Ink Notes 8-3-22
Ink Notes
Dr. Wendy Robinson
On June 13, 2022 Fort Wayne Community Schools Celebrated the Legacy of Former Superintendent Dr. Wendy Robinson with the renaming of the Family and Community Engagement Center as the Wendy Y. Robinson Family and Community Engagement Center.
Dr. Robinson was superintendent of Fort Wayne Community Schools for 17 years and spent a total of 47 years as an educator in the district before retiring in June 2020. When she became superintendent in 2003, she did so as the first female superintendent of FWCS; the first African- American superintendent of FWCS; and the first FWCS superintendent to have graduated from the district. Dr. Robinson attended school in FWCS from kindergarten through 12th grade.
Among her numerous awards, Dr. Robinson was a finalist for national superintendent of the year from AASA, The School Superintendents Association, in 2018. Upon her retirement, Dr. Robinson was awarded the Circle of Corydon Award, a statewide honor given to those whose remarkable contributions have improved the state.
At the press conference, Dr. Robinson’s name was unveiled at the Family and Community Engagement Center. The center was established under her leadership to serve as a place to support families and encourage community involvement. At the event they showed a documentary on Dr. Robinson’s life and career with FWCS, followed by the unveiling of the sign. Dr. Robinson was also recognized during the meeting of the FWCS Board of School Trustees that day.
Buffalo Wild Wings Donates to Boys & Girls Club
On July 29th, National Chicken Wing Day, Buffalo Wild Wings, the national Boys and Girls Club and local staff along with DaMarcus Beasley of the Fort Wayne FC held a press conference announcing a donation to the clubs soccer program.
Buffalo Wild Wings donated $20,000 to The Boys & Girls Club of Fort Wayne to support their soccer club.
Since the pandemic, programs had been slowed down due to lack of funding but this donation will support more events and soccer camps for the kids with DaMarcus Beasley of the Fort Wayne Football Club.
The national organization filmed activities for a national distributed video on the program and involvement of Buffalo Wild Wings.
During the event, there was a soccer camp in which the kids learned skills and had a scrimmage.
The club kids were also served chicken wings after the camp.
"It's not about us. It's about these kids and I love working with like-minded people,” Beasley said.
Joe Jordan with the Boys & Girls Club says he gets emotional seeing the kids playing together on the soccer field again.
"We are here to bring joy to their lives and help them understand the significance of their lives and help them understand that God created them to be amazing," Jordan said.
Henry Phillips, Resource Development and Media Relations Manager
Projects@bgcfw.org
260-213-6117
Amp Lab Welcomes Community to Open House
Amp Lab at Electric Works will open its door to students for the 2022-23 school year on Wednesday, Aug. 10. But first, leaders of the new Fort Wayne Community Schools program welcome the community to get a glimpse of the innovative entrepreneurship program located in the former GE campus.
Amp Lab will host an open house Tuesday, Aug. 2, from 1-3 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. Inside, visitors will have a chance to see and learn about the four studios, including the 3Rivers Federal Credit Union Venture Studio. 3Rivers was the first major sponsor for Amp Lab with three more studios yet to be named.
When the school year begins, 400 11th- and 12th-grade students from FWCS’ five high schools will attend the half-day program (200 in the morning and 200 in the afternoon). Students will have the opportunity to work directly with business partners in the community to solve problems and address challenges and opportunities in real time with real results.
Amp Lab is the first space at Electric Works to open its doors, giving students a unique view of the transformation taking place on the campus.
Those planning to attend the open house should be aware of frequent road closures in and around Electric Works and limited parking at the site.
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.