Sandra Sermos has never been afraid to take the road less traveled. When there are new experiences to be had and new opportunities to be taken, she will do it.

Until this year, Sermos was a science teacher at Wydown. When the existing Exploratorium teacher, Janet Baldwin, left, Sermos took the job.

Sermos has been a teacher for over 30 years, and continues to be extremely energetic and enthusiastic about teaching.

Armed with her Starbucks coffee and five backpacks, you can see her marching into the CHS library at 7:30 am most mornings.

Sermos’s decision to switch jobs wasn’t because she didn’t like her role as a science teacher. In fact, she moved because she liked it too much.

“I heard a speaker at Washington University,” Sermos said. “Who said, ‘If you are just happily teaching in your room and not concerned about anything outside of your room, then you’re a parasite on the system.’“

Sermos realized that she wanted to do more than just teach inside the classroom. She wanted to get out and help save the world.

“I realized I had become very complacent just happily teaching in my room,” Sermos said. “And not concerned about the state of education in the greater state of Missouri, or the United States or even the world.”

Her new position as Exploratorium teacher allows her to do more than just teach science. Sermos does a wide range of activities with her students at both Wydown and CHS, but continues to have as much fun as possible.

“I still live by the motto, ‘Get dirty, take chances, make mistakes,’” Sermos said. “So, I’m getting dirty right now, taking chances and probably making a few mistakes.