Barker, Principal, Leaving John Carroll to Become Good Counsel President

Officials at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney have named John Carroll School Principal Paul Barker their new president, effective July 1.

“After a certain point, you’ve made your mark and schools can be energized by new ideas. I think I’ve certainly made my mark here,” Barker said.

Barker is nearly finished his doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania and said he is ready to take on a presidential role. He has a daughter, Ellen, an 18-year-old senior at John Carroll who will attend High Point University in the fall. That, and his wife’s parents living in Montgomery County, where Good Counsel is located, contributed to the decision.

“It was one of those perfect storm moments in my life,” Barker said of the move, first reported by The Patriot student newspaper.

The 52-year-old New Zealand native also has a son, Zachary, a 21-year-old junior at SUNY-ESF. Paul said his wife, Carol, 52, and their two children will eventually move closer to Good Counsel from Forest Hill.

Barker taught at John Carroll from 1990 to 1994 before returning as principal in 2001.

“Teachers are doing things in this school that are leading-edge globally,” he said. “We made significant enhancements without going into debt. The school has zero debt right now.”

John Carroll now has a second gym, contracts its dining services, and provides computers for every student as part of the recent transition to becoming a paperless campus. The school also offers five foreign language options as well as equestrian, badminton and rugby. Barker said Athletic Director Larry Dukes deserves credit for that, too.

“I’ve supported athletics I think in a pretty substantial way,” Barker said. “If you can’t find the sport you want to do here, shame on you.”

John Carroll hired its own president, Richard O’Hara, four years ago. O’Hara said Barker’s departure, set for June 30, is a significant loss for the school.

“He’s been a very, very important person in the history and the life of John Carroll,” O’Hara said of Barker. “He’s a person of great intellect, great vision and [has a] compassionate heart to go with it.”

O’Hara said the search for Barker’s successor began three weeks ago and that he has received about 15 applications in advance of the March 21 deadline. None of John Carroll’s faculty has applied for the position. The school is forming a search committee, which O’Hara expects to interview three applicants.

“We have a number of very, very good résumés and good candidates,” he said. “I think if all goes well, by mid-April to late April I’m hoping we’ll be able to name the next principal.”

Barker said he will miss the Bel Air school.

“This is just a fun place to be. I like the people I work with. I count them as my friends,” he said. “The school works well because people come here and they don’t want to leave.”

For the most part.