career Center, 1200 S. Barr St., where Culinary Arts students will prepare and serve a delicious French-inspired meal.
“This event is one of the highlights of the school year,” Superintendent Wendy Robinson said. “Education has changed immensely just in the last decade and looks nothing like it did when our guests were in school. We are excited to show our guests the rigorous academic environment in which our students learn each and every day and what our staff members are doing to ensure students are prepared for life after high school.”
The guest principals come from a variety of occupations, leadership positions and organizations in our community. The following is a list of the schools participating and their guest principals:
- Abbett – Kenneth Jones, CEO, St. Joseph Hospital
- Adams – Sen. David Long
- Anthis – Larry Wardlaw, Senior Vice President of Account Services, Asher Agency
- Arlington – Mark GiaQuinta, President, FWCS Board of School Trustees
- Blackhawk – Tiffany Gooden, Attorney/Partner, Hall & Gooden LLP
- Bloomingdale – Vernard Hollins, Always 100
- Brentwood – Glenna Jehl, FWCS Board of School Trustees
- Bunche – Rep. Martin Carbaugh
- Croninger – Phil Stinson, The Stinson Team
- Fairfield – Rep. Bob Morris
- Forest Park – Jane Avery, Executive Director, Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana, and Steve Corona, Secretary, FWCS Board of School Trustees
- Franke Park – Kourtney Teegardin, Grant Coordinator, Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership
- Glenwood Park – Nick Hoffman, Supervisor, Indiana State Police
- Haley – Thad Gerardot, Lincoln Financial Group
- Harris – Kevin Hunter, Owner, Windows, Doors & More
- Harrison Hill – Becky Hill, FWCS Board of School Trustees
- Holland – Daryn Schwartz, Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation
- Indian Village – Sgt. Major Rick Weber, Indiana Army National Guard
- Irwin – Randy Romero, Music Therapist
- Jefferson – Chris Angellatta, Chief Operating Officer, YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne
- Kekionga – Garry Hamilton, Chief, Fort Wayne Police Department
- Lakeside – Calvin Shannon, President/CEO, Calico Precision Molding, LLC
- Lane – Carrie Harris, Co-Owner, Tangles Salon and Spa
- Lincoln – John Runge, Ruoff Home Mortgage
- Lindley – Palermo Galindo, President, Greater Fort Wayne Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
- Maplewood – Lucretia Cardenas, Editor, Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly
- Memorial Park – Timothy Spradling, Vice President of Sales & Customer Success, New Image Printing
- Miami – Mayor Tom Henry, City of Fort Wayne
- Nebraska – Tom Bazow, President, Excursions Trailways
- New Tech Academy – Virginia Alvino, Reporter, WBOI
- North Side – David Gladieux, Chief Deputy, Allen County Sheriff’s Department, and Jeanice Croy, President, Tuthill Transfer Systems
- Northcrest – Donna Whinery, Board member, American Red Cross
- Northrop – Keith “Big Kess” Baker, Big Kess Morning Show
- Northwood – Todd Opacinch, Director of Operations, Oz Strength & Conditioning
- Portage – Amber Mackey, Manager, Wal-Mart
- Price – Tiffany Yoquelet, Project Administrator, 3 Rivers Federal Credit Union
- Scott – Rev. Javier Mondragon, Founder & President, Bridge of Grace CMC
- Shambaugh – Michelle Stoops, Public Relations Director, DeBrand Chocolate
- Shawnee – Steven Carr, Associate Professor & Graduate Program Director of Communication, IPFW
- Snider – Jack Morris, Attorney, Benson, Pantello, Morris, James & Logan
- South Side – Tracy Williams, FWCS Chief Academic Officer
- South Wayne – Sen. Dennis Kruse
- St. Joseph Central – Russ Crumback, General Manager & Vice President, Crumback-Symons Chevrolet
- Study – Jordan Lebamoff, FWCS Board of School Trustees
- Towles – Jill Ostrem, Senior Vice President of Health and Well-Being, Parkview Hospital
- Ward – Rev. Bill McGill, Senior Pastor, Imani Baptist Temple
Washington – Barb Wachtman, President, Rotary Club of Fort Wayne
Washington Center – Justin Berger, CEO, Fort Wayne Habitat for Humanity
Wayne – Cathy Maxwell, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Ivy Tech
Waynedale – Charles Foster, Manager, Coca-Cola Bottling Co.
Weisser Park – Susan Mendenhall, President, Arts United
Whitney Young – Rich Hack, Operations Manager, and Michelle Esterline, Accounting Manager, Parker Hannifin
About Fort Wayne Community Schools
With nearly 31,000 students, Fort Wayne Community Schools is one of the largest school districts in Indiana. FWCS proudly allows families to choose any of its 51 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 science and math, communication, fine arts or Montessori at the elementary and middle school level. In high school, students can choose from the prestigious International Baccalaureate program, Project Lead the Way or New Tech Academy as well as other rigorous academic and specialty training programs.
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