Jaime Roundtree, M.Ed. '05, '10, has been thinking about Booker T. Washington STEM Academy and his potential role there for some time—even though his 15 years in Unit 4 hadn’t, until recently, included a stop at that particular school.

It was a destination people suggested the three-time UI grad was a fit for when he first entered the district as a classroom teacher at South Side Elementary in 2005, then a place he considered as he rose through the ranks, to assistant principal at Bottenfield Elementary in 2010, then principal of Barkstall Elementary in 2012.

“There are so many times I have almost come here,” he said. “Logistically, it was tough for me the couple times I considered it. And then I moved into administration, and the opportunities were at these buildings. At the time, I was just like: Much as I want to be amongst the African American kids to support them and be a voice for them and a role model or image to help them see themselves in leadership and in a positive light, the dynamics of our district also had kids that didn’t have that in these other buildings.

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