**SCHOOL’S IN.** Hull High’s new assistant principal, has already begun working in her new role. Hull students return to school on Aug. 31. [Courtesy photo]

By Carol Britton Meyer

Hull High School will welcome Julie Burke as the new assistant principal at the start of the new school year under a three-year contract with the Hull Public Schools.

She will join newly-appointed Principal Michael Knybel at the helm. Both were chosen following “a rigorous selection process” that included feedback from a wide variety of HPS stakeholders, according to Superintendent Judith Kuehn.

Since 2018, Burke served in administrative roles in the Randolph Public Schools, including as Dean of Climate and Culture – which oversaw disciplinary actions, Advanced Placement coordinator, mentor program coordinator, ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate) school team leader, and summer school coordinator for Randolph High School.

“We are thrilled to be welcoming Julie to Hull High School for the upcoming school year,” Knybel said. “As both she and I are new to the district, we are looking forward to meeting as many of the staff, students, and families as we can to learn more about what makes Hull such a terrific place to live and learn. Julie’s unique experiences and lifelong passion for education make her an ideal choice for the role of HHS’s new assistant principal.”

Kuehn added her own accolades. “We are so fortunate to hire such a highly-qualified candidate, especially with the shortage of administrators,” she told The Hull Times. “I am so excited about our new high school team.”

The assistant principal will be paid $107,000 in her first year, pro-rated to reflect her Aug. 15 start date, under her three-year agreement.

Burke told The Hull Times that when she was exploring assistant principal openings, the one at HHS “jumped out” at her.

“I hadn’t worked in a suburban school system in a while, my best friend lives here with my two ‘nephews’ who attend Jacobs School, the town is beautiful, and it’s a great community,” she said. “The ride to my interview for the position was so serene.”

In her new role, Burke will be working with HPS School Resource Officer Joe DelVecchio to continue the ALICE training that was recently introduced into school system. This program helps schools prevent, respond to, and recover from a violent critical incident.

Burke also plans to implement a “buy back” program that she utilized in Randolph in which students can earn back time for classes for which they lost credit due to absenteeism.

“As an example, they could stay at school during professional development half days and work on homework as an opportunity to get their credits back while being monitored by adults,” she explained.

Prior to holding administrative roles, Burke was a teacher at Randolph High School from 2013-2018, serving as a grade 9-12 English teacher as well as New England Association of Schools and Colleges Committee Chair, summer school teacher, and in other capacities.

Burke has additional teaching experience at Weymouth High School, Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree, the Fort Greene Prep Academy in Brooklyn, and as a teaching assistant at UMass-Boston.

Her experience working in the diverse Randolph school system, which has a majority of minority students, will provide an opportunity to help students in Hull understand the importance of everyone’s voice being heard – “how representation of diverse voices and cultures matters. It’s important for all students to be exposed to as many different cultures and worlds as possible,” according to Burke.

She believes that the opportunities that are available when working in a smaller school district are many. For one, “the smaller class sizes are fantastic, providing teachers with an opportunity to really get to know their students and to spend time with each one,” she said.

Burke’s love of literature began at a very early age and is something she has held onto ever since and something that she has always shared with her students. She is also an advocate for not simply teaching students what to think, but how to think.

“It’s important for kids to see themselves and other voices and cultures in literature,” she said. “This is how they learn to live in a world that is diverse and interesting. A diverse curriculum is one way to accomplish that.”

As a result of her 16 years of experience in various academic settings, Burke said she is “confident that I am both fully capable and prepared to make the transition to becoming an impactful assistant principal for the Hull High School community,” Burke said. “I look forward to working with the teachers and staff to best equip students with the tools they will need to become critical thinkers and curious, independent learners, and I am very excited to begin the new school year.”

While there will be a learning curve, she is more than ready.

“I adjust well to new environments and think this new position will be a lot of fun,” Burke said.

Like Knybel, Burke is looking forward to getting to know the school community and “really listening” to what the students, teachers and staff, and parents/guardians have to say.

“Building relationships is my strongest suit,” she said. “It’s really important for administrators to be visible and to be seen talking with the kids and introducing themselves – not just remaining in their offices.”

Burke noted the high percentage of administrators, teachers, and staff who have continued to work for the Hull Public Schools over the years, which she said speaks highly for the district.

She is also looking forward to working with Knybel.

“It seems as though we complement each other well. He seems very enthusiastic, and I respond well to that,” Burke said. “He has a lot of experience as a principal, so hopefully I will learn a lot from him.”

She considers the “kids” to be the best part of her new job.

“I’m excited about getting to know them, some of whom I have already met. They are really friendly,” she said. “The whole reason this building exists is because of the kids.”

Burke received her bachelor’s degree in English from St. Anselm College, her master’s in English Literature from UMass Boston, and her Educational Leadership and Social Justice Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (CAGS) from UMass-Boston. She also recently completed the Accelerated Post Baccalaureate Program in Secondary Education from Bridgewater State University.

In her spare time, Burke enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends.

“I like to be around people!” Burke said.