Over the past ten years, Mark Barry has traveled the world, teaching science in the Solomon Islands and mythology in Maine. Luckily for students at Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins, CO, Barry has made a more permanent home in the Rocky Mountain State.
Before he was Dean of Students, Barry garnered a reputation with his students for running a rigorous class schedule. Students generally consider his class one of the hardest, but also the most rewarding. Barry's Advanced Placement (AP) students routinely earned 4's and 5's (the highest scores) on their AP exams. Since his arrival, reading test scores at Fossil Ridge have climbed well above the state average, 81 percent in comparison to 66 percent in 2008.
Barry structured his courses much like college seminars and uses the Socratic method to mold students into critical thinkers. This collegiate teaching style was due in large measure to his role as university liaison for Colorado State University's master's teaching program, where Barry is an adjunct professor for lesson planning and classroom management, as well as a graduate student.
1995 Colorado State, B.A.
