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06/05/2024 08:00 AMThis season marked Jim Barnett’s 14th year as head coach of the Morgan fencing team. However, for Jim, coaching is just the tip of the spear when it comes to making an impact in Clinton.
Fourteen years ago, Jim’s son approached him to ask why Clinton didn’t have its own fencing team.
“My son Steven wanted to fence, and I had grown up fencing at Guilford High School, so I had taught him a bit, and he had seen me fence as well,” Jim tells the Harbor News.
Jim’s son and his friends then proposed starting a fencing team at Morgan School. The school said yes, and Jim agreed to coach. Fast-forward almost two decades, and despite his children no longer being in the school system, Jim is still as enthusiastic about coaching as he was when he started.
“People always ask if I’m going to stop coaching, but I enjoy it way too much,” Jim excitedly says with a laugh. “My youngest graduated in 2015, and right now, I’m the chair of the Central Connecticut Fencing Conference. I still like doing it,’ Jim says.
In fact, Jim was recently surprised with an inaugural award from the conference that is named after him. For Jim, receiving the award and finding out it was named after him was an honor, but not the most important part.
“It’s not about me; it’s about the kids. Seeing them have success and having them come back years later and tell me what they’re up to or just checking in, that’s all the reward I need,” says Jim.
Jim says he got into volunteering in Clinton through the fencing team. The team was encouraged to collect cans and other items that could be handed out at the food pantry.
“It was my way of combining my background and getting the team involved in the community,” says Jim.
In addition to the food pantry Jim has also motivated the team to get involved with local organization Bare Necessities which combats diaper need in the state with an annual rubber ducky race in Clinton.
“It’s something I hope encourages them to stay involved with the community and giving back,” says Jim.
Besides the community service projects, Jim asks the kids to prepare for their future by making resumes when they come in as freshmen, an initiative that has drawn praise from former students as well as their parents.
“I ask kids to write a resume then turn it into a Google Doc so that by the time they graduate, their resume is done. It’s a great resource for when they start applying to colleges or jobs. And it helps me get to know the kids a little bit more,” Jim explains.
It’s something that Jim says is appreciated by the parents of the kids as much as by the kids themselves.
“That and getting them involved in the community, which a lot of colleges are looking for community service, its something that parents come up to me and say ‘thank you,’” Jim says.
Jim’s fondness for giving back began when he was in charge of dining services for Yale’s Law School.
“Food is my passion, so when I was at Yale, I got them to agree to donate extra food to the soup kitchens there in New Haven,” Jim says.
When the school was hosting the Special Olympics, Jim volunteered to do the food service for some of the events.
Jim still combines his passion for food and community service by helping with the Food for All Garden in Clinton.
“I do a food demonstration for Clinton Youth and Family Services. Kids come work in the garden, then pick food, and I cook it up for them. I educate them on the food, and they get to experience some things they’ve never had before or thought to have before. Parents come up to me and laugh saying, ‘Now my kid is asking for beets, and he didn’t even know what one was,’” Jim chuckles.
Jim also volunteers with the Clinton Historical Society, cooking in a refurbished colonial smokehouse for the society’s annual smokehouse fundraiser.
“I’m retired now, and I love doing things for the community. I like working with the kids and preparing them for life after Morgan, and I like working with the people,” Jim says.
For Jim, giving back as an adult is a way to pay forward some of the experiences he had as a kid.
“I like giving back because fencing at Guilford High School allowed me to travel to compete and meet people I’d never met before. Those were great experiences, and I want to make sure I can give back like the people who ran the fencing did for us when I was a kid,” Jim says.
In his spare time, Jim can be found tending to his vegetable garden at his house, beekeeping, and visiting his family and friends. Jim can also be found attending many Morgan sporting events, and he says he enjoys watching his fencers compete in their fall and spring sports as well. “I think I’m busier now in retirement than I was when I was working,” Jim quips.
Though Jim grew up in nearby Guilford, he’s lived in Clinton for close to 30 years.
“I like how small the town is, and everyone knows each other. I like that everyone seems to get involved in what’s going on. People really help out, no questions asked,” Jim sums up.