Barry Rountree: An Unsung Hero of LHS

It is an early morning on a dreary day. The halls of Lafayette seem dark and your heart feels heavy with sorrow as you do not want to be at school that day. On the way to first period you hear “Hey! How are you doing today!”. You look up to see a giant bright smile that seems to light up the hallway and make you feel a little happier inside. Mr. Rountree is the man behind that smile.

Mr. Rountree has been a Virginia resident all of his life. He graduated Bethel High School in 1975. Four years later he graduated from CNU in 1979. After College he worked construction and then at a psychiatric hospital for children. There, he found that he loved connecting with kids and knew he wanted to keep working with young people. He then went to work at Menchville High School to work with kids that needed a little push to do well in school. While at Menchville he took the job as head coach of the varsity soccer team. With his leadership, Menchville’s soccer team produced a 109-9-3 record. (For those who do not know, this is a very impressive record.) After leaving Menchville he got a job at Lafayette High school and is here he is today. Mr. Rountree has 5 children and a wife of 30 years that he loves dearly.

I got the opportunity to ask Mr. Rountree a few questions.

TP: How do you like LHS?

BR: “Everyone is very nice and friendly. Most of the kids want to get their work done and actually get good grades. He can definitely see the dedication. The staff of the school was very nice and welcoming.”

TP: Why did you become a teacher?

BR: “At first I wanted to be a Physical Education teacher but then after working at the Psychiatric hospital he knew he wanted to be a Special Education teacher.”

TP: How do you get through to kids so well?

BR: “I am pretty understanding of kids with problems, whether it be at home or just with their attitude. Because I’ve worked with kids so much I can understand them and connect with them.”

TP: What do you want to do after LHS?

BR: “I want to do wood work, work on my house, and travel, especially to visit my kids. I have three in college, one in high school, and one in middle school.”

TP: How do you keep such a positive attitude every day?

BR: “I am a pretty positive person. You’re better off being positive and happy rather than mad all the time. I try to be nice to people even if they’re being difficult.”

Many students and teachers have had nothing but good things to say about him. Jodi Consoli, a government teacher at Lafayette, says that he “gets” kids and keeps them a priority. Student Lyndsey Guiseppi described him as a positive, uplifting teacher. Obviously, he has made an impact on the people here at Lafayette high school and it does not go un noticed. We all hope that Mr. Rountree will be here for a very long time.