Interim Superintendent Tricia Mooney named Kent Barnes the 2017-18 Educator of the Year at the chamber’s Distinguished Citizens Awards Banquet on Wednesday night.
Barnes is a science teacher at Sandstone Middle School. He has taught in the Hermiston School District for 11 years. Students and Sandstone staff know him for being kind, loving and fun. He is often heard saying, “if the kids aren’t having fun, then they aren’t learning.” He demonstrates his love for his profession on a daily basis.
Barnes is enthusiastic about science, and even more passionate that all students are capable of learning, that all students can be successful. Barnes is committed to his students and their performance.
The relationships Barnes has with his students motivate them to work hard and to achieve at high standards. Barnes often reminds his peers of the importance of not giving up on kids. Barnes and his teaching partners have indeed perfected the “secret sauce.” Over the past 10 years, the science department has consistently outperformed the state, with assessment passing rates averaging 90 percent.
