Ocean Springs High School remembers teacher killed in a car wreck

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WLOX) - Ocean Springs High School created a tribute area in honor of Kennon Barton, a teacher who was killed Wednesday morning in a tragic car wreck.

The memorial located at the entrance of the school has a wreath with several pictures of the English teacher and his family.

The foyer area has some of Barton’s favorite things like Star Wars action figures and a golden guitar, representing his love for music.

Barton was a musician who was a member of the band “Party at the Moontower.”

Students Jcquez Poole and Sophia Holder stopped by to pay their respects. They said Barton was a great teacher who always helped his students.

“He was very impactful toward everyone. He treated us as his own kids. So it’s very hard right now. He was probably the most impactful teacher I had, and I know a lot of people would say the same. He always lit up the room and always wanted to take care of us and make sure we had everything that we needed,” Poole and Holder said.

According to Holder, there were a lot of times when Barton helped her push through school when it got hard.

“There was a lot of mental days when mentally I wasn’t there. Even if there was an assignment due, you can talk to him and he would say, whenever you can get it turned in, that’s fine, I’m not going to hold it against you,” Holder said.

The school also set up an area where teachers and students can leave a special message in Barton’s honor.

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