Kristen Burke - Educational Director

BASIC INFO

I grew up in Middleburgh, NY., a really pretty small town nestled in the Schoharie Valley. After I graduated from High School I went to Brazil as a Rotary Exchange Student. When I returned to the U.S. I went to college and then got a job teaching Spanish and ESL at a local high school. During that time I met my husband, Andy, and we bought a home in Niskayuna. He was supportive enough to let me travel to Bolivia the summer after we were married to immerse myself in Spanish. We have two daughters, Abigael & Alaina, who bless our lives each day. We first came to NorthStar in 2004 after reading an article about it in the Daily Gazette, and our lives haven’t been the same since!

BIRTH DATE

November 9

EDUCATION

BA- Latin American Studies, minor in English, Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, Secondary Education Certification in Spanish

INTERESTS AND FAVORITES

PLACES: Brazil, my front porch, Boston, High Peaks of the Adirondacks
WHATS ON YOUR IPOD?: Mostly worship songs, plus my "runnin' tunes" like REM, Nickelback, Bush, Daughtry, etc..
WHAT DO YOU TiVo/DVR?: Aside from Little House on the Prairie, Little Bear & Word World? …American Idol, 24, Desperate Housewives,…I have a hard time just watching TV, I’m usually doing something else at the same time.
BOOKS: Historical Fiction, The Bible, ministry books, writing books…some fiction favorites are "Pillars of the Earth", "Kite Runner", "Angela’s Ashes", "Cider House Rules"
SPORT TEAMS: Boston Red Sox
MOVIES: Juno, Titanic, Castaway, Anne of Green Gables
HOBBIES: Running, working out, hiking, writing…I always like to have a project!
DISLIKES: Cold, winter, sleet, freezing rain, ice, wind…you get the idea
ODD FACT: I LOVE GRAMMAR!

SCRIPTURES TO LIVE BY

Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

Ephesians 3:14-19 "When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. (NLT)

Psalm 119: 105 "Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path" (NLT)

Psalm 55:22 "Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall."