Levi Barton is joining the Rose Hill High School Staff as the new art teacher, replacing longtime art teacher Ward Hilgers. Barton is a graduate of Rose Hill and was one of Hilgers’ students.

Barton has been teaching art at Andover Middle School for two years now, and is ready for the next step.

“It is where I caught my creative bug and I think it’s fitting for me to take the torch and run with it,” said Barton.

With the change of grade levels, Barton is excited to work with more advanced students and can’t wait for all the opportunities that it gives. 

“I hope to build positive long lasting relationships with my students and hope to create an atmosphere that creates highly skilled, creative, and self driven artists,” said Barton. 

Barton hopes to get his students to a point where they can express themselves through their art. 

“I believe this will ultimately strengthen their creative behaviors, problem solving, and their independent thinking skills,” 

When choosing a new art teacher, principal Shannon Haydock looked to Hilgers for recommendations, and Hilgers highly recommended Barton for the job. When Barton was a student of Hilgers, he primarily painted. 

“He could do almost anything, everything I taught him, he could do,” said Hilgers.