Hello Hope Community!

I am your Principal, Tasia Burks. I am thrilled to be at Hope Academy serving our students, their families, and this community. Some of my areas of expertise include: PBIS implementation, classroom management, Special Education and serving students with disabilities, and reading/language arts, just to name a few. I have also had the privilege of working at Stephen Decatur Middle School as a teacher and have served as an administrator in Decatur and Champaign schools.

My Bachelor's degree is in Elementary Education from Illinois State University, my Master's is from Eastern Illinois University in Educational Administration, my Specialist degree is in Superintendency from Eastern Illinois University, and I am currently pursuing my doctorate at Illinois State. I have been part of this community for more than 10 years.

My educational philosophy is quite simple — all students can learn and we must give them the opportunities to do so. Learning happens everywhere and every day. We make it our duty to expose our students to as much as possible so they can discover what interests them and help them succeed in those areas. Our staff is comprised of veteran teachers as well as novice teachers. Each brings new ideas and enthusiasm that will impact our students in positive ways.

I am so excited about this school year! I am hopeful that you will find this year to be one of the best yet for your child. With the partnerships we create between school and home, the after-school activities we plan on having, the creative ways of teaching and learning, and the incentives we plan to have in place, we are confident this will be a year for the books! Welcome to Hope!  

Sincerely, 

Mrs. Tasia Burks

Principal, Hope Academy