Omaha Burke High School
Harry A. Burke High School is a secondary school located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. The principal is Gaye Lannan.[2] The school's mascot is the Bulldog.
| Burke High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
12200 Burke Blvd Omaha, Nebraska United States | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public high school |
| School district | Omaha Public Schools |
| Principal | Gaye Lannan |
| Teaching staff | 125.30 (FTE)[1] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Number of students | 2,040 (2017-18)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 16.28[1] |
| Color(s) | Black and gold |
| Mascot | Bulldog |
| Website | http://www.ops.org/high/burke/ |
Each year in May, the Nebraska State Track Meet is held at the school.[3] Its stadium was renovated in 2008.[3]
Name
Burke High School was dedicated to Harry A. Burke in November 1967. Burke, who was Omaha Public Schools superintendent from 1946 to 1962, actively prevented black educators from having positions of authority during his tenure.[4] Among Burke's racist statements was "I would never want black people in a position of power, where white children would be educated." A 2019 op-ed in school newspaper The Burke Beat and a June 2020 petition both called for the school to change its name.[5][6] Alternative namesakes were suggested, including Lucinda Gamble, Omaha Public Schools' first African American teacher.[6]
Extracurricular activities
Academic Decathlon
Burke has participated in the Academic Decathlon competition for 14 years, and has been the Nebraska state champion seven times. Their chief rivals are Creighton Preparatory School and Pius X High School. Burke holds the record for the highest overall score by a Nebraska team (48,337), set in 2008.[7] In 2009, the Burke Academic Decathlon team placed second in Division I and third overall at the national competition.[8]
Athletics
Burke athletic teams have won 40 state championships.
| State championships[9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Sport | Number of championships | Year |
| Fall | Golf, girls' | 1 | 1982 |
| Tennis, boys' | 1 | 1986 | |
| Football, boys' | 1 | 2018 | |
| Cross country, boys' | 6 | 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1983 | |
| Winter | Wrestling | 1 | 2000 |
| Basketball, boys' | 2 | 1977, 1986 | |
| Basketball, girls' | 1 | 1978 | |
| Swimming, boys' | 3 | 1992, 1994, 1995 | |
| Swimming, girls' | 5 | 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994 | |
| Spring | Golf, boys' | 3 | 1976, 1981, 1992 |
| Soccer, boys' | 2 | 1990, 1994 | |
| Tennis, girls' | 7 | 1975, 1981, 1984, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997 | |
| Track and field, girls' | 1 | 2004 | |
| Baseball | 6 | 1970, 1975, 1979, 1992, 2000, 2018 | |
| Total | 40 | ||
Notable alumni
- George Andrews, professional football player for the old Los Angeles Rams and 19th overall pick in the 1979 NFL Draft[10]
- Craig Anton, star of the TV show Phil of the Future
- Joshua Becker, minimalist writer
- Barney Cotton, offensive line coach for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
- Jason Dourisseau, professional basketball player
- Mike Freeman, jazz musician
- Alex Henery, professional football player
- Rod Kush, professional football player and founder of Rod Kush Furniture
References
- "Burke High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- "MAIN OFFICE STAFF". burke.ops.org. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
- Duffy, Erin (April 24, 2017). "$12.85 million plan would modernize Burke High's stadium, other facilities". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
- Sasse, Adam Fletcher (February 6, 2018). "A History of Segregated Schools in Omaha, Nebraska". North Omaha History.
- Bahnsen, Kylie (November 26, 2019). "Forgotten History: Is it time for a name change?". The Burke Beat.
- Chapman, John (June 17, 2020). "Burke High graduate petitions for school name change amid BLM movement". WOWT.
- State/Nebraska/2008 - AcaDec Scores and Information Center
- Nationals/2009 - AcaDec Scores and Information Center
- "Nebraska School Activities Association" (English). Retrieved 2012-06-26.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-06-06. Retrieved 2013-11-04.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)