Our Faculty and Staff

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.

Within my first week at Burris I realized I needed to be in an educational environment for the rest of my life. I am currently a sophomore at Ball State working on my undergrad in elementary education. It took a long time to get here but it’s worth it. I cannot wait to have my own classroom and only dream of being half as amazing and dedicated to my students as our teachers at Burris.

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.

My goal as the Burris Library Coordinator is to provide a friendly, encouraging, and informative library experience for our students, plus striving to provide updated materials that support our teacher’s curriculum. I have been with Burris nearly 24 years. I am the school Notary and an Indiana Certified Librarian. I am a member of the Indiana State Literacy Association, American Library Association and National Notary Association. I feel very honored to work with one of the best schools in Indiana!

I have taught high school social studies for 15 years.  Since 2005, I have taught Economics, U.S. Government, and U.S. History at Burris.  I enjoy giving students hands-on experiences through field trips.

I have taught in a variety of settings – from an after-school program for at-risk kids to a small town junior/senior high school, and now Burris Laboratory School. No matter where I teach my goal is the same, to create lifelong learners who value the written word and think deeply about what they are reading, who are able to communicate their thoughts and opinions with clarity and conviction through writing and speaking, and are prepared to contribute to the conversation in the world around them.

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.

I have worked at Burris for a total of 11 years. My current role is Title 1 Instructor, which means that I work with struggling students in reading and math.

I teach both Health and Physical Education from a wellness standpoint emphasizing the whole person. I currently coach Volleyball (assistant), Ladies Basketball, and Track and Field.

I have been an elementary educator for 19 years with experience in second and third grades. I have an undergraduate degree from Indiana University and a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from Ball State.

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.

This is my fifth year teaching at Burris. I love working with all of the Burris students and I probably enjoy the adventures that we go on the most. Seeing students in different environments such as Camp Crosley, Japan, Conner Prairie, the statehouse, or even at events on campus reminds me how special our school is.  Burris is an example of education in action and I am so proud to be a part of that.

I have completed my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, both in Speech-Language Pathology, at Ball State University. I began working at Burris in 2016. My job as the speech-language pathologist at Burris is so rewarding!  I thoroughly enjoy getting to know my students on an individual and small group basis. I love to see my students gain confidence when they are able to communicate more effectively as we work together to improve their speech and language skills.

This is my 21st year as a school Orchestra Director, and I am thrilled to join the Burris staff with experience that ranges from starting beginning string players of all ages to students auditioning successfully for music majors in college. Orchestra is a vehicle for excellence, and students will have the opportunity to demonstrate leadership, creativity, and service in the program. In my spare time, I play the viola, hike epic trails around the world, raise alpacas, and knit items with yarn from their fiber.

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.