A year after coming to East Maine School District 63 as the assistant principal at Apollo Elementary School in Des Plaines, Lewis Roberts has been picked by the School Board to be the next principal of Mark Twain Elementary School in Niles.
The school’s current principal, Nichole Gross, announced her plans earlier this school year to leave the district after nine years to accept a position as a principal with Cicero School District 99, according to the school district.
Roberts, who worked for large school districts including the Orange County Public School system in Florida and Chicago Public Schools before his career with District 64 began last year, talks about his background working in education and explains the perks of a working for a small suburban school versus the big city school systems he’s used to.
The School Board on May 4 approved a salary of $110,000 for Roberts, according to the school district.
Q: Before being hired by District 63, you worked for Chicago Public Schools. What was it like adjusting to a much smaller suburban school district?
A: I was with the Options Schools Program within CPS for one year, and prior to that I was with Orange County Public Schools, which at the time was the ninth largest school district in the country. I honestly feel that I have adjusted well to a smaller district. Both large districts I worked for, and now District 63—which is much smaller—come with their own respective sets of positive attributes as well as challenging ones.
But for me, the best part of working in a smaller district such as District 63 is the relationships you can develop with your colleagues, administrators, and the Board of Education. Teachers from all seven schools are given opportunities to collaborate and share best practices with each other throughout the year. The district administrators are constantly in our schools. They know teachers by name, they are accessible, and they want to be involved.
Our Board members, many of whom have children in our schools and were products of our schools themselves, are personally invested—you often see them at school events and they genuinely want to be involved and care about the students and staff. Everyone involved in our schools—including the Board, district administrators, and staff—is fully committed to providing students with the opportunities they need to succeed.
Q: How do Apollo and Mark Twain Schools compare in terms of size/enrollment numbers?
Apollo is our largest elementary school with just over 625 students and Mark Twain is smaller with about 400 students. However, both have a similarly diverse student body – and both pull a large percentage of their students from Des Plaines (Mark Twain also pulls from Niles).
Q: Which other positions have you held in the education field before becoming assistant principal?
A: I began my education career as a substitute teacher, and moved on to teach social studies in Orlando. I was also certified in English as a second language (ESL) and special education. While at Orange County Public Schools, I had the privilege of working as an academic coach at the second-largest elementary school in this district (just over 1,200 students) and in this role I was responsible for the coaching and development of over 90 classroom teachers and coaches.
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Q: What do you enjoy most about working with kids?
A: One of the reasons I love what I do is that every day brings a new set of challenges—and that the world of education is always changing and evolving to meet the needs of our students. So, as an educator, you are constantly learning. I also very much enjoy working with our diverse population of students; the multicultural perspective District 63 schools provide can only enhance their education.
Q: Looking back, when did you first decide you wanted to work in education? Was it something you always knew you wanted to pursue?
A: I started college as an elementary education major, but switched to political science because I loved politics and I thought I was going to move to Washington and change the world! However, soon after college I realized that my passion for teaching had not diminished, and that I could combine my love for politics and history with my love of teaching and still make an impact on the world and my community
Q: What’s the most interesting job you’ve had?
A: Certainly one of the more unique jobs I held was at Disney World! It was a lot of fun, and instilled in me lessons about customer service and branding that I’ve been able to take with me and use to this very day.
Q: Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Pennsville, New Jersey, a small town about 35 miles southwest of Philadelphia.
Q: How do you spend your free time?
A: I love to travel, which allows me to see and learn about different places and cultures. I also enjoy being outdoors and active. I play softball and kickball, and I love riding my bike up and down the Lake Shore Drive path. I try to catch as many Cubs games as possible, and I’m also attempting to run my first half-marathon this summer. When I am not busy with school or being active I am in the midst of planning my Oct. 1 wedding.
Natalie Hayes is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.