After completing the first semester of the 2021-22 school year without an official Estes Park High School (EPHS) Principal, Estes Park School District (EPSD) Superintendent Sheldon Rosenkrance has announced that Mary Barron will be taking over the position full time.
“I am honored and excited about being named principal of EPHS,” Barron said. “What I am most excited about is continuing to get to know all of the students in our high school and working with teachers and staff to make our community one in which we all thrive together. I look forward to a path of continued reflection, learning and improvement so that EPHS can be the best we can possibly be.”
Just a few weeks before the start of the 2021-22 school year and after less than two months officially in the position, Estes Park High School (EPHS) Principal Jeremy Schriner resigned, leaving the school district to find a replacement.
Rather than rush to fill the position, the school district placed Rosekrance and Barron in charge of the high school as co-principals and took its time to conduct an extensive candidate search.
“In addition to serving as the co-principal at the High School, Mary’s previous roles and experience at EPSD as the Restorative Practices Coordinator, Remote Learning Academy Coordinator, and the Middle School Athletics Director has set her up to shine bright in this role with our secondary students,” Rosenkrance said. “We are excited to announce that she will be moving full-time into the EPHS Principal role immediately.”
This is Barron’s fifth year working in the district and she says she knows what a dedicated and giving group of people she is working with.
“I believe the foundation of a strong, caring school community are the relationships within it. I can wholeheartedly say that our staff is committed to building genuinely thoughtful and respectful relationships with students and each other so that we can do the work of providing great educational opportunities for each one of our remarkable students,” Barron said. “I can also say this with certainty because I have a daughter who recently graduated from EPHS and another daughter who is a freshman this year.”
Her three months of serving as co-principal have given her perspective on her role and the challenges she faces.
“I’ve seen the areas where we as a high school are excelling, and the challenges that we must continue tackling as a collective group – teachers, parents, administrators, board members and the overall community,” said Barron. “The youth of Estes Park deserve it.”
One of the recent challenges that educators across the world have been struggling with are the learning issues caused by the pandemic.
“We have faced consequences such as decreased attendance due to symptoms, sickness and quarantine mandates, learning gaps and social emotional wellness needs that have been exacerbated in the past 22 months. Students have been through a lot since March, 2020, just as we all have,” Barron said. “We need to honor that these difficulties are real and help everyone move forward into better times. We have made great strides and feel proud of the work we’ve done to remain in-person and as safe as possible. We will continue to keep this as our focus.”
Barron holds licensure as a Director of Special Education and received a Masters Degree in Special Education from the University of Missouri, Kansas City in 1997. Additionally, she holds her Principal Licensure through the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, and also holds a Building Level Leadership Licensure (Principal) in both Kansas and Missouri.
“She is an amazing leader and has done wonderful work with the team and students there,” Rosenkrance said. “This move is extremely important and will keep a consistent environment moving forward for our staff and students, and the district truly believes that Mary is the right person for the job.”
Locally, Barron has served as the Education Director for Reflections for Youth, the Secondary Coordinator-Exceptional Student Services for Thompson School District, the Assistant Principal at Turner Middle School, all of which were in Loveland.
She was also the Special Education Administrator for Kansas City Public Schools in Kansas City.
“I am proud to work for EPSD and the students and families of this awesome town,” said Barron.
Kevin Miles will continue in his position as the Athletics Director and Assistant Principal.