Second row: Jason Cary, Wayne Addison, David Beal, Abigail DeCoursey, Aisha Schmackers, Paige Teskey
The GC Ambassadors program has graduated its first class, and participants are grateful there’s an open line of communication with Greenfield-Central schools like never before.
GC Ambassadors launched in the fall of 2025 with 11 members of the community, eager to learn more about how decisions are made at Greenfield-Central schools.
From a recent graduate, to parents, to retired members of the community; the first class represented a wide range of interests and passions. They met four times and learned about school safety, finances, state laws that affect education, school building restructuring, and even took a glance at the near future with a tour of the new Hancock County Career Center.
The feedback on the first year of the program was strongly supportive, from ambassadors and administrators alike.
“We are so proud of this program, and the big reason is the incredible group of people we had this year,” said Dr. Jason Cary, assistant superintendent of GC. “Their feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and we believe it shows that there was a desire for something like this in our community.”
The idea to create this program came about when Cary attended a conference and heard about similar programs in other school corporations. Since Greenfield-Central administrators wanted to create organic connections with the community through open dialogue, Cary thought an ambassador program would be an ideal approach.
About 40 people applied, and a small group was selected to represent a wide range of backgrounds. Cary said the small size also gave everyone in the room a chance to feel comfortable and ask plenty of questions.
As it turns out, GC administrators learned just as much from the Ambassadors.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better first group of Ambassadors,” Cary said. “They were tremendous listeners, which is always great to have in a group like this. They also asked some great questions. They clearly took the time to learn about the topic, and they weren’t afraid to challenge us on certain topics. They shared what the optics were in the community, and the reason behind it. They were a window into our stakeholders, and we learned just as much from them as they did from us.”
Ambassador Isha Schmackers said any parent, guardian or citizen in Greenfield who wants to help make a difference for students or teachers would benefit from the program. She was grateful that Cary and Superintendent Dr. Harold Olin showed great care for their opinions and took the time to answer any questions they had.
She especially appreciated learning about state funding changes under Senate Enrolled Act 1, and how property tax revenue affects school funding. This shed more light on the corporation’s recent decision to combine intermediate schools.
Schmackers also appreciated learning about school safety and the effort to create a GC police department.
“Neither my husband nor I are from Greenfield originally, so we’ve only been in the district since our son, who is in seventh grade now, was a kindergartener,” Schmackers said. “We love to support our teachers and our schools, and I was interested in more ways that I could support them. It was important for us to understand the ‘ins and outs’ of what’s happening with our school system, and this program felt like the next right step for me to become more involved.”
Paige Teskey, a recent GCHS graduate, wanted to join the program to represent young adults in the community. She said as a former GC student, she always wondered why the school corporation would put money towards certain things, and she wanted to ask questions.
“I would 100% recommend this program to everyone, but especially to the young people in our community,” she said. “You learn a lot about the school system! Even if you are introverted (like me), having the space to have a voice and ask questions about the school corporation is important.”
Wayne Addison has lived in Greenfield his entire life, and took the program to see if there were things he could do to help the school become even better than it already is.
“I was impressed with Quinn Dobbins, new police chief of the Greenfield-Central Police Department,” he said. “We are fortunate to get a young man with his experience and drive. I also very much enjoyed the tour and talk about the new Amplify (Hancock County Career Center). This is an amazing facility and will no doubt be a huge asset to Hancock County children and the community.”
Local moms Elizabeth Trennepohl and Whitney Niece appreciated learning about the transition with fourth graders moving to the elementary school– which happened this year– and fifth and sixth graders combining into one intermediate school. That’s coming up in the 2026-2027 school year, and Trennepohl said as a mom of two kids that will be directly impacted by the change, it was refreshing to ask questions directly to Drs. Olin and Cary.
Whitney Niece, a mom of three, says there are many moving parts within a school district, and gaining insight is especially important during a year of transition.
“Our central office has done an incredible job navigating recent changes in state funding, and gaining insight into how they’ve prepared for this has been very valuable,”Niece said. “I would absolutely recommend participating in this program. It offers valuable insight into how the district operates and the decisions that impact our schools. While anyone in the community could benefit, it is especially worthwhile for parents with children in the district, as it helps them feel more informed, engaged, and confident in understanding and supporting the school system.”
Dr. Olin said the first year of the program was a success. From their first setting together, the group listened to each other and asked thoughtful questions. They took feedback from the graduates, and will make some adjustments next year to make the program even better.
“Ambassador” is defined as a person who represents or promotes a group, and Olin said he hopes the graduates feel comfortable sharing their experience with others .
“It really goes back to the purpose of the group,” he said. “We want our entire community to be informed of the things that are happening in our schools.”
Applications for the Ambassador program for the 2026-2027 school year are available now, at gcsc.k12.in.us. The deadline to apply is May 31.
“We heard over and over again from our Ambassadors how nice it was to have an audience with the superintendent and assistant superintendent for a few hours each quarter,” Cary said. “We answered every question they asked; they got to know us better as people; and we really peeled back the curtain on the things going on in our district. They talked about how this program has impacted them already. They are able to speak truth to things out in the community, and correct some falsehoods they hear. And they aren’t spreading rumors – they heard it directly from Dr. Olin. We think this is very beneficial for everyone, and we can’t wait to see where this program goes from here.”
By Maribeth Vaughn
