“Lab is a building full of passionate people who care very deeply about what they do.” Curt Lieneck, director of information and technology, said. “The passion and the thinking out loud and the commitment to serving students well is what I think I’ll miss the most”

Mr. Lieneck is retiring after being a member of the Lab Schools community for 36 years. His role at Lab has been as a facilitator of continuous change, as he headed a department that went from being brand new to one of the most integral facets of the school.

Mr. Lieneck started at Lab in 1982 as a lower school teacher, where he taught 3rd grade, kindergarten, and 4th grade. While teaching 4th grade, he became interested in technology, so in his next year at Lab he moved to the Information Services Department.

“Back in those days, it was unusual for someone who didn’t come from a hardcore technology background to be involved with technology, and so it was definitely a gradual and incremental growth over a period of years that helped me understand what the job really was,” Mr. Lieneck said, “how I could serve the schools to the the best of my abilities.”

Two individuals who were instrumental in Mr. Lieneck’s experience at Lab were Dave Stafford and Christopher Jones, two administrators who supported the advancement of technology in the school.

Recently, Mr. Lieneck has been integral in several shifts the school has experienced. One of these changes was the laptop program for middle school students. Mr. Lieneck explained that when a suggestion to add more iCarts for 6th through 8th grade students was made, he realized that there would be more laptops than Middle Schoolers if the plan was enacted. Therefore, he proposed a policy that students would be able to use personal laptops, provided by Lab, for the duration of the school year.

Another shift Mr. Lieneck facilitated was the addition of technology to Gordon Parks Arts Hall. His help in determining how the building could be technologically efficient allowed for classrooms to be productive, state-of-the-art spaces.

In addition to his role in the Lab community, Mr. Lieneck has several passions separate from his work. One that he pursued greatly is cycling. Mr. Lieneck often is joined by Brad Brickner, a music teacher at Lab, as well as Scott Griffin, associate operations director who works at Earl Shapiro Hall, for many of his trips.

“I started cycling just because it was fun and relaxing,” Mr. Lieneck explained. “With other friends I’ve done some fairly long rides. We did a week long ride for Habitat for Humanity in Indiana. We covered 360 miles in a week.”

Throughout his time at Lab, Mr. Lieneck defined the school’s connection with technology, and worked to make sure that his vision of technological modernity throughout the school came true.

“I hope that my legacy would include continuing to have a strong infrastructure that serves the school’s needs well,” Mr. Lieneck said. “We rarely do what’s easiest for us, in favor of doing things that are more effective than they might be efficient, and so keeping that strong tech support backbone in place I think would be a good legacy to have.”