The Visionary

Outside each classroom at St. Joseph Central Elementary hangs a banner that started the school year empty.

Now, it has its first patch.

Much like explorers collect patches or stickers from the places they visit, St. Joseph Central Tigers earn patches as they complete the competencies that make up the district’s Portrait of an Explorer.

Portrait of an Explorer is part of FWCS’ Schools of Success initiative, which helps students build skills, discover their strengths and connect what they learn in school to their future. The journey begins in elementary school with students developing the skills and characteristics of an Explorer.

Throughout August, teachers at all FWCS elementary schools led students through activities focused on character and school culture. Students learned that character is the way someone thinks, feels and behaves, and that school culture is the personality of their school: the way things are done, the values everyone shares and how people interact.

At St. Joseph Central, the entire school gathered in the gym for a Tiger Family Meeting to celebrate a meaningful accomplishment. Every St. Joseph Central student completed the August character and culture competency.

Each class also recognized one student with a Character Award for demonstrating those lessons and helping make the school a better place.

With their first patch earned, students are already beginning their next exploration.

September focuses on effective collaboration. Students are learning to do their own job well, help others work together and solve problems, think about their ideas before sharing and listen when others are talking.

As the year continues, the banners outside classrooms will fill with patches representing the competencies students have explored and completed.

For St. Joseph Central students, that journey has officially begun. One competency completed. One patch earned. Many more places to explore.

There was a time when Melissa Johnson could barely get her daughter, Eden, to sit still long enough to brush her hair.

Eden was a curious kid who loved chemistry sets, mud, bugs, slime and just about anything messy. Bows didn’t stay in her hair for long, and she once took a pair of very large scissors and cut off her own ponytail. Years later, Melissa found herself in a salon chair with Eden standing behind her, carefully adding lowlights to her hair. The little girl who once couldn’t sit still long enough to have her hair done was now the one doing mom’s.

For Melissa, an FWCS employee, it was a full-circle moment. For so many years, she was the one Eden depended on, the one helping her grow and find her way. Then, almost without realizing when it happened, Melissa looked up and saw something different. Her little girl was no longer just someone she was raising. She was a young woman standing on her own, with something of her own to give back.

Eden’s interest in hair and beauty started to emerge during her teen years. When Melissa learned about the cosmetology program at the FWCS Career Academy, she thought it might be a good fit. After touring the program and seeing the hands-on training students received, Eden decided to pursue it.

For two years, she balanced her academic classes with cosmetology training. By the time she graduated from high school, she had earned both her diploma and her cosmetology license.

That work quickly paid off.

Eden landed a job as a stylist at 1905 Parlor Salon in Fort Wayne, where she continues to build on the skills she developed through FWCS and with the support of a mentor at the salon.

Experiences like Eden’s are part of what drove Fort Wayne Community Schools to create Schools of Success powered by 3DE. The initiative gives every student opportunities to explore professions, gain real-world experience and discover where their interests might lead. By trying different careers, students can begin focusing their pathway and make more informed decisions about what comes next.

And Melissa now gets to see the result from a very special seat.

The little girl who once cut off her own ponytail with a pair of scissors is now a professional stylist, building a career doing something she loves.

It was late in the afternoon, and an FWCS principal was finally getting a chance to eat lunch.

A few quick bites between one activity and the next. Just a few minutes in a day that had not offered many.

Then a mother and grandmother walked into the school office.

They were quiet, but there was something about them. They were happy. Not the kind of happiness that needed to be announced. It was the kind you could see.

They were there to pick up their child, who is mostly nonverbal.

His first year of school had not gone as anyone had hoped. There were challenges. There were questions about what would work and what he needed to be successful.

But no one gave up.

He came back this year, and something is different.

He is growing. He is learning. He is making strides his family can see when he comes home and his teachers can see when he walks through the school doors.

That afternoon, his mother and grandmother picked him up and started to leave.

Then his grandmother stopped.

She turned around and walked back into the office.

She didn't have a question or a concern. She simply looked at the principal and asked for a hug.

She was overwhelmed with joy for the progress her grandson was making and gratitude for the people who continued to believe in him.

And for a moment, in the middle of an ordinary school day, a hug said everything.

There were no videos. No pictures. No names needed.

Just a grandmother who could see something happening in her grandson that perhaps, at one point, she wasn't sure she would see.

This is why families choose Fort Wayne Community Schools.

Because when a child needs something different, there are educators, specialists and support teams working to find it. When progress takes time, they keep showing up. When the first plan doesn't work, they look for another.

There are no strings attached to that commitment.

It comes from a simple belief that has guided this district for generations: Every child deserves an education that meets them where they are and helps them discover how far they can go.

And sometimes, late in the afternoon in a school office, success looks like a grandmother turning around because she simply has to hug the people who didn't give up on her grandson.

For five years, Beth Dick has been a familiar and trusted presence at CAS-Nebraska.

She first became involved when the program was looking for a volunteer to lead a mentoring group for girls. Beth stepped in, meeting with students weekly in five-week sessions and creating a place for them to connect, learn and feel supported.

But Beth’s support doesn’t stop with students.

She also finds ways to pour into the employees who work with students each day. Beth recently welcomed CAS-Nebraska staff to My Little Barn for their first staff meeting of the school year. Employees spent time interacting with the barn animals and learning about “umwelt,” the idea that each person or animal experiences the world from a unique perspective.

For staff, the experience offered a different way to think about the students they serve and the importance of understanding the world from someone else’s point of view.

FWCS elementary students continue to make impressive gains in reading, reaching an 85.3% passing rate on the 2025-26 IREAD state assessment.

That is a 2.3 percentage point increase from last year and a 20 percentage point increase since FWCS began its intentional focus on the Science of Reading.

Several schools are leading the way. Croninger Elementary achieved a 100% passing rate for the third consecutive year. Washington Elementary also reached 100%, increasing 30 percentage points in one year and becoming the first FWCS non-magnet school to achieve a perfect passing rate.

St. Joseph Central reached 98.3%, Franke Park 96.2% and Harris 95.6%.

The results reflect the work happening every day in FWCS classrooms as teachers, administrators and support staff help students become stronger readers.

FWCS remains focused on reaching a districtwide 95% passing rate by 2027. With continued growth across elementary schools, students are getting closer to that goal and showing what is possible.

Portage Middle School is extending its support beyond the classroom with a new free community food pantry right outside the school.

The pantry is open to Portage students, families and anyone in the community who may need a little extra help.

Its message is simple: “Take what you need, leave what you can.”

The pantry is designed to be a welcoming, judgment-free resource where people can find food and essential items or give back when they are able.

Created with support from Portage’s City Connects Coordinator, school leadership and Forward Indiana, the pantry has become a team effort, with staff and families helping keep it stocked and a teacher volunteering to paint the cabinet. Community members and organizations can also donate items directly to the pantry or school office.

The Schools of Success Student Ambassador program is entering its second year with 175 students representing FWCS’ five traditional high schools. Ambassadors help connect their schools with the community by leading tours, sharing their experiences, supporting career-connected learning and helping other students explore opportunities available through Schools of Success. Throughout the year, they will have opportunities to build their own leadership and communication skills while helping others better understand the experiences available to FWCS students.

School is underway, but there’s still time to join the FWCS team! We’re hiring teachers, bus drivers, support staff, lifeguards and more. Whether you’re looking for a career in the classroom or a role that supports students behind the scenes, there’s a place for you at FWCS.

Find your opportunity and apply today!

https://fwcs.schoolspring.com

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