The FWCS Career Academy will celebrate the achievements of Career and Technical Education (CTE) students at its eighth annual Signing Day ceremony. The signing ceremony is from 2:30-4p.m. Tuesday, May 13, at the Grand Wayne Center, 120 W. Jefferson Blvd. These CTE students have been offered employment and/or apprenticeships with nearly 40 local companies after graduation.

Some students will join Parkview to begin careers in surgical technology, while medical assistant and CNA students will accept positions with IU Health and other healthcare providers. Skilled trades students will sign as apprentices with local unions, such as Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 166, and with companies, including Sparks, Weigand Construction and Rowe Electric. They will work as welders, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians and masons.

Several automotive technicians will join five local auto companies, and software development students will begin careers with companies, including Medical Informatics Engineering and Reboot.

Doug Horner, founder and CEO of Medical Informatics Engineering, will be the keynote speaker at the Signing Day event.

Fort Wayne Community Schools has entered into a new partnership with the YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne and Champions of Greater Fort Wayne to provide comprehensive before and after school childcare services for elementary students in pre-K through fifth grade. This collaborative effort aims to address the growing need for quality, educationally-focused childcare options for FWCS families. 

Beginning with the 2025-26 school year, the YMCA and Champions will provide high-quality childcare services at elementary schools across the district: 

Before school, 6:30-8:30 a.m. 
After school, 3:30-6 p.m. 
Pre-K extended care, 6:30 a.m.–6 p.m. for half-day Pre-K programs 

"This partnership represents our commitment to supporting families by ensuring their children have access to safe, enriching environments beyond regular school hours," Fort Wayne Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Mark Daniel said. "By collaborating with established childcare providers like YMCA and Champions, we can offer comprehensive solutions that meet the needs of our community." 

Childcare options are also available during winter and spring breaks at select locations through this partnership, as well as on days when schools are closed due to inclement weather. However, if District offices are closed due to inclement weather, childcare will not be available. Childcare will also be offered during summer break. 

Parents interested in enrolling their children can learn more at fwcs.info/BeforeAfterCare. Information will also be available at in-person registration in July and at the annual FWCS Back-to-School Block Party and back-to-school nights in August. 
 

Students at five Fort Wayne Community Schools elementary schools and all middle schools will celebrate riding bikes to school with various activities during the next two weeks.  

Arlington, Brentwood, Franke Park, Indian Village and St. Joseph Central elementary schools will participate in National Bike to School Day on Wednesday, May 7. Students at the schools will have the opportunity to ride their bikes to school, demonstrating bike safety and learning how to ride together. 

Fort Wayne Community Schools is partnering with the Fort Wayne Police Department and Parkview Trauma to make sure Indian Village students are ready to celebrate Bike to School Day. At 1:45 and 2:30 p.m. Thursday, May 1, Bike Patrol Officers from the Fort Wayne Police Department will talk to fourth- and fifth-grade students at Indian Village, 3835 Wenoneh Lane, about bike safety. Parkview Trauma will provide and fit helmets to students participating in Bike to School Day. Bicycle helmets reduce the risk of bicycle-related head injury by about 80 percent, but most bike riders do not wear helmets, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

These events precede National Bike to School Day on May 7. That day, Indian Village students who walk or ride their bikes to school will be joined by Fort Wayne Police Bike Patrol Officers, FWCS officials and others to promote safely riding and walking to school. In addition, students at Arlington, Brentwood, Franke Park and St. Joseph Central will also be able to ride a safe route to school with staff and community partners, including members of the Active Transportation Coalition. 

FWCS’ middle schools will participate in a Bike to School Challenge May 5-9. Schools will count the number of students riding bikes each day. The school with the most riders (based on a percentage of school enrollment) will win a trophy and prizes, sponsored by Active Transportation Coalition. 

In addition to teaching students how to travel safely and the importance of wearing a helmet, the Bike to School events are also designed to build awareness in the community of the many children who walk and bike to school. It serves as a reminder to adult drivers to be aware and patient as students make their way to and from school. 

The Fort Wayne Community Schools Board of School Trustees on Monday, April 28, approved several new administrative appointments. 

High School: 

Robb Robison – Northrop High School Principal  
Robb Robison currently serves FWCS as an assistant principal at Northrop High School. He first joined the district in 2006 as a social studies teacher at Northrop. In 2013, he became an assistant principal at Wayne High School. Robison is data-driven and focused on teacher and student success. At Northrop High School, Robb Robison replaces Adam Swinford. 

