Last in a series
How do you break through a seemingly impenetrable wall?
Anne Burke, lofty achiever, is delighted she was the first-born of nine children in a Boston area immigrant family, achieving a proud agenda of firsts, including the first to study beyond high school.
Her biography can be an inspiration for voters choosing among three candidates for two open seats in tomorrow’s School Board election.
“The oldest child is a natural-born overachiever,” says the ambitious Ms. Burke. It is difficult to disagree with the owner of two Master’s degrees in challenging fields.
“I made the determination that I was going to succeed,” she said resolutely.
“Because of my father’s work, we moved frequently. I was exposed to many different kinds of people and education levels.
“There was a time,” said Ms. Burke, “during my middle school years, when I was fortunate to have a group of friends whose parents all went to college. There was at least a conversation about college every week. For me, that was worth it. I was surrounded by a community of adults who would ask, ‘Where are you going (after graduation)? What are you going to study?’”
Ms. Burke and teammate Scott McVarish have made the introduction of specialty academies at Culver City High School – including a vocational dimension — a centerpiece of their joint campaign.
Ms. Burke said the queries were not demands to pry loose secret information. Rather, they casually were posed in the spirit of curiosity, as in, we know you are going to college, we just wanted to learn where.
“I was fortunate to be in that environment,” Ms. Burke said.
“If we are going to have an educated population, students will need that kind of exposure to motivation.
“On a greater level, I would like to see how we can reform education so that going to college is not the impossible dream,” Ms. Burke said.
Turning to the eternal fiscal bugaboo, “even now there are conversations like this: Do I get into debt or do I go to college? “That should not even be a conversation piece.
“It is not because the student has a goal to do something else,” Ms. Burke said. “She is debating about college and the debt that accompanies it.”
I am thrilled that Anne Burke is running for school board. I first met Anne on the school playground when she was running our Halloween carnival. She may not remember our first meeting, but I do, because I was impressed by her grace and skill in managing a giant operation – all with a smile on her face. Since that time, she became PTA President and recording secretary of the booster club. She became CCEF Volunteer of the year , Council PTA 4th Vice President, and team member of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. She also became a founding member of United Parents of Culver City, a grassroots parent-run organization whose purpose is to join parents from all schools to work on issues that affect the children of Culver City. Anne’s vision, her ability to unite and her knowledge of the issues are what will make her a great School Board member. I am proud to support Anne Burke and Scott McVarish for School Board.