Staff Members Saying ‘Goodbye’ to Long Careers by keelin davis and dane bunel It is hard to replace 76 years of work especially when 64 of those were spent in this building.
Before going to Bernheim, Stewart had taught at Bullitt East for 14 years. “I got my principal certification not really intending to use it. I really liked working with him and I had taught at East for many years before going to Bernheim and my kids were here so this is home,” Stewart said. Stewart is glad that she got to finish her career here and has made many memories.
The end of the year is approaching quickly, and in a year full of turbulence and turmoil, it’s a better time than ever to step out of comfort zones and discover new challenges. After years of working on staff and making memories, Guidance Counselor Crystal Barr is retiring to be with her family more and to live out her youth. Assistant Principal Kari Stewart is retiring to leave on a high note and to tend to her parents. Guidance Counselor Dana Steinmetz accepted a new counseling position at Male High School in order to pursue new opportunities.
She has many takeaways from her experiences, but the people that she has interacted with over the years have stuck with her the most. Stewart said, “I will take away a full heart. All of the amazing people that I got the chance to work with here, the incredible students have come through…” With all the people that have impacted her in her career, she hopes to make the same impact back on other people.
From a young age, Barr was always interested in taking a job as a counselor. “I really liked my high school guidance counselor. That kind of got me interested to begin with, but it’s always something I wanted to do,” Barr said. She has taken her love for counseling far and has made a large impact on the school.
Although Stewart has not been a teacher since her first time at the school, she has always wanted to make sure students achieve their goals. “I have always said that the goals I have for kids are the ones that aren’t on the learning targets… it’s the kind of people that they will be when they leave here when they grow up and have families of their own. I want them to be good citizens and just good humans,” Stewart said. Her impact is evident and she wants to end her career on a high note.
For as long as Barr has been interested in counseling, she always wanted to make a difference in the lives of kids. “I enjoyed teaching but I always wanted to give kids the guidance aspect of life that some might be lacking in,” Barr said. Stepping into the guidance role was a near perfect fit for Barr’s interest and her impact has reflected that. In her time at the school, she has watched the community and school atmosphere grow. “Although there are a number of people that have come and gone in my time, the overall staff and student roster has doubled in size entirely,” Barr said. She views this as a positive and has one large take away from her experiences. Barr said, “one thing that’s for sure is there’s a strong sense of community here.” With the growth of the community, she feels that the school has only grown closer and stronger.
Her family has played a large role in her time at the school. Her proudest moments include “watching [her] own sons graduate and knowing they were part of the family that our school is,” Stewart said. They also played a role in her retirement, specifically her husband. She continued, “My husband and I met when we were student teaching and we started at the same time and we are able to finish together as well. I think it is mostly so we can keep eachother company. I don’t know that I am fully done. I know that I am just getting a little tired. I want to go out when I am not bitter. I still feel love.” Her time at the school has taken
The decision to move on from the school was a tough one for Barr but she knew it was the right decision. “It’s my time now. My husband is retired, the kids are close to getting out of college. We just want to take this time to travel and enjoy all the things that life brings us while we still have some youth left in us,” Barr said. Her time at the school will not be forgotten and is greatly appreciated by many. Also moving on from the school, Stewart has made the decision to retire. She got into the job years ago and has called the school her home. “What got me into this job was Willie Foster who was the principal here before Mr. Mason. We worked together down at Bernheim Middle School where I was his instructional coach. When he had an opening here, he reached out and asked me to consider,” Stewart said. After consideration, she accepted the job because of the community and her familiarity with the culture.
3