Elementary School: 

Mary Kinniry, Director of Elementary Education  
Mary Kinniry first joined FWCS in 1989 as a teacher at Lincoln Elementary and then worked at Irwin and Bloomingdale before taking a short leave. She returned to FWCS in 2007 as an interventionist and building coach at Lincoln and then moved to Forest Park to serve as assistant principal. In 2013, she was named principal at Lindley Elementary School before taking the same position at Irwin STEAM Magnet Elementary and Levan Scott. Kinniry will now serve FWCS as a Director of Elementary Education. 

 Ashlie Simpson, Levan Scott Academy Principal  
Ashlie Simpson joined FWCS in 2012 as a teacher at Washington Elementary. She moved to Holland where she taught until 2021. She then became the assistant principal at Levan Scott Academy and will now serve as that school’s principal. Simpson is focused on closing the achievement gap and maintaining a positive school culture. At Levan Scott, Ashlie Simpson replaces Mary Kinniry.  

Sara Wertman, Director of Elementary Education 
Sara Wertman started her education career in Garrett as a special education teacher in 1992. The following year, she was hired by FWCS as a special education teacher at Weisser Park Elementary. In 2011, she became the principal of Waynedale Elementary, two years later moved to the principal position at Brentwood Elementary, and in 2018 became the principal at Forest Park Elementary. Wertman will now serve FWCS as a Director of Elementary Education. 

Cecily Chandler – Forest Park Elementary Principal  
Cecily Chandler began her career at FWCS in 1997 at Croninger Elementary teaching fourth grade. She then taught at East Allen County Schools before becoming the principal at Holy Cross Lutheran School in 2007. Chandler returned to FWCS in 2019 and has served as assistant principal at Fairfield Elementary, Weisser Park and Forest Park. At Forest Park Elementary, Cecily Chandler replaces Sara Wertman.  

Tamara Mullins, Director of Elementary Education 
Tamara Mullins began her education career as a substitute for FWCS in 1991. She was later hired as a teacher and has taught at Washington, Fairfield and Waynedale elementary schools. Mullins became the principal at Bunche in 2003, moved to Towles in 2006 with the same position and then returned to Bunche 10 years later. She will now serve FWCS as a Director of Elementary Education. 

Alexandra Trevino, Fairfield Elementary Principal  
Alex Trevino began her education career with Indianapolis Public Schools as a special education teacher in 2007. She joined Fort Wayne Community Schools two years later as a special education teacher at Forest Park Elementary. She then taught second and third grade at Lindley Elementary before becoming an assistant principal at Weisser Park Elementary School. Since 2019, Trevino has served as the principal at Maplewood Elementary School. At Fairfield, Alex Trevino replaces Jana Ankenbruck who is retiring for the second time. 

Aaron Eastom – Maplewood Elementary Principal  
Aaron Eastom’s education career began in 2009 at Kokomo Center Schools. There he taught at Pettit Park Elementary and Head Start. In 2014, he came to FWCS to teach third grade at Maplewood Elementary School. Eastom then became the building coach at Maplewood in 2023. At Maplewood, Aaron Eastom replaces Alex Trevino. 

Melissa Plumb, Whitney Young STEAM Early Childhood and Weisser Park STEAM Elementary Principal  
Melissa Plumb joined FWCS in 1998 as a special education teacher. In 2014, she became the assistant principal at Haley Elementary. She became principal of Whitney Young in 2016 and five years later was named principal at Weisser Park Elementary School. Now, she will oversee both schools, establishing a more connected school community, enhancing the transition from one building to the next for students and families and continuing to strengthen the STEAM curriculum from pre-K through fifth grade. Interesting to note, Plumb’s time at Weisser Park actually started in 1982, when she was a first-grade student at the school. 

Health and Wellness: 
 
Candis Deisler, Director of Health and Wellness 
Candis Deisler's nursing career began 18 years ago with 13 of those years dedicated to FWCS. She started with the District in 2011 as a substitute school nurse and became full-time a year later. Deisler currently serves as a Nurse Coordinator at FWCS overseeing more than 70 Health and Wellness staff members. She is driven by a passion for student health, wellness innovation and staff development. As the Director of Health and Wellness, Candis Deisler replaces Mary Hess who is retiring.