Sherrie Castle Paddy is a 1995 graduate of Todd County Central High School.
She values most from her time in school the friendships she made and the teachers who truly pushed her and her fellow classmates to get the best education possible. Looking back, Paddy says the teachers she thought were the strictest were the ones she now realizes were just pushing her to the potential they already knew she had.
Some of her fondest memories from Todd Central include Mrs. Kathy and Mrs. Dina Harper’s Spanish classes as well as the computer lab. She adds the food and nutrition semester of her home economics class was a lot of fun, especially getting to cook and prepare meals for her classmates, but the sewing semester was a different story altogether — the shorts her class made were downright hideous and when they all wore them, it was a sight!
Paddy will always treasure the memory of the Class of ’95 Project Graduation night. She says it was one last hurrah with the whole class — snacking, playing games and music, goofing off and winning fake auction money to buy prizes was a lot of good, safe fun and everyone had a great time. She adds it was a good send-off to her high school years.
To current Todd Central students, Paddy says being a teenager is hard and schoolwork isn’t always fun or easy. She advises them to stay focused, turn their assignments in, get the best grades they can and not to slack off. She adds they may not see it now, but these things truly matter when searching for colleges and selecting a career choice. Students will thank themselves for it later.
To current educators, she says to be attentive and invest in students because they are at an age where teachers can truly make a difference in their lives. She advises them not to just assign busy work but engage students in discussions and listen to what they have to say. Also, to get to know them and help guide them into career choices they are best suited for and most interested in. Paddy says if they make an impact, students will remember them forever.
Paddy started a cashier job while she was still in high school before working her way to a store manager. She remained in retail for a little over 10 years and says working in the public and getting to know the people in her town was rewarding – it truly opened her eyes to a different perspective and helped develop a deeper sense of compassion and understanding for others.
The job she has enjoyed most has been the 20+ years she has spent working at RJ Corman Railroad. Paddy started as an assistant to the railroad agent and worked her way through various positions. Currently, she is the Customer and Operations Support Manager for the short-line railroads. Paddy is a very analytical and computer savvy individual, and the majority of her workday consists of working with various software programs, providing data to other managers and supervisors within the company and assisting customers with their rail transportation needs and concerns. She says being able to provide a solution to a problem provides a great deal of satisfaction to her.
Paddy was born in Clarksville, Tennessee and currently lives in Guthrie, Kentucky with her spouse, Lauren. She has one child, Mackenzie, who is a current senior at Todd Central.
Spotlights on Todd Central alumni are part of a partnership between WEKT and the TCCHS Alumni Foundation, Inc. To be featured, please visit the Alumni Foundation’s website to fill out the application.
