Brian Barkey is a ceramics teacher and a soccer coach. Barkey has many different views on character and how a sport can grow a person.

“I’m here every day trying to make a difference with the students that are in front of me, no matter what it is that I teach. I’ve taught so many different things here, I’ve taught in the art department; I’ve taught in the PE department; I’ve taught in the English department. I’ve been working in LPTV now for a long time. So I hope that everyone sees me as someone that serves and does what’s asked of him and does the best job that’s possible. Working in the Options 38 program, I’ve learned all kinds of different ways to work with people, and truthfully, I’ve learned as much as I hope they’ve learned from me. I’ve learned patience, I’ve learned tolerance. I’ve learned not only from the students but also from the outstanding faculty that surround me about diligence and perseverance, and the soccer season is a great example of grit and perseverance, and I’m really proud of that. I’m proud to be part of the faculty that is a reflection of grit and perseverance; and when you look at our school, our positive reputation is truly because of the students and the faculty. I think high school is an important time in a student’s life and soccer can teach a lot of things that are just not really even related to soccer. I try, as a coach, to simply teach people to be good people.”