Community leaders serve as guest principals at FWCS

Fort Wayne Community Schools welcomes 52 community members into our schools to serve as guest principals for the annual Principal for a Day event. The majority of the guest principals will visit their schools on Wednesday, Nov. 17, while a few have selected other days that better meet the schedules of the guests or the building principals. The guest principals will visit the schools from the beginning of the school day to noon Wednesday and will experience a taste of what a principal goes through in a day. From welcoming students into a building to dealing with concerned parents to working with teachers to improve academic achievement, principals do it all. This year, guest principals will have the added experience of observing the professional development that goes on during the weekly Wednesday delay time. Each Wednesday, students arrive 30 minutes later than normal to give staff members a chance to work together and learn from each other about the best methods to use in the classroom. 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 meal. This event is one that we look forward to every year, Superintendent Wendy Robinson said. Many adults haven't been in a school since they were a child and don't realize how much education has changed. We have a lot of great stories to share in each of our buildings, and we welcome the community's involvement in making us even better. 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: Elementary Schools • Abbett – Beth Malloy, Fort Wayne Deputy Mayor • Adams – Peter Adams, PNC Bank Branch Manager • Arlington – Terri Emrick, Indiana Wesleyan University Academic Advisor • Bloomingdale – Beth Walker, President and Owner of Fairfield Group Realtors • Brentwood – Julia Hollingsworth, FWCS Board member-elect • Bunche – Jeanette Dillon, Fort Wayne Women's Bureau Chief External Officer • Croninger – Jeff Hunsinger, Fort Wayne Philharmonic General Manager • Fairfield – Cecelia Smith, President of Indiana Black Expo, Inc. Fort Wayne Chapter • Forest Park – Lisa Olinger, FWCS Board member-elect • Franke Park – Mike Joyner, Fort Wayne Police Spokesperson • Glenwood Park – John Urbahns, Fort Wayne Director of Community Development • Haley – Rev. Bill McGill, President of the Fort Wayne/Allen County NAACP • Harris – Rusty York, Fort Wayne Police Chief • Harrison Hill – Michael Mortensen, Director of Taylor University Fort Wayne Alumni & Friend Relations • Holland – Ian Timothy, Sodexo General Manager, and Steve Hinkle, Easter Seals ARC Executive Director • Indian Village – Mary Ross, IPFW-AHEC • Irwin – Randy Rusk, Do it Best Corp. • Lincoln – Luann Erickson, LaBov and Beyond Human Resources Manager • Lindley – Mike McCaffrey, University of Saint Francis Assistant Director of Athletics • Maplewood – Allen County Superior Court Judge Ken Scheibenberger • Nebraska – Lanah Hake, United Way of Allen County Director of Education Initiatives • Northcrest – Russell Baker, Ivy Tech Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs
• Price – Jill Nichols, Vera Bradley Executive Vice President of Philanthropy and Community Relations • Scott – Kellie McClung, PNC Bank Vice President • Shambaugh – Peter Margie, President of Olde York Chips • South Wayne – Tina Hartman, Indiana PTA President • St. Joseph Central – Jason Rubin, Founder and Owner of Absolute Results • Study – Angelique Causey, United Way of Allen County Learn United Project Manager • Washington – Craig Goode, Co-founder of Fort Wayne Rocks • Washington Center – Pastor Mike Courtney, Journey Church • Waynedale – Dr. Bill Utesch, IPFW Associate Professor • Weisser Park – Kinjal Amin, Owner of House of Greens and Tristate Bolt Co. • Young – Karen Gibbons-Brown, Fort Wayne Ballet Executive Director Middle Schools • Blackhawk – Tom Blake, Local Dentist • Jefferson – Becky Hill, FWCS Board member • Kekionga – Pastor Paul Offhaus, Messiah Lutheran Church • Lakeside – Mark GiaQuinta, FWCS Board President • Lane – Joan Timm, Frontier Communications Regional Vice President of Engineering • Memorial Park – Dan Swartz, Downtown Improvement District Cultural District Liaison • Miami – Ron Wise, Wise Insurance • Northwood – Jordan Lebamoff, FWCS Board member-elect • Portage – Dr. Rolf Daniel, University of Saint Francis Provost • Shawnee – Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry • Towles – Cathy Gallmeyer, Director of U.S. Senator Richard Lugar's Northeast Indiana Community Service Center High Schools • Anthis Career Center – Jerrilee Mosier, Ivy Tech Chancellor • New Tech Academy – Michael Cahill, President & CEO of Tower Bank • North Side – Jim Kratzat, President of MSKTD & Associates • Northrop – Mitch Sheppard, FWCS Board member • Snider – Catherine Wilcox, General Counsel for Parkview Health • South Side – Gil Haynie, Attorney • Ward Education Center – Allen County Prosecutor Karen Richards • Wayne – Barry Wiard, Director of Customer Service and Marketing for Indiana Michigan Power