My name is Johnnie Fick. I was born and raised in Georgetown, Georgia, a small town located on the southwest border of Alabama to Charlie Joe and Claudean Willis and have seven brothers and seven sisters. I moved to Warsaw, Indiana when I married my husband, Ben Fick (deceased) in 1985. After my daughter was born we moved to Syracuse, Indiana where I have resided for 26 years. My husband and I were blessed with two amazing children; Tiffany and Justin. My kids are my life now as we try to enjoy everyday that God has blessed us with.
I graduated from The Fort Valley University, Fort Valley Georgia in 1975 with a B.S. degree in Home Economics Education and received graduate school credit hours at the Ohio State University in 1985. I taught high school and middle school for eight years in the Springfield City Schools in Springfield, Ohio. In 1985, I shifted my career to the food industry after unsuccessfully able to secure a job in the Indiana school system. I was employed with Supervalu, Inc for ten years traveling three states as a Food Specialist for in-store bakeries and delis.
I have always felt my calling was to be a teacher in life, whether in Sunday school, in the industry, or some other arena, teaching has always been a passion. I settled on teaching because helping children learn and think about new ideas makes me happy. What I love best about being an educator is... building relationships with kids! Learning well means having that trust and respect toward one another as student and teacher. When I get to know my students, learning their talents, celebrating their successes and watching them blossom, motivates me! Teaching is an incredible profession. Each day you have the opportunity to engage, excite, and motivate students about content, support them in their personal growth, celebrating successes and challenges.
Why I chose to be a part of Gradway is because the organization provides an outlet to touch the hearts and minds of many adjudicated and at-risk teens I serve. This program gives them hope in a world that is harsh and unpredictable...to offer them a future full of personally and hopefully socially productive opportunities rather than continued drugs addition, lack of income, dysfunctional home life to name a few and to remind them that someone does care about them and their future because young lives matter!