Congrats on everything, Sherry
When I was a student at the University of Wisconsin in Madison I took several classes on journalism. It made sense to me at the time, since I was writing for the student newspaper, and I thought those classes might teach me something.
I found out, ten credits and thousands of dollars later, that the best teacher is experience. In other words, I was learning more on the job by just going out and covering games and talking to coaches and players than any classroom could teach me.
I did learn about AP style abbreviations, and also the value of ethics. I was taught to never get too close to your subjects, to be objective and to be fearless in reporting. I was taught that our First Amendment is a sacred thing, and a free and open press sheds light on wrong-doings. Journalism, I was told, is a noble pursuit.
And then you get out into the real world, get that first job, and you’re covering the county’s biggest squash, or stepping around cow flop.
I still think journalism is a noble profession. I still think freedom of speech is our most important and fundamental right. But I’ve learned in my last 10 years of being a reporter that sometimes it’s OK to get close to your subjects.
How can you not? You share in the ups and downs of the people and places you report on. You hear laughter, see tears and see people come and go and live and love.
It’s not just the kids you get attached to either. Teachers and coaches and even administrators are people you become friends with.
Monday was Abbotsford superintendent Cheryl “Sherry” Baker’s last meeting. In June she will no longer be superintendent. That job will go to Ryan Bargender, who is already a principal in the district.
I might be breaking the rules of ethics here, but I don’t really care. I have no qualms saying that I like Sherry, and that I will miss her very much. I am honored to call her a friend.
The thing I will miss most about Sherry when she is gone is her sense of humor and her candor. What you saw is what you got with Sherry. She didn’t beat around the bush; she told you like it is. Such honesty in anyone is hard to find, doubly so in an administrator who knows their every word could well become a quote for a story.
I’m mostly a sports guy, and school board meetings are something I still struggle with. I had only covered a few in my time with the Saywer County Gazette, but not many. Needless to say, my first year was hard. Sherry made my job much easier.
If there was a question I had, Sherry did her best to explain it, knowing full well that the more I knew, the better I could inform the communities I serve.
Above all, Sherry has spent her career helping grow students’ minds and creating wonderful places of learning. Abbotsford’s problems are unique, and many. It might have troubled lesser folk.
But not Sherry. Over the years that I have gotten to know her, she has never wavered in her duties, or her desire to make something good better. The ability to shape a life is a privilege, and Sherry did so much to make Abbotsford a better place. It’s one heck of a legacy. M USINGS AND G RUMBLINGS
ROSS PATTERMANN REPORTER
