Kelly Burke Tabbed As New Principal of Olympic Heights; Appointment Pending School Board Approval

Kelly+Burke+will+be+taking+over+as+principal+of+Olympic+Heights%2C+pending+school+board+approval.+She+served+as+the+OH+assistant+principal+of+curriculum+from+2004+through+October+2012.

Kelly Burke will be taking over as principal of Olympic Heights, pending school board approval. She served as the OH assistant principal of curriculum from 2004 through October 2012.

Pending school board approval, Ms. Kelly Burke, a former assistant principal of curriculum at Olympic Heights and current principal at Addison Mizner Elementary School, will take the helm as the new principal of OH.  She steps in for Mr. Dave Clark who has taken an extended leave of absence due to his wife’s health issues.

Burke was introduced to the faculty and staff of OH as their pending new principal at a faculty meeting this afternoon by Dr. Glenda Sheffield, South Area Instructional Superintendent of Secondary Schools for the School District of Palm Beach County.

Burke is no stranger to OH, having served as the school’s assistant principal of curriculum from 2004 through October 2012, the last two of those years under Clark, before leaving to become principal at Addison Mizner.

“I am honored to be named principal of Olympic Heights High!” Burke told The Torch. “I feel like I’m coming ‘home’ after six years. In my heart, I have always been a Lion!”

Among the first things Burke intends to do as the new OH principal is to get to know the students at the school and staff members that came to OH after she left the school in 2012. “I love being involved in school spirit activities and look forward to meeting with the different organizations on campus,” Burke commented.

Burke is quick to make clear that her primary focus, however, is on education. “Having been the curriculum AP [at OH] for years, I plan on visiting classrooms to ensure standards-based instruction and rigor is happening throughout all of the courses,” she mentioned.

Those current OH faculty and staff members who were at the school when Burke served as the assistant principal of curriculum at OH, while saddened by Clark’s departure and the circumstances surrounding it, seem overwhelmingly happy with Burke being named as Clark’s replacement.

“In light of the incredibly sad circumstances surrounding Mr. Clark’s departure, we are fortunate to be getting a principal with whom many of us are familiar and who will ensure a seamless transition,” said Ms. Kelly Lawrence, OH’s Olympians Advanced Placement Academy (OAPA) Coordinator, who was an OH faculty member representative at the interviews of applicants for the OH principal’s position. “Ms. Burke is more than qualified to lead Olympic Heights and will do a great job furthering the gains the school has made under Mr. Clark.”

Many other faculty members familiar with Burke expressed their delight with Burke’s appointment at the meeting introducing Burke to the OH faculty and staff.

Prior to becoming assistant principal at OH, Burke served in the same capacity at Boca Raton Middle School. She started her career teaching fourth grade and ESE at Westward Elementary in West Palm Beach for six years. She then moved to Boca Raton Middle where she served as the seventh and eighth grade Learning Strategist and ESE Coordinator before being named the school’s assistant principal.