Franklin High School
Franklin, WI
Grace Barr is the Franklin High School, Franklin, Wisconsin teacher for transition services, serving those with special needs from ages 18 to 21. She is responsible for giving these special needs students extra time to transition to live somewhat independently or in group homes. She makes sure that the students get out in the community, help to obtain job opportunities and provides socialization for these students. She organizes an annual resource fair where over 60 organizations are represented to provide information to parents, guardians and other interested parties on services available to help her adult students with disabilities. She truly makes a difference in her students’ and their families’ lives. She advises parents and guardians of the students’ legal rights and education they are entitled to. She helps the parents get ready for the next stage of their disabled children’s lives, which can be overwhelming to face alone. Grace has pursued advanced education and certification in a variety of specialties.
Grace Barr was just awarded the Herb Kohl Fellowship for 2025. There are only 100 teachers in Wisconsin that receive this prestigious award and nominations must be supported by an application and letters of recommendation from both the school and community. The Kohl Teacher Fellowship program recognizes and supports teaching excellence and innovation in the state of Wisconsin, USA. The goal is to support Wisconsin teachers in the pursuit of their unrealized goals for their classrooms or professional development. Teachers must first be nominated for a Kohl Fellowship to be eligible to compete for the award. Teachers can be nominated by students, parents, other teachers, community members, or administrators. Self-nomination is not allowed. Special services teachers are also eligible. Like classroom teachers, they must have daily face-to-face contact with students. Special services roles can include but are not limited to special education, gifted and talented (or other exceptional needs), instructional resource or interventionist, speech language pathologist, school counseling, school psychologist, school nurse, school social worker, or instructional media personnel. Once verified as complete, applications are reviewed regionally at either the teacher’s Cooperative Educational Service Agency (CESA), or for teachers in the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), through the MPS District Office. CESA agencies create Regional Selection Committees, to include students, parents, teachers, administrators, school board members, civic and business leaders, and local newspaper people. Teachers are notified by email whether or not they have progressed to the Statewide Selection Committee. Grace has also received various recognitions from Franklin Hish School and is viewed as a subject matter expert on transition services. She has recently been asked to be an advisor to a non-profit that works with children with Downs Syndrome called Gigi’s Playhouse and has become very involved.
When Grace Barr took over the 18-21 year old transition program at Franklin High School, it required a complete overhaul. The students were rarely out of the high school setting and there were not good facilities to teach them real life living skills. She was able to procure funds to lease an apartment where her special needs students meet to work on life skills necessary for their future living arrangements. She contacts various businesses to advocate for the hiring of students with disabilities. The students receive exposure to a variety of workplaces commensurate with their abilities. She partners with other school district programs to seek out best practices and create more opportunities for socialization. She has partnered with the YMCA to give her students exposure to and the practice of good health habits and exercise. Grace has created a first class program that the Franklin High School parents are thrilled about. Grace is involved in working with the high school special education teachers to help them prepare the high school students with disabilities for her program.