1922--A decision was made by the Grand Island School District to organize the system into a kindergarten-six, seven-nine, ten-twelve arrangement.

1924--It was reported to be the first junior high in the state. The cost to build was $140,000.  

 Howard J. Finley, first principal of the R.J. Barr Junior High, 1924.

This photograph was found in a time capsule, July 1998, in a corner stone while demolishing "Old Barr" also known as Connell, 318 South Clark.

 

A SCHOOL IS NAMED

The school was named for R.J. Barr who was Superintendent of Schools from 1882-1922

 

 1947 Barr Football Team

 

CHANGES TAKE PLACE

1956--Superintendent Wiltse began developing educational specifications for a new building. The processes leading to the actual construction of a new building took 11 years.

1958--A seventh grade common core curriculum for both junior high schools was approved.

1960--A foreign language lab was added to the school.

1961--The Junclaus store, located just west of the school, was leased for the site of the shop for the next five years.

1965--February--Decision reached to place the new school on property north of Stolley Park Road.

BUILDING OF A NEW SCHOOL--APPROVED

1965--April--Bond issue of $1,760,000 was approved.

1965--October--Contract for construction of school awarded to Johnson Company of Salina, Kansas. Total cost of the project was $1,154,283.

1965--November--Ground breaking ceremony occurred.

1966--Cornerstone of the building laid by the Grand Lodge AF & AM of Nebraska.

 

NEW BARR JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETED

  

1967--Fall--School was occupied for the 1967-1968 school year with an enrollment of 683 students.  Formal dedication on November 19, 1967.  The new building included climate control, elevator, auditorium, two industrial arts rooms, cafeteria, vocal and instrumental music rooms, nursing station, counselor's offices, gymnasium, two home economics rooms, classrooms for all academic areas and outdoor space for physical education activities. 

1967--June--A major flood causes $80,000 in damages to the new building.

1967--October--Additional property was purchased to enlarge the site.

1969--The school newspaper formerly titled the Crowbar, and the Barr Barker, was renamed The Paper Bulldog. Boys wrestling was added to the extracurricular activities.

1972--Student enrollment increased from 618 students to 756 students due to annexation of Central Park area south of town.

1975--Girls basketball, volleyball and track programs began in the fall.

1980--Tornadoes which struck Grand Island, on the night of June 3, 1980, caused $264,489.73 worth of damage to the building. The building was repaired in time for the opening of school in the fall.

1988--A seven period day was implemented, a change from six periods, allowing students to have more opportunity for exploratory courses.

1989--Twenty years of celebration for the school newspaper was celebrated with a Twentieth Anniversary Edition. The journalism paper earned a medalist rating, the highest awarded by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, from 1980 through 1990.

1990--A fenced all-weather track and new football field was approved at a cost of $97,000.

1991--Principal Frank Haack retires after serving as an Administrator to Barr Junior High from 1959-1991. 

1993--Bond issue for the Grand Island School District passes. Barr Junior High gains $3,110,000 for the remodeling and building process.

1994--Breaking of ground for the new facility begins.

1995--Remodeling and construction are underway for a new middle school facility. 

1997--The facility is scheduled to be completed and opened as Barr Middle School.

1998--Time Capsule is opened by:  former Principal Frank Haacke and former Assistant Principal Al Satterly. 

2005--School Bond was passed to add 6 new classrooms and a new Media Center on to Barr.

2006--Construction began for the newest addition.

2006--In March classes were held in the new addition. 

Link to the Nebraska Education Profile: http://nep.education.ne.gov/

Purpose of Title I

Designated as Title I Targeted Assistance School (TAS), Barr Middle School recieved supplemental federal funding to provide services to ensure identified at-risk students get the focused help they need. This school year, the purpose of these Title I supplementary funds is to assist students in meeting their educational goals, particularly in the area of social-emotional learning and positive supports. Funds support tailored strategies such as interventions, specialized staff and their professional development, and supplementary resources or materials. These methods aim to increase attendance, student engagement, and improve achievement within a strengthened learning environment.

 

Components of a Title I Targeted Assistance School

• Conduct an annual self-review and comprehensive needs assessment for students in highest need.
• Provide targeted support: focus on eligible students needing extra assistance to help students meet state standards and close achievement gaps.
• Provide frequent and continuous data to help staff make informed decisions to assist students.
• Participate in staff professional learning throughout the school year, focused on the identified goals for Title I.
• Provide transitional assistance from within grade levels and from elementary school to middle school and middle school to high school.

