Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Transforming Schools



My name is Bill Burkhead and I am the proud principal of Monomoy Regional High School (MRHS) in Harwich, MA.  I am honored and blessed to be chosen as the 2018 Massachusetts High School 2018 Principal of the Year!  It was a pleasure reflecting on our growth and accomplishments as a school family.  It seems like yesterday when I became the first ever principal at MRHS on July 1, 2014.  Two rival high school's (Chatham & Harwich) coming together under one roof with the goal of establishing a positive, trusting, and thriving school culture.  We have accomplished so much in our first four-plus years as a school family.   It all started with our shared belief that MRHS would be our "Home Away From Home" where EVERY person in our school would be treated respectfully, pushed to achieve high expectations, and loved.  Our motto quickly became "YOU ARE IMPORTANT" and our actions, celebrations, successes, and decisions all revolved around that concept.  

In this blog, I will attempt to bring to life how absolutely amazing our school is and supply anecdotal evidence and artifacts to share a slice of our life at MRHS with you.  It is said you can feel the culture of a school the first five minutes you walk in. The best way to truly get to know us is to visit us during the school day, walk the halls, talk to our students, staff, parents and community members.  Feel the vibe, the enthusiasm, and love of learning - it's palpable and it's contagious! 



A Shout Out From Our Students to Principal Burkhead



Principal Burkhead & MRHS ELL Students Pose for a Picture after Bingo, Pizza & Conversation About Our School & Student Relationships


Celebrating a School Core Value "Perseverance"  

According to Peter Drucker, "Culture eats strategy for breakfast." At MRHS we believe school culture is at the foundation of all successful schools and work relentlessly to create, measure and improve it daily.  We also believe that enthusiasm is free and it is contagious, but so is negativity, and we focus daily on the former as we move our school from good to GREAT! Here's how...


Students Receive Lawn Signs to Place in front of their Homes to Celebrate High Achievement

Heartfelt Email to the Principal from a Student






Monomoy High School's 620 Initiative: More Than A Number

Student: "We are truly one big family! 620 is Best Initiative to come through this school"

Student Tweet to His Principal #620

Student Sharing his 620 Card from Teacher

MRHS 620 Goes Global!! Enthusiasm is Free & it is Contagious!


Principal Burkhead Shares Personal Notes via "Principal Grams" to 5 students & staff a Day with a 620 Card! 

THE DATA: A GROWTH MINDSET = STUDENT GROWTH!

Our school culture is strong, with many of our new and innovative ideas coming from staff and students.  In the document HS Data Presentation principal Burkhead shares a deep dive into our school data.  We have so much to be proud of and are quickly becoming an elite school on Cape Cod. We contribute our strong growth through consistently focusing on our data, using it to inform our decisions.  

JAWSOME! 'THE' BEST THING WE'VE DONE AT MRHS....& IT WAS ALL TEACHER LED & INITIATED!

It's amazing what a school can accomplish when you have passionate educators sharing researched based cutting-edge ideas and a principal who is always trying to find a way to say "yes!"  











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