This installment is the sixth in the “Get to Know” series, a feature which aims to help students learn more about their classmates and teachers. A new installment will be posted every other Thursday.
In this edition of “Get to Know,” staff writer Stephan Melendez, ’13, interviews art and home economics teacher Sharon Scharf.
Melendez: How long have you been teaching at Fresno Christian?
Scharf: I have been teaching at Fresno Christian for 22 years.
Melendez: What inspired you to become a teacher?
Scharf: I came over here kicking and screaming because Mr. [Gary] Schultz needed an art teacher. He knew that I was an artist, so he asked me if I would teach a couple of art classes. My first reaction was, “I do art, but I can’t teach art. I am a dietician.” He said, “Don’t say no, just pray about it first.”
The next Sunday, the sermon was entitled “Not stepping out of areas, the Lord leads you out of fear.” Later the next day, I called Mr. Schultz and told him I would teach but I am not the best person with discipline, so Mr. Schultz agreed to help me discipline the students.
Melendez: What high school did you graduate from?
Scharf: Chino High School in Chino, CA.
Melendez: What is your favorite high school memory?
Scharf: Probably getting to ride my horse to school. The reason I got to ride my horse to school was because of the Chino Rancho Ride, similar to the Clovis Rodeo. The Friday before [the Rancho Ride], we got to ride our horses to school — but keep in mind that I live seven miles away from my school and I had to wake up extra early to ride my horse to school. After arriving to school and changing into my skirt — [the school] not allowing girls to wear pants, strictly dresses — I remember changing into my dress. In class, I had looked down and horse sweat was all over my legs. So I sat through the class trying to hide my legs so that no one could see my legs.
Melendez: Where did you attend college?
Scharf: My first two years were at Chaffey College [Rancho Cucamonga, CA], and then I attended Humboldt State University [Arcata, CA], and graduated with my bachelor’s degree. I had then gone to Kansas State University [Manhattan, KS] for my master’s degree.
Melendez: Do you have any unique family traditions?
Scharf: I make cinnamon buns, similar to sticky buns, on Christmas Day for the family.
Melendez: Have you always lived in Fresno?
Scharf: No. I grew up in southern California. When I met my husband in the Peace Corps down in Bolivia, after we were done with our work, he decided to get his degree in veterinary medicine at Kansas State, but was drafted to the Vietnam War, and I was left alone. So I decided to finish my master’s degree. After my husband came back, one of our friends, who was graduating that year, was going to be a veterinarian in Fresno and he offered my husband a job once he graduated. So that is how we ended up in Fresno.
Melendez: What is your favorite childhood memory, and why?
Scharf: When my cousin came over to my dairy, knowing that she was a gullible child and able to con her into anything … I got her to climb up on top of the dairy barn, and she was afraid to try to get down by climbing down on a tree. To me, that was really funny, but boy did I get into major trouble, because my dad had to go and get her down from the barn roof.
Melendez: How many children do you have, and what are their names?
Scharf: I have two girls: Ashley Scharf Hood, who lives in Washington with her family, and Haley Scharf Buchanan, who lives in San Diego and whose husband is a major in the army. Both have graduated from Fresno Christian.
Melendez: If you could travel the world and visit a different country at no expense, where would you visit?
Scharf: I would visit Switzerland because my grandfather came from Switzerland, and I would like to research my roots and my family.
Check back on April 14 to learn more about freshman Roy Wolley. For the previous installment, read the March 17 article, Get to Know: Jenna Orcutt