 

Title I Annual Meeting
As a requirement for all Title I schools, we convene an annual Title I meeting for all parents and guardians, to explain the school’s Title I eligibility, share information about staff, funding, curriculum, assessments, and the parents’ right to be involved in their child’s education. Additional opportunities for parents also function as a space to inform parents about their rights to be involved in the school program and to request additional feedback and input. The annual meeting can be the first step in setting the tone and opening the door for positive school-home partnerships.

 

Parental Engagement
Parental engagement is an integral part of the Title I program. Parents are encouraged to become partners in helping their children achieve and to become actively involved in all aspects of the process of the Title I program, from the development of the Title I self-review to its implementation and evaluation of effectiveness. A strong connection between home and school is a key element in student success. Materials, strategies, and assistance from teachers are available to all parents within a Title I school. Opportunities for active parent participation include school open houses, PTO (Parent/Teacher Organizations), parent/teacher conferences, and upholding the implementation of the school/parent compact. Federal legislation requires schools to utilize a portion of their Title I funds to support parent and family engagement and parents are encouraged to contact the school principal with any comments or suggestions regarding the school’s parent engagement opportunities.

 

Testing Transparency
The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 states that the parents may request, and the agency will provide the parents on request (and in a timely manner), information regarding student participation in any assessments mandated by section 1111 (b)(2) and by the State or local educational agency, which shall include a policy, procedure, or parental right to opt the child out of such assessment, where applicable.

 

Notification of Teacher Qualifications
The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 gives parents/guardians the right to request information about the professional qualifications of their child's classroom teachers. Upon request (and in a timely manner), the agency will give parents/guardians the following information about their child's teacher:

• Whether the teacher has met state qualifications and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction.
• Whether the teacher is teaching under an emergency or provisional teaching certificate.
• Is teaching for four or more consecutive weeks who does not meet applicable State certification or licensure requirements.
• Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.

 

Click any of the following items to view the related documents:
Barr Middle School Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy: English | Spanish
Barr Middle School Title I School-Parent Compact

School Report

Barr Middle School and all of Grand Island Public Schools are dedicated to continually improving our school, our students and our community. Within this section you can see data and gain an understanding of our efforts and goals for improvement.

NDE: STATE OF THE SCHOOLS REPORT

Click here to see the Nebraska Department of Education State of Schools Report for Barr Middle School.

 

School Improvement Plan

This summary provides information and results for our school’s improvement process. By design, broad improvement goals are established that take several years to fully achieve. All staff help identify and implement a few powerful research-based improvement strategies, which are assessed annually in terms of student learning gains.

Reading and Math Goals

• Overarching NSCAS Growth Reading Building Goal:
  • The overall percentage of students proficient on NSCAS Growth Reading will increase from 35% in the spring of 2022 to 51% in the spring of 2023.
     
• Overarching NSCAS Growth Math Building Goal:
  • The overall percentage of students proficient on NSCAS Growth Math will increase from 28% in the spring of 2022 to 51% in the spring of 2023.

Positive Support Goals

• Schoolwide positive Support Goal:
  • By th eend of the 2022-2023 school year, we will implement effective MTSS Positive Supports framework, which leads to 90% of students having 0-1 minor or major referrals, a structured and manageable Tier 2 response protocol, and reduced Tier 3 student needs.

What universal tier strategies are you implementing this year to improve student achievement?

• Strategy 1: Shared Leadership 1.4
  • Grade level PLCs meet a minimum of one time per week to engage in standards-based planning and data-driven decisions (i.e. PLC Progress Standards-Based Planning & Data-Driven Decisions).
• Strategy 2: Evidence-Based Instruction, Intervention, & Assessment Practices 1.3a
  • The BLT uses a process to ensure that effective universal practices are implemented with fidelity (Learning Targets & Success Criteria, Target-Task Alignment, & Verification of Learning).

What universal tier strategies are you implementing this year to improve positive supports?

• Strategy 1: Positive Supports Strategy 1: 1.6 Discipline Policies
  • School policies and procedures describe and emphasize proactive, instructive and/or restorative approaches to student behavior that are implemented consistently.