It is a tremendous honor to serve as the Superintendent for the Burlingame School District. This year marks the start of my fifth year in this position, and I have great pride and confidence in all who serve and live in this community. As a district, we take great pride in being a part of such an amazing school community. We enjoy celebrating our strengths and heritage while at the same time, look forward to building new traditions and accomplishing even greater milestones. Bearcat Nation is a STRONG Nation!
During the 2024-25 school year, I will put my thirty-six years as an educator to great use! During my career, I have served as a teacher, a Curriculum Director, an Assistant Principal, Principal, and now as the proud Superintendent of USD 454. As an educator, I believe in providing our students with a well-balanced educational program that focuses on the whole child. Curricular opportunities should be rigorous, relevant and engaging in order to challenge our students to think and problem solve at high levels. Developing students’ social-emotional capacity is equally important to their success in life; hence, a focus on relationships, life skills, grit and perseverance is critical as well.
Burlingame is a quaint, historic town nestled in the northeast corner of Osage County, Kansas. It is known as the location where, “The old Santa Fe Rail Crosses the Santa Fe Trail.” Burlingame was originally established as Council City and was a stop on the Santa Fe Trail. The wide brick main street, Santa Fe Avenue, was built wide enough for an oxen team to be able to make a U-Turn. The city and post office names were changed from Council City to Burlingame on January 30, 1858, in honor of Anson Burlingame, a prominent attorney, legislator and diplomat, who helped found the township.
Currently, The Burlingame School District measures seventy-four square miles and we serve just over three hundred students. Burlingame is an amazing place to live, work and attend school due to the dedicated staff and parent community who value the importance of an exemplary education. I look forward to working with all patrons of the Burlingame School District this year as we roll out a five year Strategic Plan that will provide us with a roadmap for educational success.
We welcome you to Burlingame, Kansas and the Burlingame School District where we take pride in our history and prepare our students for a bright future!