Fort Wayne Community Schools
Fort Wayne Community Schools said good-bye to 72 retirees with a combined 2,000 years of services at the annual retirement dinner earlier this month.
The district wishes the best to the teachers, bus drivers, classroom assistants and administrators who dedicated years to making the lives of children better. The years of service for this year's group of retirees range from 3.5 to nearly 42, and each year made a difference to students.
The following are the retirees FWCS honors this year:
Name Position Years of Service
Patricia Lindquist Third-grade teacher, Harris 42
Maxine Hoppel Secretary, Forest Park 41
Rose Barger First-grade teacher, St. Joseph Central 41
Bette Scribner Primetime assistant, Franke Park 40
Gary Green Language arts teacher, Lindley 40
Michael Hawley Athletic director, Snider 40
James Lambert Industrial tech teacher, Wayne 40
Carolyn Smith Co-op instructor, Anthis 39.5
Terry Werling Hearing conservation specialist, Anthis 39.5
Walter Hartley Fourth-grade teacher, Glenwood Park 39
Naomi Heidelberg Fourth-grade teacher, Glenwood Park 39
Michael Winger Math teacher, Shawnee 39
Steve Brace Teacher, FWEA President 39
Judith Smith Kindergarten teacher, Lindley 38
Deborah Winger Social studies teacher, Shawnee 38
Anne Higgins ELL resource teacher, Fairfield 37.5
Diane Cook Science teacher, Shawnee 37.5
Barbara Babbitt First-grade teacher, Harrison Hill 36.5
Susan Wygant Media center specialist, Portage 36.5
Carol Bruick Music teacher, St. Joseph Central 36
Nellie Hicks First-grade teacher, St. Joseph Central 36
Vicki Witte Purchasing agent 35.5
Martin Erickson SLC site coordinator, South Side 35.5
Alice Oglesby Media center clerk, Washington Center 35.5
Judith Sculley English teacher, Northrop 35
Marsha Bragg Director of Nutrition Services 35
Nancy Warner Reading Recovery teacher, Brentwood 34
Ronald Winn Bus technician 34
Duretha Trice Administrative Aide, Student Services 33.5
Sallie Perry Custodial aide, Wayne 32
Timothy Kelly Bus technician 31
Susan Brace LA & social studies teacher, Jefferson 30
Jennifer Adair Secretary, Memorial Park 30
Patricia Kemp Second-grade teacher, Nebraska 30
Cynthia Ramsey Baker, Wayne 30
Rhonda Rich Primetime assistant, Forest Park 29
Anne Tinkel Third-grade teacher, Franke Park 29
Jeanette Wagoner School assistant, Portage 29
Sandy Fiedler Bus driver 29
Richard Oberlin Painter, Maintenance & Operations 28
Margaret Angel Media teacher, Shawnee 28
Jacqueline Hogue Bus driver 27
Karen Littleford Secretary, Pleasant Center 26
Gloria Rouns Secretary, Wayne 26
Mary Helmkamp Treasurer, Memorial Park 24
Annie Smith Budgeting clerk 23.25
Barbara Handschy School assistant, Franke Park 23
Mary Henderson Administrative assistant, Irwin 23
Ema Lou Rose Special Ed. Asst., Lindley & Washington 23
Carol Schabacker Primetime assistant, Pleasant Center 22
Ollie Smith Instructional assistant, Anthis 22
Patricia Green Night custodian, Haley 21
Patricia Gilliland Primetime assistant, Franke Park 20
Richard O. Manter Bus driver 20
Sally Schilf Primetime assistant, Washington Center 20
Barbara Brockhoff Secretary, Shawnee Middle School 19
Elisabeth Hart Special education teacher, Indian Village 18
D. Paulette Greene Special education teacher, Lane 18 Gloria Garcia Custodian, Lincoln Elementary 18 Kaye Helton Nutrition services employee 15 Bill Blevins Supervisor, North Transportation 15 Carl Clancy Bus driver 15 Ezekal Eley Bus driver 15 Doris Buford Bus assistant 14 Beverly Wattley Special education assistant, Fairfield 13 Joseph LaFontaine Custodial engineer, Pleasant Center 13 Catherine Kelsaw Bus assistant 11 Doug Coutts Chief Operations Officer 10 Wayne Trout Math teacher, North Side 8 Alfred Huth Math teacher, Northrop 8 Jane Martin Reading Recovery teacher, Washington 3.5
D. Paulette Greene Special education teacher, Lane 18 Gloria Garcia Custodian, Lincoln Elementary 18 Kaye Helton Nutrition services employee 15 Bill Blevins Supervisor, North Transportation 15 Carl Clancy Bus driver 15 Ezekal Eley Bus driver 15 Doris Buford Bus assistant 14 Beverly Wattley Special education assistant, Fairfield 13 Joseph LaFontaine Custodial engineer, Pleasant Center 13 Catherine Kelsaw Bus assistant 11 Doug Coutts Chief Operations Officer 10 Wayne Trout Math teacher, North Side 8 Alfred Huth Math teacher, Northrop 8 Jane Martin Reading Recovery teacher, Washington 3.5
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.