Photo by Jon Anderson.
Donna Burke, an assistant principal at Bumpus Middle School, checks in on students in English teacher Becky Mantooth’s classroom in December. Burke was named the 2018 Alabama Assistant Principal of the Year by the Alabama Association of Secondary School Principals.
The Alabama Association of Secondary School Principals named Bumpus Middle School Assistant Principal Donna Burke as the state’s Assistant Principal of the Year.
Burke, 52, is in her eighth year as an assistant principal at Bumpus and 31st year in education.
She oversaw the eighth grade at Bumpus each of her years at the school except this one, when she switched to seventh grade. She also oversees the bell schedule and schedules for testing and exams, as well as building operations, furniture and inventory.
Bumpus Principal Tamala Maddox, in a recommendation letter, said Burke works tirelessly each day, often on Saturdays and Sundays, to ensure the school runs smoothly.
“What separates Ms. Burke from other administrators is the heart she puts into every aspect of her job, including the operation of the building; the care of the students, parents and staff; the safety and well-being of the students and staff; the professional growth of the staff and herself; and the growth mindset she brings to the table each day,” Maddox wrote.
She is well-known for making sure the school has directional signs to help people get to where they need to go, both inside and outside the building, Maddox said. This year, with the addition of a sixth grade at Bumpus, Burke even outlined which doors academic teams would use to enter and exit the cafeteria to maintain a smooth traffic flow in a school with 1,020 students.
To keep things fun when faculty moved into a new building, Burke developed “The Amazing Race” competition to help them learn the layout of the building.
Burke has a huge heart, Maddox said.
“She truly sees, really sees, everyone. Ms. Burke meets students at the door each morning to gauge the pulse of student drama from the previous night,” Maddox said. “If she senses there is the potential for drama, she might work alone or with the counselor to mediate the student situation, call parents to give them a ‘heads-up’ or send a heads-up email to the team of teachers.”
She frequently checks on teachers via email or text to see how they are dealing with personal matters and is known for impromptu coffee bar or Panera Bread trips before school to provide a pick-me-up for the staff, Maddox said.
To help at-risk students, with cooperation of parents, she has students with Ds and Fs stay after school on Fridays during a week they failed to turn in assignments.
In partnership with the YWCA, she worked with teachers to select 30 students from different backgrounds to form a Heritage Panel to help the student body learn to accept people from different cultures. Burke also created a program to build leadership skills and self-esteem in girls by having them read to and mentor kindergarten and first-grade students at Trace Crossings Elementary School.
Becky Edwards, a parent who has had three children go through Bumpus, said in a recommendation letter that Burke not only knows students by name, but also “knows them by who they are, what interests them and what motivates them at school.”
Burke regularly contacts parents and asks how school staff can make the school better for their children, and she seeks out training to grow her knowledge as a leader, Edwards said.
Burke started her career teaching physical education in 1988. She spent a year at Highlands School in Birmingham, a year at Donoho School in Anniston, nine years at Simmons Middle School in Hoover and 10 years at Hoover High. She also served as a volleyball coach at Hoover High for 20 years, including 17 years with the varsity team.
In 2010, she spent about six months as an assistant principal at Deer Valley Elementary School before coming to Bumpus in 2011.
Burke said her years in coaching were great preparation for being a school administrator, and she loves working with middle school students because it’s such a pivotal time, when kids are trying to determine what direction they will go in life.
She likes to focus on helping students improve their attitude and effort, she said.
“You don’t have to be the brightest person to be successful,” she said. “More and more with kids, it’s all about good choices. Everything is a choice, and you’re in control of that.”
Burke lives in Homewood with her two dogs and enjoys crafting, hunting, fishing and camping in her RV, named Daisy.
