As Roosevelt Middle School says goodbye to their principal who will be retiring at the end of the school year, a new leader is rising from within to be their next principal.
Tina Steketee will begin her new position as the new Roosevelt Middle School Principal effective July 2024.
Steketee will be replacing Larry Garstki, who will retire at the end of the 2023-24 school year.
“We are grateful to Larry Garstki for his dedication to ensuring a high-quality education for a generation of River Forest children,” said Ed Condon, superintendent of D90. “We appreciate his consistent leadership, student-focus, and caring service to the community.”
For Steketee, Condon had nothing but praises as she moves into her new role in a few months.
“Tina Steketee brings the experience, skill, and commitment that we seek in the next principal of Roosevelt Middle School,” Condon said. “We are fortunate to have a leader with her talent and passion within our school community, ready to lead.”
Steketee now serves as the assistant principal at Roosevelt, where she began with River Forest School District D90 in 2007. She oversees daily operations and works closely with teachers to “implement best practices, and champions innovative teaching methods.”
In a new release sent Jan. 23, D90 praises Steketee for the role she has played as assistant principal.
“Over the course of seventeen years of service, Ms. Steketee has made many important contributions to the school community, including spearheading programs that nurture the holistic growth of students and creating systems to support the professional growth of faculty members,” the news release said.
Steketee came to the district with a long background in education, which began after she received a master’s degree in education from DePaul University in teaching and learning. She also is a graduate of the Leadership Academy and Urban Network for Chicago at Northwestern University.
According to the news release, Steketee also completed the Universal Design for Learning program at Harvard and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in educational leadership at Concordia University.
Through her time in education, Steketee worked in Chicago Public Schools for 10 years as an instructional coach to teachers as well as completing an internship with Chicago Principal Associations at Oscar Mayer Elementary and Walter Payton Preparatory High School.
“I am excited to help lead Roosevelt Middle School to new heights of achievement while providing a nurturing, inspiring, and inclusive environment for all students, ” Steketee said.