Last week, Dr. Lindsa McIntyre, the current headmaster of the Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Dorchester, was named the Bertram H. Holland High School Principal of the Year, by the Massachusetts School Administrator’s Association (MSAA). The organization annually recognizes principals and headmasters who exhibit “exceptional instructional leadership” while fostering safe, inclusive and welcome learning environments.
Dr. Lindsa McIntyre.“I am honored to receive the High School Principal of the Year Award from the MSAA. When I became leader of the Burke, I understood it was important to motivate, encourage and inspire to generate will, not just for students but staff as well. As 21st century educators, we need to be able to combine our socio-cultural understandings alongside our cognitive ones in order to be effective in today’s classrooms.”
—Dr Lindsa McIntyre.
Linda McIntyre is a Boston Public Schools graduate, and began her teaching career at the Burke High School in 1985, returning to assume the leadership position in 2009. She’s known as “Ms. Mac” by her students. Back in 2014, under her leadership, the Burke became the only high school in the Commonwealth to ever exit the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education‘s Level 4 “turnaround” status; and the following year, the High School was awarded the School on the Move Prize by education non-profit EdVestors. Said prize, valued in $100,000, is awarded each year to a Boston public school demonstrating substantial school improvement.
“The Burke is a cornerstone of the Grove Hall community and one of the Boston Public Schools’ hidden gems. The school’s transformation is largely due to the thoughtful leadership of Dr. McIntyre. Lindsa and her staff have developed a school climate that uplifts and celebrates students of all abilities, bridging key connections to the community to further prepare our young people for post-secondary success.”
—Michael Loconto, Boston Schools Committee Chairperson.
Prior to her leadership at the Burke, McIntyre was the headmaster of Community Academy, an alternative BPS high school, where she collaborated with external partners to build a positive school environment. McIntyre was previously an administrator at City on a Hill Charter School in Roxbury, held a leadership role at the Martin Luther King, Jr. K-8 School in Dorchester, and was the founding school leader at Boston Day Academy.
This constitutes the second consecutive year that the MSAA has recognized a BPS school leader. Last year it was Craig Martin, principal of the Michael J. Perkins Elementary School in South Boston, who was named the 2018 Thomas C. Passios Elementary Principal of the Year. McIntyre will officially receive the Principal of the Year Award at the annual MSAA Leadership Institute in Hyannis, Massachusetts on July 24th.
