10 new teachers and staff members joined Barlow this year. Since these teachers are new, let’s take some time to get to know our new staff.
Bekah Shearer
This is Mrs. Shearer’s second year teaching; her first year was spent at Gordon Russell Middle School alongside her father. She has always had struggles in math and science, so English was the way to go. “English is all open to interpretation,” Shearer mentioned when expressing her love for English. In her free time away from school, Schearer enjoys running and competes in competitions and half-marathons. Her favorite book is The Lion Woman of Taron by Marjan Kamali. One fun fact about Schearer is that she competed in Roller Derby under the name Sivea Rath. With her time here so far, she loves the community and how the students here take pride in the school they attend.
Scott Carey
Mr. Carey has been teaching since 2000 and has spent most of his time since 2002 at Ukarumpa International School, which is located in Papua New Guinea. He teaches AP Statistics, Math of the Trades, and AVID 9 here at Barlow. Mr. Carey has always enjoyed math, but his original degree was in history with a minor in math. However, he didn’t enjoy teaching History, so he switched to math. “Math feels like teaching skills,” Mr. Carey said. He enjoys watching and playing sports outside of school, his favorite soccer team to watch being Manchester City. For Mr. Carey, Barlow has been a lot of fun, and the atmosphere at sports events is great. A fun fact about Mr. Carey is that his wife graduated from Barlow High School.
Joel Cochran
Mr. Cochran has been teaching for 26 years in total, with 18 years in Texas and the rest at Lakeridge High School and West Orient. He teaches Biology here at Barlow. He mentioned that his favorite thing about teaching science is getting to participate in activities with students that engage them. One fun fact about Mr. Cochran is that he once jumped out of a plane during college. Outside of school, he enjoys the outdoors, skiing, camping, and mountain biking. His favorite part of Barlow so far is the students, getting to know them, and sharing a room with Mr. Moffat.
Brian Hills
Mr. Hills teaches Math Lab, along with being the Athletic Director. He has been an athletic director for the past four years. Mr. Hills grew up playing basketball, and now he enjoys watching the sport. Outside of school, he enjoys spending time with family and his two dogs, hunting, and fishing. One fun fact about Mr. Hills is that he was a fishing guide in Alaska for 20 years. Barlows’ community has been his favorite part so far. “Lots of great people in the Barlow community,” he says.
Jeremy Thomas
Mr. Thomas, also known as Mr. JJ to students, teaches Algebra and Geometric Reasoning here at Barlow. He has been teaching for three years, previously at Springfield High School, Oakhill, and Cottage Grove High School. “Math is all about exploring and solving puzzles,” Mr. Thomas says, describing his choice to teach math. Mr. Thomas’s secret talent is that he can make kazoo noises with his mouth. Outside of school, he enjoys playing video games such as Zelda. His favorite part of Barlow so far is how welcoming the community is.
Catherine Ordway
Ms. Ordway teaches Algebra 1 and Calculus. She has been teaching for seven years, her last years being spent at MLC, an alternative school in Portland. She really likes math and also enjoys working with teenagers, so being a math teacher is the best of both worlds. A fun fact about Ms. Ordway is that she has a cat named Six, who has only three teeth. Her favorite thing to do outside of school is to bake, and recently her favorite thing to bake has been Rosemary Focaccia. She really enjoys the air conditioning at Barlow since her last school didn’t have any, and she likes how many resources are available.
Jennifer Carvajal
Ms. Carvajal has been working in the district since 1990 as a teacher, but in this new position, she has been working for three weeks. Here at Barlow, she supports kids in classes, modifies lessons, and even learns things herself. She decided to do this job because she spent so much time teaching elementary school and wanted a change in pace. Outside of school, Ms. Carvajal enjoys spending time with her two sons, going to the beach, and camping in a cool van. A fun fact about her is that her greatest dream is to be a professional artist, and she still hasn’t let go of that dream. She creates art on the side when she’s not working as a Special Education assistant. Her favorite part of Barlow so far is the students, along with seeing students she used to teach in kindergarten all grown up.
Tammy Warnke
Mrs. Warnke is Barlow’s new student management secretary. She’s been working in the district for eight years as a substitute and education assistant at Gordon Russell. She wanted to work in a secretary position while also being able to work with students. “Where I could still work with students and advocate for them,” Ms. Warnke mentions. Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with family and her grandkids. A fun fact about Ms. Warnke is that she is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. Her favorite part of Barlow is how she gets to see past students and meet new students.
April Bruimeister
Mrs. Bruimeister has been teaching for 21 years at Gresham High School. She teaches Algebra 1 and Geometric Reasoning. She was always interested in math and took many math classes in college. She took a course on how to teach middle school math and realized that it could be fun and exciting. Outside of school, she enjoys camping, gardening veggies like tomatoes, beans, and lettuce, and hanging out with family. Ms. Bruimeister’s secret talent is that she can type 90 words per minute. So far, her favorite part of Barlow is the people and how nice and welcoming they all are.
Lance Erickson
Mr. Erickson teaches Global Perspective, US history, and History Through Media. He has been teaching for over ten years at Clear Creek and up the mountain in Welches. His favorite event in history to teach is the Civil War, which he teaches in US History. A fun fact about Mr. Erickson is that he puts pineapple and hot honey on all of his pizza. Outside of school, he enjoys tennis, jogging, and cooking. Barlow’s great positive energy and strong determination of the student and staff have become one of Mr. Erickson’s favorite parts of Barlow so far.
