2022 Hall of Fame Inductee - Mr. Ken R. Barker
Ken R. Barker
2022 Festus R-VI Hall of Fame Inductee
A member of the Class of 1972, Ken R. Barker says he always wanted to be a teacher. Influenced by teachers during his time at Our Lady’s School and Festus High School, Barker says those teachers "left a mark on my soul" due to their treatment of him and their obvious joy of working with kids.
After graduating from Southeast Missouri State University, Barker was hired by the Festus R-VI School District to work with students with behavioral issues. Through the Jefferson County Cooperative, Ken R. Barker taught students in the Festus, Crystal City and Dunklin School Districts for the first three years of his career. For fifteen years, Barker worked with hundreds of special education students in Jefferson County.
Fueled by the desire to touch even more students, and encouraged by colleagues to do so, Mr. Barker made the move to administration, first as principal at Hillsboro Primary Building in the Hillsboro School District, then as the principal at Herculaneum High School. He says he was drawn to administration because of its wider scope and impact on a greater number of students: “As an administrator I had to work to meet the needs of all students.” He eventually became the Superintendent of the Dunklin R-V School District for one year, before accepting the position of Assistant Superintendent in the Festus R-VI School District. Ken R. Barker ended his 31 year career in education in 2008.
A former colleague who nominated Barker says, ``He is a person who leads through inspiration, by supporting and encouraging his staff; and he leads through example, by being tireless in his own efforts to constantly improve his progress.” In fact, Barker recounted one summer while serving as assistant superintendent, that he helped the Festus maintenance workers replace the roof on the equipment shed at the track. Building relationships with colleagues is an important part of leadership. He says, “You lead by example.”
Outside the classroom, Ken R. Barker served as a football and basketball coach, as well as Special Olympics Coach in Track and Field along with Alpine skiing. He has served on the Public Water Supply District #5 Board of Directors for 14 years, the last six years as Board President. Mr Barker worked for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources within the VIP (Volunteers in the Park) program from 2004 to 2006 at St. Francois State Park. Mr. Barker also coached Twin City Girls Softball for his daughter’s teams during the mid to late 90s and he was a member of the Festus-Crystal City Rotary Club, serving as president in 2004-2005.
Ken R. Barker was moved by the teachers who “left a mark on his soul” as a student at Festus High School. Ken has also “left a mark on the soul” of the countless numbers of students he encountered over his 31 years in education in Jefferson County. He says he is most gratified when former students approach him in public to tell him how much his encouragement meant to them and how the lessons he taught them lasted and became a part of their lives. Leadership, character, achievement, service, and suitability as a role model, those are the qualities of a Festus R-VI Hall of Fame member. Those are the qualities that Ken R. Barker displayed within the community and his students . It is the honor of the Festus R-VI School District to name Ken R. Barker the 29th member of the Festus R-VI Hall of Fame.