By Hailey McPheron
SAIL teacher and department chair Ms. Renee Herndon started her journey to McNicholas on a very different path. She started off as a swim coach for a high school, but she was told to go to college and pursue business. “It didn’t take me long into my freshman year of college to know I really wasn’t interested in business,” she said.
From there she took a class to find out what she wanted to do. Herndon found out that she wanted to pursue education instead. Herndon earned her bachelor’s degree from Virgina Tech and her graduate degree from George Mason University.
Through Herndon’s 6th year of her career, she taught 5th and 6th graders before earning her masters degree in special education. After moving to Ohio, she was a stay-at-home mom who tutored other children. Once she had more children, she started looking for a part-time job in education and heard there was a part-time opening at McNick for an intervention specialist. “I was really nervous about high school because my background was elementary; I was used to working with little people,” she said.
In her free time, she loves to walk, read historical books such as The Women by Kristin Hannah, and watch Wicked, her favorite movie this year. “I just love being out in the city and exploring and spending time with friends and family,” Herndon added.
“I just think that we need to make sure that we are kind to everybody.”
The McNicholas Milestone 