Community Leaders Experience Life as a Principal

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Record Number: 12170
Displayed from: Oct 14, 2014 , until: Dec 14, 2014
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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


With nearly 30,000 students, Fort Wayne Community Schools is one of the largest school districts in Indiana. FWCS proudly allows families to choose any of its 50 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.