Darlene Burks, an English teacher, ignites a passion for learning in her students at Davis Aerospace and Maritime High School.
Darlene’s educational background is diverse. She holds a journalism degree from Kent State University, perfectly complementing her Master's in Business Administration with a marketing concentration from the University of Phoenix.
For over a decade, Darlene thrived in the fast-paced, deadline-driven world of journalism. She honed her skills as a reporter at the Youngstown Vindicator and later rose to senior news editor at News5. At WEWS, Ohio’s first TV station, she won several awards for the website’s content. Darlene then leveraged her communication expertise in a different way, serving as a marketing manager with Head Start. However, her true calling resided in education.
A desire to empower inner-city youth led Darlene to pursue an alternative teaching license, followed by a professional license. For the past 10 years, she's been a dedicated educator within the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Her classroom fosters a challenging academic environment while celebrating student successes and building confidence alongside essential skills. Her students experience exceptional growth on national tests. In fact, her 9th graders have been in the 99th percentile for growth on the NWEA for the past three years.
Her achievements include the prestigious 2022 Teacher of Excellence Award, a 2023 Ohio University Communication Fellow honor, and recognition as an IXL Ambassador.
On a personal note, Darlene finds joy in her family life. She is married to Shon Burks, and together they share a daughter, Grace. Darlene is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority Inc. She attends South Euclid United Church of Christ.
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