Michelle Rodriguez

Ms. Rodriguez is a proud native of Chicago’s Lower West Side, where her community shaped her passion for teaching and service. She attended the University of Louisville, earning her degree in Secondary Education with a focus on Social Studies. As a Spanish native speaker and first-generation college student, Ms. Rodriguez has dedicated her work to mentoring and empowering students with similar backgrounds. In both high schools and mentoring programs, she has supported first-generation students by translating, guiding families, and building bridges between school and community. Ms. Rodriguez joined the Leo team in January of 2025 and is excited to work with students, helping them grow academically while also embracing their identities and voices.

Phoenix Charleston

Phoenix C. Charleston is the IDEA Math Teacher at Leo High School. She is a Chicago native who earned her Masters Degree in Psychology at National-Louis University, and her undergraduate Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Tougaloo College. She has over 20 years of professional experience in mediation, conflict, crisis management, academic advising, training, group facilitation, leadership, organization training topics including time management, study skills, college prep, decision making and life skills. Most of these skills were obtained as an Academic Coach and Academic Instructor for Title I services throughout private schools in Chicago for the past 15 years. Her motto she lives by “I am a seed planter, it is my responsibility to pass on the knowledge and wisdom that was given to me through life experiences, and rather they accept it or not, I know I did what I have been created to do. “

Theo Hopkins

Theo Hopkins, a 2014 graduate of Leo High School and a 2019 graduate of Quincy University with a B.A. in Human Services, serves as P.E. teacher, Head Football Coach, and Assistant Track Coach. His mission is to develop young men daily—mentally, physically, and emotionally—while guiding student-athletes toward success at the collegiate level.

Francisco Pantoja Martinez

Mr. Martinez is a proud first generation, low-income Mexican-American hailing from the Southwest side Chicago, growing up mainly in Pilsen, but also calls other places like Brighton Park, Cicero, Englewood and Little Village home. He is a proud graduate of Benito Juarez Community Academy, where he was the school’s first ever Questbridge National Match Scholarship recipient. He then attended Grinnell College in Iowa majoring in Political Science and concentrating in Educational Studies. He regularly shadowed teachers at the local middle school in Grinnell and later completed a fellowship with Uncommon Schools in New York/New Jersey. He is passionate about ensuring that every student he meets has adequate resources and support to succeed, because he personally knows the value of education and how it can truly change lives. After graduating Grinnell College, Mr. Martinez set his eyes on teaching back in Chicago and becoming the teacher/mentor he wished he had growing up. By the fate of God, he found himself at Leo High School, where he wears the black and orange with tremendous pride.

Lonnie Norwood

Lonnie Norwood, Jr. is an in-demand Africana vocal music clinician with emphasis in Black American sacred traditions. Lonnie collaborates frequently with continental African and diasporic tradition bearers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lonnie shared gospel music through the self-created ChicaGO REACH Gospel Workshop, which boasted singers from the U.S., Africa, and Canada virtually. Lonnie’s 1st EP entitled Rooted, a spiritual and emotional journey of Trans-Atlantic African ancestry, was released in August, 2021. He was lauded by Chicago Reader as Best Music Teacher in 2023. He is Director of Africana Studies and conductor for Uniting Voices Chicago. Lonnie recently joined the Leo Lion family as the new choir director. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music from Luther College and a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from Florida State University.

Osvaldo Carnalla

Mr. Carnalla is a native South Sider—born and raised in the neighborhood of Marquette Park. A proud Hancock College Prep graduate, Mr. Carnalla spent his last four years in Boston where he attended Brandeis University. In his studies, he focused on English, Spanish, and Education, all subjects that intertwined to his identity as a first generation man. During his time at Brandeis, Mr. Carnalla worked as teacher assistants for both middle-school and high-school ELA classes. Mr. Carnalla was able to graduate early from Brandeis in the winter of 2024, where he then spent 7 months working with special education kids. This is what pushed him to seek out opportunities in teaching—where he stumbled on Leo High School and has proudly been serving since.

Catherine Sedun

Ms. Sedun teaches Freshmen English at Leo. In 2001, she received a full athletic scholarship to row crew at the University of Notre Dame, which is how she discovered the friendly Midwest, since she is originally from Portland, Oregon. After graduating from ND in 2005 with a degree in English and a teaching degree, she moved to Florida to both teach and start a high school rowing program. Then, she moved to Philadelphia, PA, where she taught and coached at an all-girls high school for 4 years. She earned a Master’s of Science in Higher Education Administration from Northwestern in 2013, where she was also a rowing coach for the university’s club team. She worked in Admissions at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine, and then decided to take a break from education for six years, where she managed women-owned restaurants in Chicago’s vibrant hospitality industry. She moved to Indianapolis and started teaching again in the Indianapolis public school system. But she missed Chicago, and moved back in 2025, and found Leo. In addition to teaching here, she is also the Head Coach for St. Ignatius College Prep’s rowing team.

Ishrahel Guidry

Mr. Guidry is a Physics graduate from Illinois Wesleyan University with a passion for the sciences of the world. During his time at there, he completed research ranging from nano-plasmonics and quantum optics to coal and nuclear power. Outside of academics, his time was spent mentoring and tutoring young men on campus. After graduating from university, Mr. Guidry continued his interest in assisting others academically and made it a goal to show others how fun the science world can be.

Kyla Winford

Ms. Winford is an educator, technologist, and lifelong learner dedicated to empowering students through the fusion of math, computer science, and technology. She graduated from the University of Missouri–Columbia with a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and a minor in Architecture, and is currently pursuing both an MBA and a Master’s in Data Science. Her career path bridges education and the tech industry. She began as a math and computer science teacher, transitioned into healthcare as a Technical Analyst, and then returned to education with fresh technical expertise and a renewed mission to inspire the next generation of problem-solvers.Passionate about the betterment of youth and the transformative power of education, Ms. Winford believes in equipping students with the knowledge, confidence, and creativity they need to succeed in an increasingly digital world.

Adreanna Grillier

Adreanna Grillier

Adreanna Grillier is a graduate of Kalamazoo College with a B.A in Anthropology/Sociology. She is the U.S Government and Civics Instructor at Leo High School and takes pride in helping our Lions on the prowl create possibilities, develop as leaders, and engage in solving their own real world problems as current and future leaders.