After 39 years in the Boothbay Region school system and the bulk of her career teaching biology at Boothbay Region High School (BRHS), Sherrie Hersom is ready to pass the torch. 

“Things are changing so much and I think they need some younger blood, younger ideas. People that are full of energy and excitement,” said Hersom. 

Hersom’s ability to include what excites her in the curriculum has been one of her favorite things about teaching at BRHS. “I tend to get bored if I do the same thing all the time so I like to infiltrate new lab work or teach something differently. I’m constantly changing things up.” 

This includes introducing students to anatomy and physiology from her pre-med background. But even her ever-evolving curriculum was challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic, which stopped students from experiencing hands-on lab work. Hersom ultimately switched to genetics and human heredity as those were more paper-oriented. This pivot came in handy earlier this year, when the high school students had to go remote again due to the flooding at Boothbay Region Elementary School (BRES).

However, Hersom was also determined to build up her classroom’s existing DNA-testing materials for when students returned to in-person learning, so she wrote grants to the Paul Columbe and Boothbay Region Education foundations to get new equipment. Jackson Labs, which Hersom has partnered with for nearly a decade, provided her with the chemical reagents. “I like to add things that I think are important for kids to know about, so if they have children or do a recreational DNA site, they know what it means.”

Hersom started her career at Wiscasset Elementary School working under Betty Ann Dolloff, who was “instrumental” in her coming to Boothbay. Hersom attended multiple schools in the University of Maine system, earning a bachelor’s degree in science, a master’s in education and a special education certification. She worked at the elementary and middle school level in Boothbay for a few years before settling at the high school level. 

“I wanted to go further with teaching. When you teach younger ages your ability to push them only goes so far, but here you can go into college-level material.”

Hersom also believes in challenging her students by taking a more hands-off approach and allowing them to problem-solve. She explained it helps develop critical thinking skills that can be used across disciplines. 

But what have her students taught her? “To be able to think fast on my feet,” said Hersom, laughing. “I also have to be able to problem-solve.”

This ranges from course-correcting when students do not understand the material, to keeping updated on her discipline for those unexpected questions.

“She’s just been so consistent. Challenging, yet fair in her standards for students, and I think they ultimately respect that,” said longtime colleague Mark Gorey. “We always hear educators are replaceable, but it's hard to replace people like that.”

Hersom’s plans for retirement include spending more time with her grandkids, kayaking, hiking, and puzzling out the plot twists in thriller novels, although she is going to miss the community of students and colleagues she has come to know at BRHS. 

“I never came to work. I came to school. It’s been, not an easy job, but one I enjoyed all these years.”