Fenwick High School names John Finan as new principal starting next school year
After an unexpected leadership change earlier this month, Fenwick High School in Oak Park has named a new principal who will start next school year, officials announced in a Wednesday news release.
John Finan, who has administrative and teaching experience, will serve as principal of the Dominican Catholic school beginning in the 2024-25 year, the release said. The announcement comes about three weeks after Principal Mark Rasar quit to take over as CEO at Northern Kane Educational Corp. He spent fewer than six months at the helm.
Matt McNicholas, Fenwick’s board chairman, said Finan is a great choice for the role because his “dedication to academic excellence, profound love for Fenwick and excitement to contribute to our continued success is palpable.” Finan’s father and brothers are also Fenwick graduates, the release said.
“He understands the unique needs and strengths of our great institution and the families it serves,” McNicholas said. “His familiarity with the community and commitment to building strong relationships will undoubtedly strengthen the bonds that make Fenwick’s community so special.”
Finan is currently the instructional supervisor for summer school and a Spanish teacher at Glenbrook District 225, the release said. Previously he served as associate principal and then principal at Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook. He started his career as a Spanish teacher at Fenwick in 1991.
Finan told the Tribune in 2015 when he got the job as principal at Glenbrook North that he considered starting a business career in sales, but decided to pursue an opening at his alma mater instead. He graduated from Fenwick in 1987.
“I thought this was something I could do for a year, but soon recognized I wanted to continue in education. I never looked back,” Finan said at the time, adding that opening students to a new language was “exciting to me.” He also said he coached Fenwick baseball and basketball.
Finan has master’s degrees from American University in Spanish studies and Concordia University in school leadership, as well as a doctorate from National Louis University.
The release said he has 13 years of college teaching experience at American University, the University of Nevada and Harper College, where he also served as the associate dean of liberal arts. He also was an intern at the Costa Rican Embassy in Washington, D.C.
For the rest of the school year, Charly Ieremia, the school’s current associate principal for student services, will step up as interim principal. The release said she was hired in 2017, and had stints as the dean of students and interim director of student services. She also served as assistant principal at St. Joseph High School in Westchester for about three years, the release said.
“We are thankful for her leadership during this time of transition,” said Fenwick President the Rev. Richard Peddicord. “We welcome John and Charly to their new roles at Fenwick and look forward to partnering with them to ensure Fenwick’s mission and continue our tradition of academic excellence while growing and strengthening our great institution.”
Peddicord served as interim principal for the rest of the fall semester after Rasar stepped down on Dec. 5. School leaders credited Rasar with implementing “important innovations” such as increasing the number of all-school liturgies and “Friar Fridays.”
Rasar called the CEO job an “unexpected opportunity” that aligns with his “interest in charter schools and the challenges they present” and said it’s closer to his home in Arlington Heights. He said his time at Fenwick was “rewarding” and that he enjoyed working with students, faculty and parents. He started in July after a nationwide search.
“I couldn’t pass it up,” he said. “I want to emphasize that this decision was not taken lightly, but it’s the right one for my family and me.”