Summary

In this 103rd episode of Cool Coffee w/ Kansas Principals, Principal Brian Barackman shares the unique house system at Indian Trail Middle School in USD 233. Discussed is how this system fosters community and enhances the student experience through its building and camaraderie amongst grade-levels. Mr. Barackman connects what his school is doing with the house system and its PBIS system. Listen in to hear more from another Kansas principal doing great work for kids and staff!

Connect with Mr. Barackman:

Email

X: @BarackmanBrian

Show Reference: Ron Clark Academy

The mission of the Kansas Principals Association, an organization committed to educational excellence and the lifelong success of all students, is to develop and support all principals through optimized learning, collaborative leadership, networking, and service. Read more about the KPA HERE.

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FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT (Timestamps after the 6:00 mark are inaccurate due to mid-show interruption and need for editing)

Rick Sola (00:01 .89)

Hello and welcome to Cool Coffee. Today I am with principal Mr. Brian Barickman from Indian Trail Middle School in USD 233, Olathec Public Schools. Welcome, Brian.

Brian Barackman (00:14 .309)

How we doing? Thanks so much for having me.

Rick Sola (00:17 .154)

Doing all right. It's been, we're recording this at the end of a Monday and I think it's been a pretty good Monday. So I'll start with a quick transparency on this episode. Mr. Berrickman and I go way back and we actually shared a meeting together today, this afternoon. We had a meeting over at the district office, but we share a district. At one point we shared a school and we do go way back. So.

I've used this term before, but this is kind of like a Prince of Pals episode. We've got a Prince of Pals here on the show here with Mr. Berrickman. But again, welcome. Thanks for coming on.

Brian Barackman (00:54 .105)

Ha ha ha.

Brian Barackman (00:59 .142)

Hey, I can't believe that I'm finally here. I've been listening to every episode and it's an honor to be here. So thanks for having me.

Rick Sola (01:07 .252)

And the software I use for this can detect lying on the show. And so I don't know that you've really listened to every episode, but no, it's awesome that you're here. But before we get started here, a quick show shout out, a reminder that if you click into the show and check the show notes, there's information about the show, ways to contact our guests, and a way to leave feedback or even a contact me with topics or questions or guest ideas. Would love to get all of those.

Brian Barackman (01:11 .69)

You

Rick Sola (01:36 .706)

Some of our shows have been created by the feedback from those who have listened. Also, give us a like or a follow on your favorite podcast platform. Help spread the word about the insightful stories from the amazing principals all across this great state of Kansas. Like us, follow us here at KPA's Cool Coffee. And so I feel like that's a really great lead-in to really someone I...

have come to learn is the most beloved principle in the world. And that's Brian Berrickman.

Brian Barackman (02:12 .449)

my goodness. I can see the lie detector now. I see it going off now. Well, that's high praise coming from you. I appreciate it. However not true, I appreciate it.

Rick Sola (02:16 .069)

Hahaha

Rick Sola (02:26 .146)

Well, so I think you'll cover this here. We will start with your road to the chair, but our road has crossed paths in a very good way. But it's fun to hear every principal I've had on this show. They talk about what it is that led to them being where they're at presently. And we're all so varied on how we got here. it's, I always find it interesting, but let's start with that, Brian.

Where did you start in education and what led to you being at Indian Trail?

Brian Barackman (03:00 .269)

Absolutely, well, I think that story starts with my own middle school career going to school here at Indian Trail. And I didn't know that the stars would align down the road one day, but thankfully they did. So as a middle school kid, never thought that I would be a principal. I wanted to be a biologist and then...

I went to K-State and learned that, you know, I taught swimming lessons, was one of my early life jobs, and I learned to really love teaching, and I decided to combine those two loves of science and teaching and become a science teacher. So I taught seventh grade science, mostly biology, at Santa Fe Trail Middle School in Olathe for about six years. And that whole time I knew not only did I have a passion for education, but I had dreams.

dreams of being an administrator. I saw great administrators throughout my career that I just saw the impact that they had not only on me but on so many families and so many students. And it was always interesting to me that you want to have an impact on the community and then seeing people in those positions have an even broader and wider impact and think, man, what kind of difference could I make in a position like that or what kind of help could I provide, what kind of service

leader could I be to even more people, you know, and give back to the community that gave me so much growing up. So I kind of had that dream. And then after six years of teaching, the yours truly, Mr. Rick Sola gave me an opportunity to get into my first assistant principal position at Prairie Trail Middle School. And I was assistant principal there for three years. And then there's an opening

at Indian Trail, which as I mentioned was my alma mater. So I loved my time so much at both Santa Fe Trail and Prairie Trail. But when there's a, you you have an opportunity to potentially go back to your home school, you know, it's, I knew it was going to be fun and exciting to be back, but I didn't realize just how special and how connected, how special it be and how connected I would feel to a building, you know.

Brian Barackman (05:20 .555)

I jumped at the opportunity to come back. I served as assistant principal here for one year and now this is my fourth year as head principal. And I can tell you, every day it's still new memories pop up for me. Like I will be in a classroom and I'll have an epiphany of, my gosh, this was the same room in seventh grade when this happened to me and there are so many. I remember reading holes in this room. It used to be a language arts room or.

I'll turn a corner and have a memory of an interesting passing period that I had one time. So it's just, it's really, really fun and special to be back here and to serve this community in this capacity.

Rick Sola (06:06 .028)

So you said that you were at your you were a student at Indian Trail back in the day. And so going back there, does it feel

Brian Barackman (08:12 .825)

Yeah, yeah.

Rick Sola (08:31 .426)

totally different, like a whole different school, or when you walk those halls, is it kind of like, man, this is my old stomping grounds. Like, do you still feel that? Because I know there's been some changes there, some construction and all sorts of things.

Brian Barackman (08:42 .563)

Yeah, it's so funny. It's so much of both. There's so many memories that flood back immediately, especially walking back into this principal's office I've been in a couple times. But then, also, there's memories that you forget about that you...

you know, you don't think about and then all of a sudden it just hits you one day. know, you'll be like, since some of the classrooms look so different and are different subject areas and things like that, you don't immediately recognize them. But then in one moment you might have this memory flood back like, my gosh, this was Ms. So and So's room. And I remember doing this and they're meeting this friend or, you know, and one other special thing in my office, I have the class photo from my last year here and there.

There are people in that photo who are, you who I was standing up in their weddings. There's people in that photo who I've been friends with since we went to school here and they are currently working here with me, which is really special. you know, there's some, you know, you know how life is. There's some sad stories on that too. And it's just a good reminder for me every morning of, you know, the reason that we're here to make a difference in those people's lives. And, you know, we were those kids and that's why this

work is so important.

Rick Sola (10:01 .486)

Yeah, that's really cool. And I feel like maybe we've talked about this before, but I remember when I first started teaching and I came back to the district where I graduated high school and went all the way through, I was teach