The Washington Redskins announced Nov. 13 that head football coach Mark Burke of Model Secondary School for the Deaf in Washington, D.C., has been named Redskins High School Coach of the Week for the week of Nov. 10, 2008.

The Redskins High School Coach of the Week program is designed to recognize and reward excellence in high school football coaching.

Coach Burke has been coaching football for nine years, with this season being his first year as head coach at Model.

Burke and his coaching staff strongly believe in the Social, Physical, Intellectual, Communicative and Emotional (S.P.I.C.E.) approach to education which emphasizes the importance of developing personal and intellectual competency. He believes his student-athletes have the potential for leadership and intellectual growth and provides them with the tools to succeed on and off the field.

Off the field, the team recently took part in the "Make a Difference!" day where they worked on a community service project at the school.

Burke was named the Capital Area Football Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Eagles to a 7-3 record and capturing the Capital Area Conference title last Friday.

Each week during the 2008 high school football season, the Redskins will select one area high school head coach as the Redskins High School Coach of the Week.

The selection is based on the coach's continuing commitment towards promoting youth football, developing motivated student-athletes, his overall community involvement and overall team performance and record.

Each of the coaches chosen throughout the high school season will receive a $1,000 donation from NFL Charities to their football program and a framed certificate signed by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Redskins Head Coach Jim Zorn and NFL Director of Football Operations Gene Washington.