Dr. Mary Barton was a math teacher at St. Charles West for 27 years, starting in 1989 and retiring in 2016. However, Dr. Barton has returned to West after an 8 year hiatus. So who is Dr. Barton and why has she returned to St. Charles West after nearly a decade?

Ever since her early childhood, Dr. Barton knew she had a love for math. “I used to line up my stuffed animals and teach them math equations on the little chalkboard I had in my room,” said Dr. Barton. She credits her love of math to her grade school math teacher, Mrs. Baron of Sacred Heart in Florissant, who she says she always connected with and made math make sense. 

After receiving a call from Dr. Voelkl over the summer saying that West was short on math teachers, Dr. Barton had to consider the offer. “I was happy in retirement. I have 4 grandchildren, so I spent a lot of time with them. My husband and I traveled and I also spent a lot of time reading,” Dr. Barton said. After contemplating the offer, Dr. Barton has returned once more to St. Charles West. 

Mrs. Spies has had the opportunity to work with Dr. Barton for many years of her career. “Dr. Barton is patient, kind, very knowledgeable, and with a dry sense of humor. Students have counted her among their favorites over the years. I’m glad she decided to come out of retirement. It’s great to have her back on staff!” 

Seeing Dr. Barton’s face back at West is something students and staff can agree has been nice to see. The people of West are so thankful for Dr. Barton’s long time commitment to the school and are excited to see what she will do in future years.