Bishop Kelley Names Brandon Birks ‘98 as Next Vice-Principal/Dean of Students

December 12, 2025

Bishop Kelley High School is pleased to announce that Mr. Brandon Birks ’98 will serve as the next Vice-Principal and Dean of Students beginning in March 2026.


Mr. Birks will succeed Mr. Jeff Pratt, who has served in this role since 2001. Mr. Pratt and Mr. Birks will work together throughout the 2025-2026 fourth quarter in a planned nine-week transition.


A 1998 graduate of Bishop Kelley, Mr. Birks returned to campus in 2003 as a teacher and coach. Over the past twenty-two years, he has established a reputation as a mission-driven educator who leads with humility and a sincere commitment to the formation of young people. He holds a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership, an Oklahoma Secondary Principal Certification, and has served as Social Studies Department Chair since 2019.


“Both Jeff and Brandon have given the service of their professional careers to the mission of Bishop Kelley, seeing it as their vocation much more than a job” said Sister Mary Hanah Doak, RSM, President. “Jeff has led with compassion, strength, and devotion for more than two decades. Brandon brings that same deep commitment to Catholic education along with a vision for student formation that will continue to move our school forward. We are blessed by their leadership and their dedication to our students.”


Bishop Kelley is grateful for Mr. Pratt’s exceptional service and looks forward to welcoming Mr. Birks into this key leadership role.


Bishop Kelley Mission

Bishop Kelley is a Catholic diocesan high school, inspired by St. John Baptist De La Salle, that carries on the teaching ministry of Jesus Christ by preparing students’ hearts and minds for a purposeful life.


More About Bishop Kelley

Bishop Kelley High School is Oklahoma’s largest private high school and is considered a life-preparatory institution. It offers a faith-based education that fosters academic excellence, spiritual growth and personal development. The school features a rigorous curriculum, including more than 40 honors and AP courses across a wide range of disciplines. With an average ACT score of 28 and an average SAT score of 1260, Bishop Kelley graduates are well-prepared for college, with 90% attending four-year institutions. The Blessed Stanley Rother Academic Support Program provides individualized assistance to students with diverse learning needs.

November 17, 2025
This past summer, God blessed me with the incredible opportunity to go on the Campus Ministry mission trip to Nashville, Tennessee. Going into the trip, I had no idea what to expect. When we arrived in Nashville, I was placed in a group of people I had never met before. We were all from different states, with completely different backgrounds. This was definitely a little bit outside of my comfort zone. But, from that very first day, I realized that God had put me in that group for a reason. We quickly grew close through working together and commuting on the hour drive to our work site, praying and sharing stories of faith on the drive. Our service project assignment was repairing a house for a woman named Lavern. There, we repaired and painted her shutters, front door, and porch. We cleaned her gutters, organized and got rid of unnecessary things in her shed, chopped down bushes and trees, trimmed overgrowth, and even did some drywall repair inside of her house. She was one of the kindest people I have ever met - so full of gratitude and joy, even in difficult circumstances. Every morning when we showed up to work, she greeted us with a smile and words of encouragement. Seeing her faith and positivity really opened my eyes to how powerful gratitude can be. Throughout the week, we had Mass every single morning. Starting my morning with Mass made my days full of joy and gratitude. We also had different activities at night, such as Eucharistic Adoration and confession. I had no idea how much these moments of prayer would affect me, but they did significantly. I had never truly experienced God in the way I did the evening of Adoration. Sitting in Adoration with everyone quietly singing and taking time just to be still with God was one of the most peaceful and powerful experiences I have ever had. There was also a woman who gave us a talk every evening. Her talks helped us to reflect on our faith and our purpose. Her words helped me to think more deeply about how God is present not just in the big events, like the Mission Trip, but in every single part of my life, the good and the bad, the joys and sorrows, and the wins and the losses. As the week started to end, I felt closer to God than I ever had before. And even though my air mattress deflated every single night and the showers were absolutely freezing, this trip reminded me that faith is not just something that we practice on Sundays, it is something that we live out through service, community, and love for others every single day. It showed me that when we step outside of our comfort zones and open our hearts, God meets us there and transforms us in ways that we would have never imagined. This Mission Trip did not just change the house that we worked on, it changed me. It deepened my faith, strengthened my trust in God, and helped me see how powerful it can be when we serve others with joy and humility. I would like to leave you all with one thing: At the end of the week, Lavern wrote me a letter. When I opened it, it read, “Write the vision and make it plain.” Now, if I am being honest, when I first read this, I was super confused, so I looked it up. What I found was amazing. This is a Bible Verse, Habakkuk 2:2, that means writing down your vision is a way to show God that you believe He will help you accomplish what He has called you to do. So BK, write the vision, and make it plain .
October 23, 2025
Click here for 2025-2026 Q1 A Honor Roll Click here for 2025-2026 Q1 B Honor Roll Stellar work, Comets!