When walking through the halls of Jackson-Reed, one often hears the sound of a high-five “clap!” and catches glimpses of an arm raised high amongst the sea of students. The person this infamous right hand belongs to? Aireon Boone, the 9th-grade dean and a beloved member of the JR staff. Despite his popularity, Boone has never before been profiled by the Beacon; now is the time to right that wrong.
Growing up in Northwest DC, Boone attended Paul Public Charter School for middle and high school, and briefly attended Delaware State University in pursuit of a business degree. Boone then returned to DC, landing his first job at the Whole Foods in Silver Spring. “It was a nice starter job, [but I] don’t think I will ever go back to a Whole Foods ever again,” Boone admits.
Since then, Boone has worked at JR, starting as a data clerk. For the last three years, he has been a Dean of Students, where he handles behavioral issues, clears hallways between classes, and serves as a trusted adult that students can talk to. Boone says that a major part of his job is “building healthy positive relationships with our students,” as well as aiding teachers in forming those connections. He is also a member of the culture team, a group that works to ensure JR is a safe, welcoming, and fun environment. This is Boone’s sixth year at JR.
In addition to his main job that keeps him busy from 8:00-4:30, Boone is an assistant coach for the girls basketball team. “I’ve been coaching [here] for four years. My duties and responsibilities have changed every year, from just watching and observing, to creating practice plans, to drawing up plays.” Boone’s interest in coaching is no surprise considering his unwavering passion for athletics. “I used to play almost every sport. When I was in high school I played baseball, football, and basketball, and I ran track a little bit.” Outside of work, Boone can be found watching new movies and listening to new albums, ultimately admitting that “I’m typically just resting so I can be 100% when I come back [to JR].”
Despite having to rouse students to class every day and staff Homecoming every year, Boone truly loves his job at JR. He values day-to-day interactions with students and shouts out the “couple kids who stop by and just chat with me, or bother me.” However, there are some aspects of the school that Boone would like to see change, one of them being the enforcement of the written pass system. While he understands that teachers often do not want to take time out of their lessons to write passes, he emphasizes that the system helps deans “know who’s supposed to be where.”
Boone would also like to see a more involved student body, highlighting how much JR has to offer for athletes, musicians, and artists. He mentions that “[JR] is probably the only school I’ve seen that offers as much as they do, so I would definitely advise all of our students to take advantage of these opportunities.” More than anything, Boone wants to leave students with a fulfilling and happy high school experience. While he understands that it is improbable for students to be 100 percent satisfied with their time at JR, he expresses that “[if] they can say ‘I thank Mr. Boone,’ that works for me.”
Fortunately for us, Boone plans on remaining at JR for the next couple of years. He hopes to one day become a full-time head coach for basketball, whether that be for the school or somewhere else. Find Boone in his second-floor office or in the hallways, where he may leave you with a helpful piece of advice such as this: “It’s not about how you start. It’s about how you finish.” •
