Bridges Preparatory Interim Head of School Chris Wilson has announced his resignation to pursue new opportunities in Florida, where his wife now works, and Dr. Sherri Herbst will take over the role until Dr. Gary McCullough assumes the position full-time in July.
Herbst, who has been interim assistant head of school and principal of Bridges Prep’s elementary and middle grades, will work closely with McCulloch to chart the 2019-2020 course for the fast-growing, award-winning state charter school.
Applications for the upcoming school year are available online at www.bridgesprep.org through Jan. 31. The no-tuition, STEM and Paideia-focused school, open to children across the Lowcountry, will serve grades K-12 starting in August.
“While we are disappointed to see Mr. Wilson leave mid-year, we certainly understand his situation,” said David Gault, chair of the Bridges Prep Board of Directors. “He devoted the past year to ensuring our school continued its growth and we wish him well in his new adventures.”
Wilson, in his second year at Bridges Prep, initially served as Upper School Principal before taking the interim Head of School job when Dr. Nick Ithomitis left in December 2017.
“Bridges has been an incredible experience for me,” Wilson said. “This school has such a great community working behind the scenes to support the students, the teachers, the staff and the school. I am going to miss seeing the school grow into the new campus and issue the first diplomas, but I also look forward to new challenges when I move to Florida.”
Herbst, who also works as Bridges’ curriculum specialist, has been a K-12 certified educator for 30 years. She holds a Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of South Carolina, a Master of Education in Educational Studies from Rivier University, and a Bachelor of Science in Spanish Education from Plymouth State University. She also studied at Dartmouth College and at the Center for Cross Cultural Studies in Seville, Spain.
Upon moving to South Carolina in 2003, she taught middle school and high school in Lexington District One before accepting a position in 2009 teaching elementary Spanish and Latin at Hammond School, a private K-12 school in Columbia, SC.
“Chris and I worked very closely together on all facets of Bridges, from the curriculum to the staffing and the operations, so I think it will be a smooth transition for me, the school and the Board,” Herbst said.
She and McCulloch already had begun talking about preparing new initiatives for the upcoming school year when McCulloch comes aboard. He is a two-time finalist for South Carolina Principal of the Year.
Bridges Preparatory School was chartered by South Carolina in mid-2012 and opened at near capacity in August 2013. Since then, enrollment has grown steadily with more than 700 students enrolled in K-11 this year. School leaders are starting construction of a full-service campus in Port Royal off Robert Smalls Parkway.
As a state charter school, Bridges Prep is open to all students in the Lowcountry without tuition.
