Barton Welcomes New Teachers and Staff

We are pleased to welcome four new teachers and several new Support Services and Special Education staff to Barton this year.  We are fortunate to welcome a group of new team members who come with experience, a diversity of backgrounds, and a passion for teaching.  Here is a brief introduction to the new teachers.  Next week we will profile the other new Special Education and Support Services staff.

Mary Swenson is new to the primary staff. She is teaching grades 2-3 in room 209.  Mary taught the last five years at Anne Sullivan Community School and seven years before that at Webster Open.  She has also taught at Hamilton Community School and in Anoka schools.  Mary loves reading.  Her classroom has a huge book collection containing thousands of books.  She also loves hands-on teaching, incorporating manipulatives, games, crafts, and baking in her classroom.  She replaces Mark Downing who moved to grades 3-4 to take the place of retiring Claire Lohmann-Kopeska.

Kathy Scoggin joins the middles (grades 5-6) team.  Prior to coming to Barton, Kathy was part of the Minneapolis District Curriculum Office for Science and Literature.  She also has taught at Marcy Open School and was a teacher in residence at the Bakken Museum.  Kathy loves science!  She replaces Lisa Lange, who will be teaching the Gifted Program when she returns from her leave in January.

Chuck Nelson is the new uppers (grades 7-8) Social Studies teacher and Media Specialist.  Chuck has taught for ten years in Minneapolis schools.  He taught math at Lucy Laney Community School last year.  He taught language arts and social studies at Jefferson Community School for 8 years before that.  He loves to read.  He and his wife have three boys, ages 22 months to 8 years.

Lisa Howe joins the special education team in a half time position at Barton.  She will also continue a half time assignment at Lyndale Community School.  She's been with the Minneapolis school district for eighteen years.