When I tell people I moved to Green Bay from southern Indiana without knowing a soul for 150 miles, I usually get one of two responses: I’m either brave, or I’m a little crazy.
There’s actually a third answer: Education means a lot to me, and I was willing to take a chance to cover a community that cares about it. From what I’ve seen so far, Green Bay is that education-focused community.
I’ve been in Green Bay for a little over a month. It’s been a tumultuous few weeks, but I’ve loved getting to know the city and some of its residents while I adapt to living up north. You’ve welcomed me in, and I look forward to meeting more of you and helping you tell your stories.
I grew up under the same roof as a dedicated, hardworking, incredible teacher. My mom taught English, and it’s through her that I came to love writing. I watched her spend her free time and energy on school out of genuine care for her students, and I know that the teachers I’ll cover often do the same.
It’s why I care so much about education: because the people who taught me do. Education affects everyone in a community, from the parents to the faculty and staff to the taxpayers who help finance schools. A good education can help a generation of students to excel throughout life, while educational losses related to reading, funding cuts or any number of reasons can haunt students just as much.
I love to write because of my mom, but I love to report because of a Spanish teacher I didn’t even have for class. At my southern Indiana high school, I wrote a story about Spain and Catalonia. Looking back, there are a million things I would change. But Señora had family in Catalonia, and she couldn’t believe someone had noticed an issue an ocean away. The article hung on her door for months. I’d helped people learn about something that mattered to her.
Four years ago, I moved to Bloomington, Indiana, to study journalism and international studies at Indiana University. IU, along with my years at the student paper, the Indiana Daily Student, taught me so much of what I know. I learned to zig when everyone else zags, to dig my heels in when it gets tough and to take a deeper look at what might seem ordinary.
I’m coming to Green Bay after a summer spent at the Indianapolis Star, the paper I looked up to as a kid in Indiana. The work I was able to do at the Star brought me back to the principle of community-focused reporting I first learned from Señora, and it’s the excitement of telling the education stories in Green Bay that fueled me as I packed up my car and headed north.
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All that to say, I’m so glad to be here. But my job’s just getting started. I want to hear from you: What questions do you have about education in the Green Bay area? Is there anything you’ve always wondered? Anything you’re worried about? Something happening that’s so exciting you want to tell everyone you know? Send me an email, or fill out a tip form: https://forms.office.com/r/znt6rErix2.
Whatever it is, I’d love to check it out. I can’t wait to hear from you, and it’s great to be here.
Contact Green Bay education reporter Nadia Scharf atnscharf@gannett.com or on X at @nadiaascharf.