Lake County Gazette

The Collinsville Community Unit School District #10 Board of Education has approved the hiring of Ukyah Wilburn as an assistant principal at Collinsville Middle School for the 2025-26 school year.

Ukyah Wilburn Named Assistant Principal of Collinsville Middle School Beginning in the 2025-26 School Year

Collinsville, Illinois – March 5, 2025 – Collinsville Community Unit School District #10 announced that Ukyah Wilburn has been named an assistant principal for Collinsville Middle School beginning in the 2025-26 school year.

Mrs. Wilburn is currently a fifth-grade math and science teacher at Dorris Intermediate School.

Since 2010, she has worked in several CUSD 10 schools in various capacities: student teacher, long-term substitute, educational assistant, and fourth-grade teacher.

She holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education, a master's degree in curriculum and instruction, and a specialist degree in educational leadership from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

"The desire to lead was put on my heart in 2018 as I began to learn what leadership in education really was," says Wilburn. "Now, seven years later, I get to move up and bring my passion to the middle school. I am beyond excited to see what the future holds. "

Mrs. Wilburn will fill the assistant principal position vacated by Madonna Harris's retirement at the end of the 2024-25 school year.

In announcing Wilburn’s hiring, CMS Principal Brad Snow said: "We are excited to have Ukyah join our team at Collinsville Middle School. Her calm demeanor, engaging personality, and attention to detail set her apart from others. She has a wealth of knowledge regarding data that will help CMS continue to grow academically. We look forward to seeing what she can do for our school. "

"I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve as an assistant principal at Collinsville Middle School," says Wilburn. "As an educator at heart, I firmly believe that every student learns uniquely and at their own pace. "

"It is the challenge and responsibility of educators to help students unlock their individual potential," adds Wilburn. "Through collaboration, mutual support, and dedication, we can turn this vision into reality. "

Wilburn looks forward to building meaningful relationships with staff, students, and families because she believes strong relationships are key to achieving collective goals.

Born and raised in Decatur, Illinois., she graduated from MacArthur High School before moving to Collinsville with her husband Cameron and three children: Camille (soon-to-be 15), Kyrie (six), who is learning how to thrive with Autism; Kylah (two).

"They say 'Once a Kahok Always a Kahok.' Collinsville may not have been where I grew up but my career was born here," says Wilburn." It is not just a school district; this is my community."

Collinsville Community Unit School District #10 comprises twelve schools, serving over six thousand students PreK-12 across Madison & St Clair Counties in southwestern Illinois.C ollinsville Middle School serves more than eight- hundred seventy seventh-and eighth-grade students.