Since its creation in 1884, The Barstow School has undergone an innumerable amount of changes, from its relocation from downtown Kansas City, a transition from all-girls to co-ed, and the spread of schools around the world. With those changes too are continuities, like highly skilled educators, an adaptive environment, and an array of opportunity that remain a foundational part of Barstow’s community.
Barstow’s high caliber education comes from a highly experienced group of faculty. We are fortunate to have both members who have been here for decades at a time, and those who have graduated and chosen to come back to their alma mater for their career.
“I had a great experience when I came here to Barstow,” says Mr. Fox, “I lived on Long Island, and private school wasn’t an option. But, when my dad’s job moved here and our family situation changed, I had the new opportunity. The intimacy and smallness was a very big change for me, but it was a good one.”
Mr. Pepin, a middle and upper school Spanish teacher, reflects on this idea as well, “When I was a student here in the 80s and early 90s, graduating class sizes were on average about 30 students. Our actual class sizes were about 12 students per.”
“We still have small sized classes,” says Mr. Fox, “Even though they’re about 60-70 students in each grade level, more students bring more success in everything. We have more athletes, more musicians, and more kids with unique talents. It makes the school more diverse and adds to the holistic experience.”
Alongside class sizes, the progression of grades has changed, too. “When I came here in 1996, fifth grade was in the middle school. It was a little overwhelming for those kids because there was no barrier between middle and upper school. It was a bit too much. In the early 2000’s, they built the lower school and moved fifth grade there, which was a very positive change for those students,” explains Ms. Bartow, the Senior Vice President of the Barstow Schools & Chief Operating Officer.
Mrs. Guldin, the Interim History & Social Science Department Chair and Grade 10 Coordinator, remembers this period as well. “Mrs. Bradley was the middle school principal when I first started here. Middle and Upper school were sort of different worlds, and very cliquish. Mrs. Bradley was able to build her team with some excellent people, like Mrs. Hilvitz, Mrs. Padberg, Mrs. Keith, Mrs. Hopkins, and Ms. Nagy, which helped to bring the two divisions together.”
“We briefly tried another configuration after she left,” says Ms. Bartow, “but we went back to that plan because it brought grater connection to the faculty and students.”
Unfortunately, as Barstow has expanded, the “cohesiveness of faculty” changed, says Ms. Mitchell, the lower school music teacher. “I’m sad to say there are some new teachers in other divisions I haven’t met yet.”
Mrs. Guldin agrees, saying, “You get to a certain size and it can’t be helped, but the lower school definitely feels isolated.”
Ms. Bartow indicates that the faculty, however, has tried to make the most of the situation. “We have lost a little intimacy among faculty now because we’re bigger,” says Ms. Bartow. “We are working to be more intentional to connect our faculty through professional development and school events like the Cultural Enrichment Festival and gatherings in the faculty lounge.”
Additionally, “respect among colleagues has remained consistent,” says Ms. Mitchell. “The addition of more admin positions has allowed for more input from alternate voices, and the job of the teacher extends beyond the classroom.”
“The fact that teachers really care about their teaching has never changed,” agrees Mrs. Guldin. “That culture remains really strong. Most of the teachers here are very intrinsically motivated. We’re challenged by our colleagues to do better, but our colleagues are always willing to be helpful. Barstow doesn’t have a toxic teacher group like many other schools.”
Barstow takes pride in its history of hiring a high caliber teaching staff. “Some of the teachers, like Mr. Luce, Dr. Cramer, and Dr. Ketchell all came from higher ed. They have content knowledge and bring a high degree of expertise in their area. Teachers like Mrs. Guldin and Mrs. Marvin help reaffirm student success because they have a good understanding of what happens in college and the expectations,” says Ms. Bartow.
“Barstow has done a really nice job over all the years in staying current with the trends in education. We have a lot of ideas about helping students find their area of passion and how to extrapolate on that,” explains Ms. Bartow. “Something that’s changed us in college admission is that people used to have no idea what to do for their major. Now, you pretty much go into your major. It’s not good enough anymore to say ‘I want to be a doctor because I like science.’ We’ve added courses, like organic chemistry and quantum physics, to help students show that demonstrated interest.”
Mr. Fox agrees, “Barstow has always done a good job prepping students for college. They’re having several collegiate-like experiences at a high school level. We’re asking them to think and speak during class, to do writing practice, and they can have similar freedoms as a college student might. All those things have been the same and enriched what we do.”
