Bronsink named Burns Middle School principal
Mar. 23—Daviess County Public Schools announced Wednesday that Kendra Bronsink has been selected as the new principal of Burns Middle School beginning July 1, replacing Dane Ferguson, who will be retiring.
Bronsink has held the position of BMS assistant principal since 2019.
"DCPS still had to post the job for those who may have been interested outside of the district," Bronsink said. "They did interviews (Tuesday) and made the selection that night."
She said DCPS Superintendent Matt Robbins called her Tuesday night to offer her the position, and it was hard to keep it a secret.
"The entire process takes about a month, and it's different doing it from the inside than it would be from the outside," she said. "I'm glad to have made it to the other side."
In the four years Bronsink has been at BMS, she said the school community has done great things, which she is looking forward to continuing.
"My four years at Burns have depend my ability to see how each member of our Foxes Den brings valuable assets to our school," she said. "I believe we have begun to build an excellent staff who believe in each other and in the mission of serving our students, and I believe I have built the trust and confidence to move us forward with compassion, courage and curiosity."
Bronsink began working with the district in 2005 at Apollo High School as a writing consultant and junior varsity volleyball coach. She became an English teacher at the school in 2011 and head volleyball coach in 2012.
She worked at the district level beginning in 2018, then moved to BMS a year later.
"DCPS has a lot of resources and great people," she said. "I have been lucky enough to work with leaders in the district that have made me feel supported in my journey."
Amy Shutt, assistant superintendent for human services at DCPS, said the selection process was "completed with integrity and passion."
"The committee sought a leader to support teachers and staff, and someone to work collaboratively with families to build upon the strong foundation of excellence at Burns Middle," she said.
Shutt said the district found an "outstanding leader" in Bronsink, willing to lead BMS on "the journey to continue high academic achievement and the goal of preparing students to be successful in life."
"Kendra is a well-respected educator in our district and will be a great addition to the secondary principal group," Shutt said. "She brings a wealth of knowledge of instruction and has a heart for the Burns Middle students and staff. Kendra is an outstanding person and a great leader."
According to a press release sent by DCPS on Wednesday, Bronsink graduated from Murray State University in 2014 with a masters of arts in teaching English as a second language and earned her Rank I in educational administration from Western Kentucky University in 2017.
She received a bachelor of arts in English from King University in Bristol, Tennessee, in 2000, and is an education doctorate candidate at WKU.
Karah Wilson, 270-691-7315, kwilson@messenger-inquirer.com, Twitter: @karahwilson19
