As a high school student, Sherry Purdy was an outgoing teen who enjoyed cheerleading and fully embraced the idea that high school should be a fun place to grow and make memories.
She also had several positive, uplifting teachers she looked up to – a Ms. Sinclair was one of them.
Ms. Sinclair was her English teacher and teacher cadet advisor, and Purdy very much wanted to be like her when she grew up – so she did; she now teaches ninth grade English at Cane Bay High and serves as the advisor for the school’s Renaissance program, a group of student leaders who aim to improve the culture at their school by connecting with fellow students, teachers and staff.
Purdy’s take on the importance of school spirit is pretty straightforward: students need to feel valued, and they need to feel like they are part of the Cane Bay family.
“We want you to make core memories here, and we want you to look back fondly on your high school experience,” Purdy said.
Purdy would be quick to say that her Renaissance students are the ones taking the lead on making a positive difference at Cane Bay High, but her impact as a teacher is not going unnoticed; she has just been named a Jostens Renaissance Educator of the Year.
She is the third-ever teacher in Berkeley County School District to receive the honor.
The Educator of the Year award has been developed by Jostens to recognize outstanding individuals who have excelled in implementing best practices of affirmation and recognition to impact their school cultures. The Educator of the Year is a person who has been instrumental in being a catalyst for positive change for their school.
Purdy received the news last week when a herd of people surprised her in her classroom; the group included Cane Bay High administrators; Stratford High math teacher and Renaissance advisor Meg Ward; Cane Bay High English teacher and yearbook advisor Debra Summers; Stratford High Assistant Principal Dara Harrop; and Jostens Renaissance employees John Bumgarner and Mike Carroll, followed by Cane Bay Renaissance and Student Council members.
As part of the award, Purdy will also receive a special Educator of the Year ring from Jostens, and the organization will cover the cost to send Purdy to the Jostens Renaissance Global Conference in Orlando in July. Purdy will be further recognized during the conference.
“It was great – I was very shocked,” Purdy said, adding, “I’m just thankful and grateful, and I intend to continue to grow the program. The sky’s the limit.”
Purdy has been teaching in Berkeley County School District for 17 years. She was a college cheerleader at UNC Asheville, where studied literature and added on a license to teach high school. She also has a Master’s in education from Southern Wesleyan University.
She spent her first two years in the district teaching ninth and 10th grade English at Stratford High. Purdy recalled becoming familiar with the work of Ward, who has been leading the school’s Renaissance program since 2004. She was named a Jostens Educator of the Year in 2013 and was inducted into the Jostens Renaissance Hall of Fame in 2022. Purdy’s classroom at the time was located in one of the school’s learning cottages so while she did not get to see Ward super often, she knew Ward worked with the Renaissance students.
“She is just a gem of a human being,” Purdy said.
However, Purdy was not formally introduced to Renaissance until she made the move to Cane Bay High and worked with Summers, who was previously named a Jostens Renaissance Educator of the Year in 2009 when she taught at Timberland High. 
With Purdy having fostered a love for school spirit since her own grade school years, she knew Renaissance was the perfect fit for her. Purdy has since continued to lead Cane Bay High’s Renaissance program with Summers serving as a co-advisor.
“School spirit is crucial to me to get the whole school experience,” Purdy said. “She (Summers) took me to my very first Jostens Renaissance conference (in 2011) and I was hooked.”
Summers was the one who nominated Purdy for Jostens Renaissance Educator of the Year. In one of her nomination letters, Summers wrote that Purdy’s dedication to fostering a culture of respect within her classroom and throughout the school is truly commendable.
“She consistently goes above and beyond to ensure that every student feels valued and heard, creating an environment where every student can thrive while experiencing love and respect,” Summers wrote.
Cane Bay High Renaissance has continued to grow and thrive over the years. This past school year marked the school’s first-ever Leadership Class, a team within the Renaissance program that focuses on making school a place where students want to be.
The Leadership Class consisted of 15 students in 10th through 12th grades this year but next school it will expand to include ninth graders as well; students were able to interview rising Cane Bay High ninth-graders to garner interest. This year’s Renaissance President was junior Carmen Hampton.
Renaissance students have participated in a number of different events both at school and in the community this past school year. They lead their school’s Renaissance Rallies, which are quarterly rallies that celebrate students who have achieved good grades and behavior at school. The Leadership Class helped lead an annual 9/11 breakfast for a local fire station, organized the school’s Homecoming parade with the help of community involvement, built staff morale through birthday shout-outs and other small gestures, and more. Renaissance students also organized a talent show this year, and hosted a Cobra Craft Fair right before the holidays. Students participated in monthly hall sponsorships where they would “adopt” a school hallway and give little treats to the staff members who occupied that hallway.
On May 21, Renaissance helped organize a graduation walk of the school with this year’s graduating seniors; Cane Bay High’s graduates regularly visit the feeder pattern schools to do walks with the elementary students, but this was the first time they got to do it through the halls of the school building while being cheered on by faculty, staff and the rest of the student body.
Purdy said Renaissance had a very successful year – one that would not have been possible without a Leadership Class, particularly in regards to the school’s Renaissance Rallies.
“I don’t think we could’ve done any of this without them,” she said. “We have done Renaissance Rallies in the past but not to this level. The students have really stepped up and they’ve thought outside the box of how…we could get students excited and recognized.”
Purdy said she thanks Summers for introducing her to Renaissance and showing her how school can be.
“She has made me the human I am today, the teacher I am today,” she said. “And I would like to thank my students for working so hard, for coming up with all the ideas, and for making this program specific to Cane Bay and our needs.”
Purdy is married to Chris Purdy. They have four daughters and reside in Goose Creek.