When reflecting on his days here as a student, Mr. Pepin went so far as to say that the high caliber of educators made a lasting impact on his life. “What I really remember about Barstow are the teachers that I had. Scott Daniel, Mr. Frank, Ms. Pagano, Doc Braymen, Veronica Egon. They were amazing and really helped shape my worldview in many ways,” reflects Mr. Pepin.
“The essence of what happens hasn’t changed a whole lot,” says Mr. Fox. “Kids want to be here and so do their parents and the faculty wants them to be successful. It’s a great place all around, and the point of reference is everyone is invested in what they’re doing and how to promote success.”
Another gradual change Barstow has undergone is the addition of a wide variety of courses and activities. “The amount of opportunity and amount of activities that we have now are much more plentiful. When I was here athletics and drama were popular along with choir, yearbook, and a little bit of speech and debate. As far as clubs go, Pretenders was really it. Now we have robotics, speech, debate, middle school musical and lower school musicals, cyberpatriots, and the list goes on,” says Mr. Fox.
“We’re offering a more globally-oriented slate of courses,” says Mrs. Guldin. “It’s been really positive to see it reflected with history courses. Kids are starting to think critically through different lenses. There’s been lots of beneficial evolution of programs and clubs too.”
Barstow’s diversity is not just limited to its selection of courses.
Mr. Fox notes the diversity of Barstow athletics, saying “Barstow says yes and provides opportunity. In athletics, we don’t cut. I really enjoy that aspect. You get to see the hard work kids put in who play in the summer and are competitive. The students get to learn about themselves and maybe pursue it at the next level.”
“Barstow has always been a very inclusive environment. It is one of the most diverse you will find anywhere, I believe. That is its real strength,” agrees Mr. Pepin.
Ms. Bartow includes, “ethnic diversity has increased a ton since I’ve been here. It’s a good school for a wide range of students that appeals to every kind of student, shy or outgoing.”
With the addition of the Dan & Cassidy Towriss IDEA Space, Barstow is currently in a process of transitioning to a more hands-on and applicable style of education.
Ms. Barstow expands on this, saying, “We look at things in the way of how to best prepare students for the future, and STEAM is one of the answers. It offers hands on experience. The sixth grades are having an experience where STEAM is integrated, and next year it will be even more obvious. Some of the humanities are gonna be more combined, and so will math and science. We’re connecting classes to make those ‘aha’ moments. It’s also a question of what prepares students best for life. We want to help them identify a passion and then pursue it.”
Barstow’s popularity has changed significantly in the last several decades, too.
“When I came here, Barstow was Kansas City’s best kept secret. I think people meant it in a complimentary fashion, but we just lacked several tools that we have now. Our level of confidence has increased much to our benefit,” Ms. Bartow adds.
Ms. Bartow wants to emphasize, too, that Barstow is a family school, which is demonstrated in several parts of its community.
“My favorite tradition has always been Tree Day,” says Ms. Mitchell. “I have a tree dedicated to my dad off the circle, too. One of the best parts about Barstow is getting to know families, and watching kids grow up all the way through high school. You develop personal relationships, and alumni come back and work here. I keep in touch with grads, too, which just reminds me how good this place is at connecting people.”
Another excellent example of this is the Guldin family. “My favorite part about Barstow is having my kids here and getting to see what amazing teachers they have from a parent perspective. It took me a long time to convince Mr. Guldin to be a teacher, but watching him figure out that he’s pretty good at it has been really cool. It’s a gift to see my kids and my husband thrive,” Mrs. Guldin notes.
Additionally, Barstow’s intimacy has been able to showcase the many talents of its student body. Mr. Fox reflects on this important lesson he learned during his time here as a student.
“Barstow opened my eyes to how talented and competitive the world is. At larger schools, you don’t get to know the people well. You know who’s talented, but not who they are. Here you get to know all the kids, and they have work ethic. I’m appreciative of the small size that reflects how hard work affects outcome,” says Mr. Fox.
Finally, Mr. Pepin reminds us that, “Barstow is a fantastic place. It is sometimes hard for everyone to appreciate it all the time. However, when you’ve been other places and taught in different environments as I fortunately have, you will see that it is different. We are all lucky to have such a place to be a part of.”
Despite all the changes that Barstow has undergone since its days on the Cherry Street campus, it remains an institution committed to excellence in education reflected by its high-caliber staff and supportive environment.
