After seven years as Principal of Marion High School, Keith Burke is taking on a new leadership role at Marion Community Schools: Assistant Superintendent.
In this new role, Burke will help oversee all operations and programming at MCS, but for the next few years will also help lead the district’s work to take full advantage of the opportunities provided by Elementary and Secondary Emergency Education Relief federal grant funds. His focus will include accelerated learning and extended day and extended year options for our students; family and community engagement; and educator support.
“I am excited for this leadership opportunity,” Burke said. “Marion has become home to me, and I relish the opportunity to continue to serve in this community that is so dear to me.”
Burke has served as Marion High School principal since 2014. We first introduced him to our community as an innovative school leader, and he has continued in that mode here at Marion Community Schools! In his time at MHS, he has overseen a period of growth, student achievement, and exciting innovations including:
- Implementation of one-to-one technology at MHS, with the school providing devices for every student, paving the way for educational innovation from online textbooks, to digital art, to e-learning throughout the COVID pandemic.
- A revitalization of the MHS campus, including dynamic displays for the MHS Hall of Distinction, the MHS Arts Hall of Fame, and the MHS Athletics Hall of Fame, individual team histories, and conference and state titles; a turf football field; a spirit gear store; a modernized cafeteria, and more.
- The addition of many new classes, including dozens of new college credit opportunities and available career certifications.
- Continuous improvement, as each year’s graduating class surpassed their predecessors for college credits earned, Advanced Placement honors awarded, and career certifications earned.
- The expansion of our music education program, including the restart of our marching band program after decades of dormancy, and the 2021 Total Department All-Music Award, IHSAA’s highest honor.
- A partnership with the Marion Community School of the Arts to implement the CSA Arts Academy, which offers pre-professional arts training along with all of the best MCS has to offer, including online and onsite classes, extracurricular activities, and more.
- The implementation and exponential growth of the only JROTC program in Grant County, which provides outstanding leadership experiences and much more, earning State and National Championships, college scholarships, and high ratings from the U.S. Army.
- The transition of Marion Regional Career Center back to the campus of Marion High School, which has offered career and technical education opportunities for more Marion students and has also allowed for cooperation and collaboration between educators in both schools, along with the creation of opportunities that are unique to this region, including the Aviation Academy, which is an award-winning partnership between Marion Community Schools and the Marion Municipal Airport, and the Cybersecurity and IT Academy, which partners with several local businesses and organizations to offer internships in this high-demand career field, and has numerous international accreditations from the likes of Microsoft, Amazon, and more.
“Keith has been a positive, productive, and relational Principal for Marion High School. He is committed to our Marion Community Schools mission, and he and his family are committed to our community,” said Marion Community Schools Superintendent Brad Lindsay. “I am excited to work with Keith in this new role. He will help provide more excellent experiences for our Marion students in the coming years.”
Burke has nearly three decades of experience in public education leadership roles and has been recognized as Principal of the Year for his work both at Indianapolis Public Schools and here at Marion Community Schools. He is a mentor principal for the Indiana Association of School Principals.
He excels in building relationships with students, families, and community members, and in connecting students with opportunities to provide an outstanding foundation for college, career, and life. He has wide-ranging experience in building fruitful partnerships that benefit not only our schools and our students but the entire community.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in education, master’s degree in educational leadership, and his Educational Specialist (Ed.S) degree from Oakland City University in Oakland, Ind. Originally from the Vincennes area, he started his career as a teacher and coach in Madisonville, Ky., and then served in various roles including teacher, coach, athletic director, and building administrator at various IPS schools before coming to Marion Community Schools.
He and his family have been engaged in and committed to Marion Community Schools and the community of Marion for the last seven years, and we are excited for what the future holds as he joins the district administration and continues to propel Marion Community Schools toward even greater excellence!
Marion Community Schools will begin the search for the next principal of Marion High School immediately. Burke will maintain his leadership role in the high school administration until his successor is in place.
