Our Faculty and Staff

I enjoy listening to and collaborating with students, teachers and parents to find more opportunities for students and help the school continue to improve. I have been a parent, teacher, assistant principal and principal during my 17 years at Burris Laboratory School.

I have been a classroom teacher for 16 years and have been with Burris since 2008. My education research interests include secondary education curriculum and instruction with emphasis in project-based learning and student-centered activities; stakeholder and community involvement in schools; professional development as adult learning; student ambassadors and school discipline.

Dr. Marra holds a Doctorate of Education from Ball State University, a Masters of Science degree in Education from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Science from Buffalo State College. He has over 30 years of experience advocating for children services.

Burris has enriched my teaching in ways I never thought possible! I love soliciting feedback from students and I consider them co-creators in our curriculum and learning. We grow together as readers, writers, and students of the world. My courses follow a workshop model with an emphasis on choice, writing groups, book clubs, and conferences. Encouraging students to take creative risks in their work and to develop their own voices are my favorite aspects of teaching English at Burris.

A Burris parent prior to becoming staff, I wanted to find a way to give back to the school community. The aide position allows me to help both faculty and students work toward academic success.

I am in my 15th year of teaching.  This is my 5th year at Burris.  I have taught in all grades 1 through 6.

I started in health care in 1996 and became a nurse in 2002.  I have worked at IUBMH in critical care, progressive care unit, medical/stroke unit, outpatient dialysis, served on the hazmat team and worked pediatric triage for a pediatric office.  I have been a Burris parent since 2000 and started on staff in the health clinic in 2013.

I have been at Burris since 2018 and am currently pursuing my PhD in Educational Studies with a focus on differentiated instruction. In my classes, hands-on activities and projects are used to teach my students various science concepts. These allow my students to demonstrate their understanding of the concepts in diverse ways.

I am an Indiana licensed K-12 physical education, health and high ability teacher. I am a Nationally Certified Adaptive Physical Education educator. I seek opportunities to grow as a teacher and have demonstrated leadership in my profession by being a past President of the Indiana Society of Health and Physical Education.  I am a recipient of the 2018 Walter Daly Excellence in Teaching Award.

My desire to engage, challenge, and inspire growth in my students is not limited to the classroom. It is my goal to share with my students the awe and excitement, as well as the dedication and hard work that comes along with continued education to advance into a position that can continue to make a difference in the lives of many children. I hold myself to the same standards that I hold my students. That is, I strive to become a skilled thinker and learner, and I believe that this process is life-long.

This is my second year at Burris as well as my second year of teaching overall. I enjoy finding new ways to incorporate technology in the classroom and to present old concepts to students in new ways. I love the educational environment here at Burris. It is a privilege to work with such great teachers and administration: it makes my job much easier!

I have eleven years of experience implementing special education services for students who need mild interventions. I taught at Eastview Elementary in Connersville, Indiana and R.J. Baskett Middle School in Gas City, Indiana before starting at Burris in 2015. I believe in offering a wide variety of research-based curriculum, instructional settings, and support services to help each individual reach his or her full potential.

I have taught many students with a wide range of special needs. I believe that every student has the potential to learn and succeed and I enjoy helping my students on their journey to success.

I am an alumna of Burris Laboratory School and it is such a gift to come back and serve the current students here. I have a passion for helping all students find their talents and strengths. My role is to support students academically, social-emotionally, and to encourage them to think about and prepare for their futures. I love helping students achieve their goals and beyond!

This is my 6th year teaching at Burris. I enjoy working with students through Math Bowl, Japanese Exchange Program, Camp Crosley, and on a daily basis in fourth grade. I am proud to be Burris Owl and I am looking forward to many more years teaching at such an awesome school!

Books and technology are my passion. I believe that when students are given the ability to explore what is of interest to them in a structured but open classroom, the sky is the limit!

The 2018-2019 academic year will begin my third year at Burris and my third year teaching overall. I take an active approach to social studies. My goal is for students to not just know history, but for them to do history so that one day they will change history.

During my 18 years of teaching, my goals have continued to include collaborating with parents to inspire a love of learning in my students. My wish for the children who come through my class is that they will always be kind, rise to difficult challenges, and become problem solvers.

I have been teaching math at Burris for almost 5 years now, and there is no place that I would rather be. I love working with an amazing group of colleagues to provide our students with an exceptional learning experience. I enjoy creating a positive classroom environment and helping students build their confidence with mathematics.

As a former research scientist, my approach to teaching science is to integrate the lab experience in every situation possible. I believe that students learn through hands-on experiences and become more engaged when given the opportunity to do science. My goal is to have students leave my classroom as capable science learners possessing critical lab skills needed at the next level.

Since joining the Burris Faculty in 2014 as a member of the Mathematics Department, I have loved being in an environment where students and faculty support and encourage each other through both struggles and successes! Some of my most rewarding experiences in teaching have been watching students push through their mental block when it comes to understanding mathematical concepts. It is a privilege to be a part of the moment when a student realizes they can put into practice the skills we have learned together to solve what used to be an unsolvable problem, building confidence in their own abilities.

I have been an educator for over 20 years. My experience includes teaching Special Education, Reading Recovery, grades 1-4, technology literacy specialist and math coach.

This is my 15th year teaching elementary art and my 2nd year teaching middle school. Teaching art is truly my passion and it is a pleasure to educate and influence the future artists at Burris every day.

I have been a teacher at Burris since August 1999. I believe it is important for students to be able to construct their knowledge about mathematics.

My students are rewarded for effort, process, and progress and not correctness, and are encouraged to aspire to understand versus being understood. The Spanish language and culture instruction aims to affect the learner to progress from being a local citizen to that of a self-actualized, global, bilingual citizen who is empathetic to other cultures, races, genders, religions, economic inequality, and political perspectives beyond the local environment.

I have been teaching visual arts for 18 years. I am honored to teach students from grades K-12 visual communication and to work closely with the David Owsley Museum of Art.

I have a variety of teaching experiences from rural to urban, from small town advanced placement to city alternative schools. One thing all students have in common is the desire to be cared for. This premise is always in the forefront of my mind.