Canton Prep’s student council fell idle due to low student participation. When Burnell saw this, he asked Principal Carlos Hall if he could revive the student-led committee. Hall gave Burnell the green light, and he led the student council during his senior year.
As part of the council, Burnell helped plan Homecoming and pep rallies, which he said was some of his favorite work. He was also a member of the National Honor Society and helped organize a blood drive at the school.
This commitment to leading Canton Prep and classmates was nothing new to Burnell. He was involved in athletics for four years and served as a captain on the soccer and track and field teams for three years. He even picked up volleyball as a senior and was their team captain as well.
Burnell said this experience with his peers on the field and in student council helped develop leadership skills he’ll use in the future.
“The most I’ve learned in those roles would be how to work well with everyone’s different types of personalities,” Burnell said. “As a leader, you have to understand your people, understand what works for them when it comes to helping or giving advice. Being able to balance telling people what they need to do and how they need to hear it to make the best outcome for the team is something I learned.”
While Burnell was active with extracurricular activities, he was also excelling in the classroom. On track to graduate with a 4.3 GPA, Burnell participated in the Early Middle College program and will earn his Associate’s degree alongside his high school diploma.
Thanks to the partnership between Canton Prep and Wayne County Community College District, Burnell earned 60 college credits he can apply to start his journey after high school. He said this experience was beneficial in preparing for college.
“I’ve learned the most this year because I went to the actual college campus for class,” Burnell said. “I liked it because I got that college responsibility ahead of actually going to college. It’s up to me to do the work. I have class from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. and it’s my job to get there, do the work, and turn it in.”
What Burnell learned during his time in the Early Middle College program will help ease the transition to college. While Burnell is undecided on where he will go next Fall, he has 12 strong options, including the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, and Michigan State University. He plans on studying marketing and is working toward a career as a brand manager or digital marketing professional.
Once school starts again in the Fall, it will be the first time ever Burnell attends a school outside the National Heritage Academies® (NHA®) network. He attended Achieve Charter Academy from Kindergarten through eighth grade, where his mother teaches fifth grade.
Over 13 years in NHA classrooms, Moral Focus™ became second nature for Burnell. He said the program has taught him a lot, and there are two virtues that stood out to him.
“Encouragement and perseverance have been the most beneficial,” Burnell said. “Through all the different things I’ve taken on throughout high school, perseverance has helped me keep pushing through all of it and not drop anything just because it got too heavy or too hard.”
With a combination of leadership skills, experience succeeding in a college setting, and mastery of Moral Focus™, Burnell is ready to make an impact wherever he goes next.
About Canton Preparatory High School
Canton Preparatory High School is a tuition-free, public charter school in Canton, Michigan, serving students in seventh grade through high school. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through high school across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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