Originally published on The Times-Independent on September 14, 2023
Helen M. Knight isn’t the only Grand County school to see a leadership change this year: the Margaret L. Hopkin Middle School also has a new principal, Kari Barnard. She replaced former principal Joseph Olson after he took a job on the Wasatch Front.
Barnard, who previously taught seventh grade English at the middle school, described the launch of the school year as both fun and challenging.
“I don’t have a vice principal or a counselor right now, so I’ve had to do a lot of problem-solving on my own,” she said. “… But I really have felt support from everywhere — from the district, the elementary school, the high school. We’ve got a great district.”
The middle school is doing “OK,” she said, on staffing. “Our biggest staffing need this year is a school counselor, and we need a part-time custodian,” Barnard said.
Her goals this year are to support the middle school’s existing staff and help students feel more ownership over their learning, a perspective Barnard said eroded over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Barnard originally taught creative writing at the middle school. She started her Moab career at the BEACON Afterschool Program in 2015, when she moved to town after graduating from the University of Utah. Barnard said she “fell in love” with teaching teenagers and middle schoolers and is looking forward to her new role.
“I’m just really excited for this opportunity and to work with the community and can’t wait to see what we do this year,” she said.
Kari Barnard has taught seventh grade English at the school since 2015.
Earn graduation credits with free, online learning
With the start of the new school year underway, Utah students in grades 7-12 can earn up to six credits annually for free, part-time online learning, according to a press release from the Utah Virtual Academy.
The free, public-school courses supplement students’ existing school curriculum and are available through the Utah Statewide Online Education Program for middle and high schoolers.
Created by the state Legislature in 2011, the online education program enables students to earn middle and high-school graduation credits through the completion of publicly funded online courses.
The Utah Virtual Academy is one provider of such courses.
One 2023 Utah Virtual Academy high school graduate soared to new heights — literally and figuratively — with the part-time, online courses, the release continues.
World Champion Big Air 2023 gold medalist and U.S. Ski Team member Troy Podmilsak enjoyed the flexibility of the virtual academy’s course offerings, taking his studies on the road as a competitive athlete.
The Park City native took core and elective classes his sophomore, junior and senior years to fulfill his graduation requirements.
“Utah Virtual Academy and their teachers gave me the support and confidence I needed to continue my studies and achieve my goal of winning Big Air in Georgia last March,” Podmilsak said.
“Even when I was competing far from home, they made learning interesting and fun. Graduating with my class at Park City High School and attending home football games and prom was a huge bonus.”
To enroll, the press release continues, students and their parents can call 866-788-0364 or visit utva. k12.com/how-it-works/how-to-enroll.html.
To learn more about the statewide online education program, visit www.schools.utah.gov/edonline.
To learn more about Utah Virtual Academy, visit https://utva.k12.com/.
