Curie High School honored as "World's Best" for combining arts and mental wellness

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Curie High School has won a major international award for supporting students' emotional well-being through the arts.

The high school in Archer Heights is one of only five schools, and the only one in North America, to earn the honor as World's Best School from London-based T4 Education.

Curie High School won the award for blending a superb arts program with strong support for students' mental, social, and emotional health.

Principal Homero Penuelas said combining the two is the key to success.

"I believe, and as a school we believe that our students should have a great academic experience, and part of that is beyond just what's happening in the classroom," Penuelas said. "It's a large school. We want to make sure that none of our students fall through the cracks."

That's where part one of the equation comes in. Curie's behavioral health team of counselors, social workers, psychologists, and educators share one goal.

"They key point of the team is to try and be proactive and preventative," said school psychologist Matt Clam. "Kind of bring all those interventionists together at once to identify students who are starting to show symptoms that more support is needed."

"Teachers submit referrals to us as a team; and we review those referrals every week, and determine who's responsible for following up with the student, and starting to implement intervention," Clam added.

Clam said getting through to kids who are struggling inside isn't easy, and building trust takes time.

"A lot of these kids have been hurt, and they don't want to put themselves out there to get hurt again. So they're going to be somewhat resistant. They want to see are you real? Are you genuine?" Clam said.

The other half of the equation is Curie's commitment to the arts.

"Health means whole, and we're working the whole person through dance," said dance and artistic director Melinda Wilson.

Wilson said, while dance is very physical, that's not all.

"You're looking at contextualizing ideas," she said. "When you're making a mistake, you have to correct it immediately. So it takes a quick brain, quick creativity, tenacity, persistence and confidence. But more important than that, it builds community."

Wilson wrote Curie's winning application for the World's Best School Prize.

"When we won it was the best, the best feeling in the world. People understood the importance of the arts, and health and wellness," she said.

So do Wilson's students.

Junior Marko Hernandez has been dancing since he was 4 years old.

"Dance is an escape for a lot of people, and it also helps people break out of their shell. And that's what I really liked. That's how it helped me a lot," he said.

To win an award for it? Senior Kayla Parker is over the moon.

"It's such a great thing to have, knowing that our abilities and our talents can do something so big," she said.

A big award for talent, and working together.

"When people understand that, in order to take care of yourself it also means taking care of others, and that's where the arts are so important," Wilson said.

The World's Best School Prize comes with a $50,000 grant for Curie. The school will use the money to make much-needed repairs to its auditorium.