Rachel Calderone isn’t originally from the Region, but she loves to call Northwest Indiana home. As an alumnus of Hanover Central High School, Calderone first moved here at the beginning of her high school career and hasn’t looked back since. As a teacher at Portage High School and one of our Lifers, Rachel loves to spread positivity and help her students appreciate the Region.
“My mom moved us out here when I was a freshman in high school. My family is from the suburbs of Chicago, but I’ve stayed here ever since. I graduated from Hanover Central in 2014, and then I left to go to IUPUI to study secondary education and English. After a year there, I transferred home to IUN and graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in secondary English education. After I moved to Portage, I ended up applying for a position at Portage and this is my first year there,” Calderone said.
In her first year at Portage High School, Calderone has been teaching developmental reading, English 12, and yearbook. Although she is new to the school, she has become very involved and loves the community.
“I think that my favorite part about teaching at Portage is the community. It was probably the fastest community for me to get ingrained and meet and get along with teachers and students. Oddly, it already feels like home,” Calderone said.
Although it can be a weird feeling to be so attached after a short period of time, Calderone wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Portage High School has provided her with a place that she feels she can make a career out of.
“This is where I could make my career. And even through the hecticness of post-COVID and learning three different prompts for classes, it still feels good despite all the challenges,” Calderone said.
Calderone is also able to pair her passion for the arts and the community with her teaching and lessons.
“I like being able to work with students, especially in the arts and humanities, to show them that there’s stuff you can do with your English class knowledge beyond just going to college and beyond just teaching. My favorite part is to show them the artistry behind what they’re reading, the connections of what they’re reading to things in the world, and being able to build that community, build them up, and give them advice for their future,” Calderone said.
In addition to her work as an educator, Calderone is also a New Media Journalist for GreatNews.Life. Calderone found the position through a mutual connection and was told how great the news outlet was by friends and how it benefits the Region. Calderone loves her job outside of teaching because it provides her with valuable opportunities and experiences.
“Being able to get experience for myself in a job that uses my skills outside of just being in education is important to me. I like exploring those options so that if I want to make a career switch or want to continue to build skills outside of just teaching, I have that option,” Calderone said. “I really like being able to show and highlight through GreatNews.Life the great things we have going on here in Northwest Indiana. A lot of people, especially my students, say, ‘Forget Indiana, forget the Region, I’m going to move away and never come back.’ I’m able to use this job to show them, ‘Hey, look at all the cool stuff that actually still happens here.’ I really like that part of my job.”
Calderone also enjoys the friendships and connections she has made through her second job. Gena Demuth, another lifer, has become a good friend of Calderone’s and is someone she leans on for support. Calderone loves every opportunity she gets to work with Gena and will regularly reach out for tips before coverage events, or just to check-in and catch up.
Outside of her busy work life, Calderone also enjoys doing artwork within the community.
“I do a lot of artwork in the community. A lot of it happens with Green Door Books in Hobart. We host a lot of poetry readings and writing groups every other week. I work with places like the Lubeznik Center or community members. Coming off of COVID, we have lost a lot of what builds up the community, and I’m excited to do these poetry readings and different events again,” Calderone said.
As an educator, a Lifer, and a community member, Calderone loves what she does and loves to engage with those around her. Thank you for making Portage and the Region a much better and livelier place to be!