From the Board of Education:

 

John Burley has generously and consistently given hundreds of hours each school year to support the learning opportunities available to students at Stedwick Elementary School, Neelsville Middle School, and Watkins Mill High school by encouraging and building strong, positive links between school and home. The adage that says that when you need something done, ask a busy person applies to Mr. Burley. From the time that his first child entered elementary school through her present attendance in high school, Mr. Burley has managed after-school computer clubs, produced the newsletter, been a sponsor of the yearbook, given parent workshops on Internet safety for children, and organized after-school online research sessions for children participating in the Living History Day and the Science Expo.

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Mr. Burley has used his boundless energy and dedication to create multiple communication vehicles for all parents with his signature newsletters and PTA website. He was able to produce a specific user-friendly format that has increased the easy flow of information between school and home. For several years, Mr. Burley has co-sponsored two clubs at the elementary level. His Yearbook Club, which meets prior to school one day a week, not only resulted in a beautiful book of memories but its creation gave students the opportunity to learn about photography, writing, and the use of technology to produce a document. The two after school computer clubs (one for younger children, Grades K-2, and the second for older children, Grades 3-5) employ a unique approach to technology learning where Mr. Burley shows students the working parts of the computer, as well as the Internet and software. when parents began to ask questions about how to keep their childten safe on the Internet, Mr. Burley stepped forward to give a workshop that was attended by more than 100 parents. John Burley has touched the lives of numerous children through his selfless work as a volunteer in Montgomery County Public Schools.