TIFFANY BARNES

WHEELING — She stands tall over a classroom of autistic students, has the stamina of a U.S. Army veteran and runs marathons with a rucksack on her back.

She has also given birth to three children — including twins.

Tiffany Barnes, a special needs teacher at Wheeling Middle School, was tapped as this year’s West Virginia Teacher of the Year. The honor puts the marathoner in the running for the National Teacher of the Year award, which will be announced during a ceremony this spring in Washington, D.C.

A Martins Ferry resident, Barnes is a mother of three and Iraq War veteran with the U.S. Army Military Police.

She went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development and Family Studies from American Military University, and a Master of Education in Reading from West Liberty University.

But Barnes’ entry into education didn’t begin in the classroom.

She began her career in Ohio County Schools as a substitute aide and cook. She began to work as an aide in the special needs classroom, and the experience led her to decide on teaching autistic children as a career choice.

Over time, she earned her teaching degree and autism certification and now teaches full time in the autism classroom at Wheeling Middle School.

Barnes is also noted for her athletic ability, honed by her years in the military. She works as a certified personal trainer and performance enhancement specialist certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

On Memorial Day weekend this year, she participated in the Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend while decked out in camouflage and carrying the American flag. Most notably, she wore a backpack adorned with the photos of fallen comrades she knew who were either killed in action or who were victims of post-traumatic stress disorder after returning home.

Barnes also is the mother of a 16-year-old son, as well as another boy and a girl who are 10-year old twins.

The Horace Mann Educators Corporation this month awarded her $5,000 for her victory as West Virginia Teacher of the Year. That money will be put toward establishing a special sensory room for her students, according to Barnes.