Walk into a Trico English classroom, and you’ll find more than grammar drills or literature discussions. You’ll find students wrestling with ideas, learning to communicate clearly, and discovering that words can open doors no matter where life leads them. At the helm are two of Trico’s English teachers, Cheryl Korando and Richard “Ricky” Jaroski, who bring different journeys but a shared belief: language is power.

Cheryl’s Trico roots run deep. She graduated in 2001, following in the footsteps of her sisters and her father, who graduated in 1975. She came back in 2008 after earning her English education degree at SIU, later completing a master’s in curriculum and instruction. “I’ve known since I was little that I wanted to teach,” she said. “I used to line up my stuffed animals and pretend they were my students. My sisters were athletes, but teaching was always my passion.”

What solidified her focus on English were mentors: Ray Hill, her eighth-grade English teacher and later Trico principal, and Karin Oldfield, her high school teacher. “They inspired me to stick with English,” she said. Now, Cheryl pays that gift forward, teaching freshmen and juniors, plus electives in young adult and American literature. “I’m a big advocate for reading,” she said. “It lets kids see perspectives and cultures they might not otherwise experience in a rural community. It broadens their world.”

Richard Jaroski’s path looked different. A John A. Logan business scholarship winner, he once thought accounting was his future. “I shadowed an accountant for a day and thought, ‘This is awful. I don’t want to do this,’” he laughed. Searching for a new path, he turned to the subject he always enjoyed: English. “At first I didn’t even want to teach,” he admitted. “But during student teaching at Carbondale High, I realized I loved it.”

That realization brought him to Trico 13 years ago, his very first job. He’s been here since, teaching English classes and dual credit courses while raising his young family. “We live out of district, but I bring my kids here,” he said. His twin boys just started kindergarten at Trico this year, and he walks them down to class each morning. “It’s fun. I’m invested.”

Together, Korando and Jaroski see English not as an isolated subject but as a foundation for every student’s future. “If you’re going to be a plumber, you’re going to have to communicate with clients,” Richard said. “If you’re going into medicine, you’re going to read studies and write papers. In every career, communication matters.” Cheryl agreed: “Nobody’s going to ask you as an adult to diagram a sentence, but understanding grammar is a step toward becoming a stronger writer and writing well is the ultimate goal.”

The proof is in the stories that circle back. Former students have reached out to Cheryl to share that they’ve published books—two, in fact, in recent years. “They wanted me to be proud of them,” she said. “And I am.” Richard has had students reconnect to thank him for lessons that stuck far beyond graduation. “It’s rewarding to know you’ve given them something that lasts,” he said.

Their work also reflects Trico’s broader culture. Richard chuckled, recalling how even neighboring districts—he himself an Elverado graduate—used to rib Trico students for being country. “We’d get off for the first day of deer season, and half the cheerleading squad hunted,” he said. But both teachers are quick to point out the bigger picture: a thriving FFA program, a tractor day tradition, and yes, students who go on to hard-to-get-into colleges, score perfect ACTs, or publish novels.

“It’s a mix,” Cheryl said. “Some kids know they’re going into the trades or taking over a family farm or business, and that’s fantastic. Others are headed to college and beyond. But all of them need the same core skill—how to express themselves.”

For both teachers, that’s the heart of English at Trico. It’s not just about Beowulf or American poetry, though those matter. It’s about equipping students with the critical tools of communication.

And at Trico, thanks to Korando and Jaroski, that’s a lesson students carry for life.