Lynn Singh

New Assistant Principal for College and Career Readiness Katharine Gomez.

This school year, North welcomed new Assistant Principal for College and Career Readiness Katharine Gomez.  

Prior to coming to North, Gomez worked in multiple positions at Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago. 

“At Lane Tech, I had a whole bunch of roles. I was a biology teacher and a zoology teacher, then I was a lead biology teacher, then I was the science department chair, and then I was the director of assessment and programming before coming here,” said Gomez. 

Originally from St. Charles and an East alumna, Gomez was excited to return to her hometown years later.  

“I actually grew up in St. Charles. I graduated from East in 2003 and my family still lives out this way, and I have two little kids, and we wanted to be closer to family,” said Gomez. 

 As a brand-new North Star, Gomez admires the North climate. 

“[North] is a lot more intimate than my last building, which I love. Everyone has been so nice, everyone is so polite, everyone is so respectful,” said Gomez. “It’s been wonderful.” 

One of Gomez’s responsibilities as assistant principal of CCR is arranging the details for testing at North, including Seal of Biliteracy, Pre-ACT and ACT, PSAT/NMSQT and AP testing. 

“A lot of my job right now is around assessment and a little bit around programming,” said Gomez. 

In addition, Gomez and the CCR office help students prepare for their lives beyond high school.  

“Our big role is in supporting students and their education here through scheduling and advocating for courses that students are interested in, and then translating that into post-secondary options,” said Gomez. “So whether students want to pursue college, or they want to do a two year at ECC because they want to save money, or they want to figure out where they want to go for a four year, or whether they want to go into like a career industry right away, [we help them].”

Gomez plans to make this school year the best that it can be for staff and students in her new position. 

“My first goal is just really making sure that this year runs smoothly, and that I do right by the students in this building and the staff in this building,” said Gomez. “[I want] to get through this year and have a great experience, and make sure all the students are having a great experience.” 

To ensure everyone has a great time this year, she has another goal of successfully executing this year’s graduation. 

“This office runs graduation. I know that that’s a very big end of the year pomp and circumstance. I want to make sure that that goes off super smoothly and that everyone has the best day possible,” said Gomez.

Along with graduation, Gomez is looking forward to other annual North events for their excitement and splendor. 

“I’m really excited about Homecoming week. When I was in high school, I was on student council, so that was always a really exciting time,” said Gomez. “I love all of the big moments, and so graduation is a big one, prom is a big one. Homecoming is right on our toes. I’m really excited about that.”

Gomez is excited to continue to make an impact in education as the new assistant principal for CCR, crediting her dedication and passion to supporting students. 

“Students are 100% why I’m in education,” said Gomez. “If I wanted to just sit behind a computer all day, I could get a job in an office. Being in a school, being around students, working with staff to help support students, working with counselors to help support students, that’s what gets me up every morning, and that’s what makes me love my job.”