WAYNEDALE WELCOMES PRINCIPAL MARTZ
Kent began his teaching career as a fourth-grade teacher at Andrews Elementary School in Huntington County School District in 1978. He was an associate faculty member in the counseling department at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, and spent 10 years as an elementary counselor for Southwest Allen County Schools. Kent received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Indiana University.
Kent is the fifteenth principal to take over the reins of Waynedale Elementary School. The first principal was Mr. David Baird, who was School Master from 1874 to 1878. School Master Baird lived in Wallen, Indiana and he is reported to have walked the 15 miles each Monday morning, stayed with friends during the school week, and then walked back home on the weekends. The school was located on Old Trail Road and McArthur Drive, near the present school. It was a one-room school, built in 1874 and was simply called School Number 8. The second Waynedale Elementary School was built in 1917, and the school standing now is the third Waynedale School to occupy this space.
The first class in 1874, consisted of twenty students; 18 boys and two girls.
At the corner of McArthur and Old Trail, next to the original school, was a well spring where travelers would rest and water their horses. A tin cup hung on the water pump and everyone, kids, teachers and passer-bys, drank from the same cup.
Kent Martz grew up in the Ossian area and mentioned that when he and his friends were young, they considered Fort Wayne the “Big City.”
> Read More Information About Us
> More Articles Written By Our Staff
- Great American Cleanup Motivates Community Pride - April 11, 2025
- Children’s Hospital Celebrates Volunteer, Marla Lorenz - April 11, 2025
- Free Bike Racks Available To Eligible Businesses - April 11, 2025