Meet the Curie Administration Team
Principal Dr. Homero Peñuelas
Bilingual, Chicago instructional leader with over 18 years of proven experience in improving post-secondary outcomes for students in a diverse, large neighborhood school with multiple magnet programs; deeply committed to eliminating educational inequities for Chicago’s students by improving school’s post-secondary structures, eliminating barriers to higher level courses and providing social-emotional supports for all students in conjunction with a restorative approach to climate and culture.
Dr . Peñuelas has been a teacher, assistant principal, and now principal at Curie High School. His experience as an undocumented student and the barriers he faced in gaining access to post-high school education has led to the establishment of Curie’s current vision: Curie will LEAD the district in providing rigorous educational experiences and exemplary supports for all marginalized students and their communities to drive multigenerational change.
He serves on CEO Martinez's Principal Advisory Committee, the Network 15 Leadership Team, and CPS' Principal Athletics Committee.
Assistant Principal Alexander Kmicikewycz
Alexander Kmicikewycz has spent nearly fifteen years as an educator in various roles across Chicago Public Schools, including as a math and science teacher at Brooks College Prep, resident principal at Kelly College Prep, and assistant principal at Curie High School. He is passionate about social justice and empowering students to give back to their communities and the world. He believes that a strong education begins with dedicated teachers who not only teach about academic subjects but also social and emotional well-being. Alexander’s most important role has been advocating for a high-quality education for all students regardless of socioeconomic background. Students, teachers, and families learn together so that all can reach their fullest potential.
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Assistant Principal Dr. Jesus Antonio Laurel
Dr. Jesús Antonio Laurel is the newest member of Curie's administration team. He is a graduate of UIC’s Urban Education Leadership program. Dr. Laurel began his career in education working as an academic advisor and recruitment counselor at the university level before transitioning to the high school classroom. As a high school English teacher, Dr. Laurel taught at schools in the Little Village and Pilsen communities where he also served in several teacher leadership roles. He has served in the AP role for 5 years bringing with him five years of rich experience as an AP within Chicago Public Schools (CPS) where his work has focused on developing effective teams, cultivating teacher leadership capacity, supporting new and early career teachers through targeted professional learning, and leading the alignment of literacy instruction schoolwide to improve student writing across disciplines. Additionally, Dr. Laurel has been involved in efforts to increase the number of teachers and school leaders of color. He presently serves as a leadership coach for the Aspire Fellowship Program and co-leads a Latino male action group in partnership with UIC’s EdD program that is working to examine and address the root causes for the lack of Latino male representation in school leadership. Currently, only 8% percent of CPS principals and 6% of assistant principals are Latino males.
Contact Information: [email protected]
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Assistant Principal Vanessa Ruiz
Vanessa Ruiz is a Chicago native with roots in Guatemala, Guatemala city. She is a first-generation college student and earned her B.A. in Secondary Education and English and her M.A. in English Composition. She currently is working toward her Doctorate degree at UIC in Urban Educational Leadership. She has been in education for over 13 years, as an English teacher both in a high school setting and at Malcolm X Community college as an adjunct professor, as a Grade level dean to support and coach teachers, as a resident principal at a Charter Network, and now is carrying her work as an Assistant Principal at Curie.
Through her work, Vanessa is dedicated to ensuring that every student is supported to reach their post-secondary goals and believes that in order to achieve this, we must continue to dismantle inequities both in instruction and grading and cultivate conditions where both staff and students learn from each other and about each other. She believes that partnering with students, families, and teachers is truly essential to improve student outcomes to drive multi-generational change.
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Assistant Principal Katie Shanovich
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Assistant Principal Jasmine Vasquez-Dorner
Mrs. Vasquez-Dorner is a dedicated school leader with a background in fostering academic success. She has served as a Social Studies teacher, IB Middle Years Programme Coordinator, and now an Assistant Principal at Curie High School. With an MA in Education and Organizational Leadership and a BS in History and Secondary Education from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, she is committed to ensuring all students have access to rigorous instructional experiences and post-secondary success.
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Climate and Culture Coordinator Lizeth Lamourt
Climate and Culture Coordinator served as Dean of Students for the last five years for four years. Before joining Curie H.S., I worked as a student advocate at Benito Juarez for five years. I am dedicated to supporting students' social-emotional well-being and implementing restorative practices within the school's disciplinary systems. I am passionate about supporting students who struggle with behavior, helping them navigate challenges, and guiding them toward positive outcomes. My work focuses on creating a positive and inclusive school environment for students and staff, ensuring that the school climate is conducive to learning and growth.Business Manager Patricia Wetherspoon
Patricia Wetherspoon serves as the Operations Manager at Curie High School, leveraging over 30 years of experience in overseeing finance and operations within the educational district. An esteemed Chicago Public Schools (CPS) member, she has played a crucial role at Curie High School since 2015. Commencing her career as a School Clerk, she progressed to pivotal roles, including Business Manager and Premium Financial Specialist at the School Support Center. As a Premium Financial Specialist, Ms. Wetherspoon excelled in spearheading the budgeting process for schools, ensuring meticulous internal controls and unwavering regulatory compliance. Her commendable efforts culminated in achieving 100% audit-ready compliance for all support schools while providing comprehensive training to principals and business staff.