October 26, 2020
Purdue Polytechnic High School principal selected Outstanding Educator in STEM
Keeanna Warren
INDIANAPOLIS — Keeanna Warren, Purdue Polytechnic High School North principal, took home the Outstanding Educator in STEM award during the 2020 Women & Hi Tech Leading Light Awards and Scholarship Gala.
Watch Building a Pipeline: PPHS Origins Story to learn how and why Purdue Polytechnic High School is revolutionizing education and changing students’ lives.
The Leading Light awards focused on Indiana women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. There were over 160 Leading Light nominees for 30 awards in different categories. Also nominated for Outstanding Educator in STEM were PPHS North teachers Liz Irk and Ronni Moore.
“It was an honor to be recognized by Women & Hi-Tech and to have the opportunity to shine a light on the work being done by the PPHS North team to support and celebrate diversity and inclusion within our school and the STEM field,” Warren said. “This type of work cannot be done alone, and I want to recognize my fellow PPHS North colleagues, Ronni Moore and Liz Irk, who were also nominated. I am incredibly proud and grateful to work with such amazing women, and I’m excited to see what we can accomplish in the future.”
Purdue created the Purdue Polytechnic High Schools to serve as an engine of upward mobility by building a pipeline of low-income and minority students to counteract the unacceptably small number emerging from the public education system, not just in Indiana, but nationwide. The schools provide students authentic STEM-focused experiences that will prepare them for a successful future. These experiences include internships, industry projects, dual credit courses and technical certifications.
“I am incredibly proud of the work that Principal Warren and her team at PPHS North are doing to prepare our young women for a future in STEM,” said Scott Bess, head of the Purdue Polytechnic High School. “Principal Warren’s dedication to the PPHS mission of making our school an equitable place where all students feel empowered to effect change is inspiring to anyone who is lucky enough to know her.”
Warren is a Mind Trust Innovation School Fellow and serves as the founding principal of PPHS North, which opened in 2019 in the Broad Ripple neighborhood. She is passionate about creating a school culture that celebrates diversity and inclusion and is committed to increasing the number of underrepresented minority students in the STEM fields.
Prior to her role with Purdue Polytechnic High School, Warren worked from 2013 through 2019 with the Excel Center in the Meadows neighborhood, which maintained a perennial “A” school rating under her leadership. She served in numerous positions, including night instructor, graduate counselor, and lead instructor, until she was promoted to school director. She also is a former high school math, ELA and social studies teacher.
Writer: Brian Huchel, bhuchel@purdue.edu. Working remotely but will provide immediate response.
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Keeanna Warren
