November Fireside Chat
Join The Compass School of Texas for an evening of education with delicious appetizers and HALL Wines at HALL Arts Hotel on Nov. 18, 5:00-7:00 PM.
Arnie Holtberg, Compass Advisory Council Chair, will facilitate a conversation among the panelists below about mental health, screen time, and communication strategies.
Shelly Sender, Head of School, Compass School of Texas
Laine DiStefano, Therapist, Think Space Counseling
Dr. Haley Fournier, Co-Founder of Screenwell and Founder of Dallas Wellness Group
Click here to RSVP Read more about this upcoming event in CW33
Featured in The Dallas Morning News
Join us for the October Fireside Chat
A Child's Brain Development: A Case for Nature and Science Fireside Chat at Frontiers of Flight Museum
October 9, 2024, from 6:00-8:00 PM
The Compass School of Texas Announces Inaugural Advisory Council
Compass is proud to announce the formation of the Advisory Council which is comprised of a diverse mix of top independent educators and professionals. Each member provides valuable expertise and knowledge while guiding the school’s efforts to innovate its curriculum and strengthen organizational structures while upholding the school’s core values of Community, Family, Leadership, Purpose, and Resilience.
The council's steadfast commitment is to foster academic excellence, inspire creativity, and equip students with the skills necessary to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
This group of educational leaders brings over a century of combined experience shaping some of our country’s leading schools. Arnold (Arnie) Holtberg is the Advisory Council Chair. Other members include Mary Ann Greene, Stan Greene, Barbara York, Michael York, Larry Lacerte, and George Tobolowsky.
Arnold (Arnie) Holtberg: Advisory Council Chair: Arnie previously served as Headmaster of St. Mark’s School of Texas from 1993 until 2014, making him the longest-tenured headmaster in the school’s history. He is a published author of two novels and has been recognized nationally for his work, including serving on the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships.
Mary Ann Greene and Stan Greene: Mary Ann was the Founding Director of The da Vinci School and with Stan by her side they worked tirelessly for 37 years to grow the School into a highly respected and successful early childhood program in Dallas under their leadership. They retired in 2023.
Barbara York and Michael York: Barbara served as Head of Lower School and also taught students for 22 years at the St. Mark’s School of Texas and Michael was Head of Upper School at Greenhill, as well as a faculty member at the Episcopal School of Dallas.
Larry Lacerte: Larry is the Founder and CEO of Lacerte Tax Software. He has served on the Board of Trustees of top-tier independent schools such as Lamplighter, Christ the King, John Paul II Exploratory, Hockaday, and St. Mark's School of Texas.
George Tobolowsky: George was on the Board of Directors of Greenhill School for over twelve years and oversaw construction for the Board for Greenhill’s new Gymnasium, Natatorium, and Middle School and was also involved in the conversion of the old Middle School into the new Fine Arts Center.
The newly appointed Advisory Council is composed of influential leaders dedicated to fostering the holistic growth and development of the Compass School of Texas as it expands from Pre-K- Third grade to Pre-K- Eighth grade. Through proactive engagement, research-driven insights, and responsive support, the Advisory Council endeavors to strengthen curriculum design, pedagogical approaches, and organizational structures.
The Advisory Council will provide strategic guidance, innovative perspectives, and collaborative expertise to inform the leadership and executive team at the Compass School of Texas in seeking to fulfill its vision of nurturing lifelong learners.
Read the article in Preston Hollow Advocate here
Frances Cannon Mitchell, Compass Founder and Secretary of the Board Named People Newspapers 20 under 40 Honoree
Frances Cannon Mitchell started her career as a financial analyst at ExxonMobil before joining her husband in Istanbul, Turkey, where she worked in accounting and back-office support for a start-up oil field service company.
After moving to London and then back to Dallas, she transitioned into human resources, supporting 13 operating companies domestically and internationally.
Now, she serves as a founding board member of The Compass School of Texas, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, independent school located on West Northwest Highway.
“As a mom, we will do anything for our kids, and as it turns out, that means even being a part of starting a school that we believe will inspire future leaders, resilient and kind people, and analytical thinkers,” Mitchell said.
She’s part of the school alongside Francis Harrison (also a 20 Under 40 honoree) and Caroline Harrison Loehr.
“I joined (my) longtime friends … to help build a scholastic program in the heart of Dallas focused on an engaging and wholesome academic education,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell also volunteers with Park Cities Presbyterian Church on the production team of the podcast Deep Light, the Cox Alumni Board at SMU, and the Highland Park Alumni Association Board.
Her involvement also includes Kappa Kappa Gamma. She is co-chairing its Oct. 15 Kappa Tablescapes event with her two best friends: “This is an event that annually raises over $200,000 for amazing local nonprofit organizations doing incredible work across the community.”
After moving to London and then back to Dallas, she transitioned into human resources, supporting 13 operating companies domestically and internationally.
Now, she serves as a founding board member of The Compass School of Texas, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, independent school located on West Northwest Highway.
“As a mom, we will do anything for our kids, and as it turns out, that means even being a part of starting a school that we believe will inspire future leaders, resilient and kind people, and analytical thinkers,” Mitchell said.
She’s part of the school alongside Francis Harrison (also a 20 Under 40 honoree) and Caroline Harrison Loehr.
“I joined (my) longtime friends … to help build a scholastic program in the heart of Dallas focused on an engaging and wholesome academic education,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell also volunteers with Park Cities Presbyterian Church on the production team of the podcast Deep Light, the Cox Alumni Board at SMU, and the Highland Park Alumni Association Board.
Her involvement also includes Kappa Kappa Gamma. She is co-chairing its Oct. 15 Kappa Tablescapes event with her two best friends: “This is an event that annually raises over $200,000 for amazing local nonprofit organizations doing incredible work across the community.”
Francis Harrison, Compass Founder and President of the Board Named People Newspapers 20 under 40 Honoree
When Francis Harrison saw a need for more schools in Dallas, she co-founded The Compass School of Texas.
“I have followed a long line of family members who choose to give back and have made a difference,” she said.
The school is in its first academic year and aims to create well-rounded students through math, reading, farm-to-table, yoga, music, chess, and other subjects.
She says her grandmothers and mother motivated her to get involved in the community.
Her maternal grandmother, Caroline Rose Hunt, took pride in supporting important initiatives in Dallas; her paternal grandmother, Ann Harrison, always volunteered at her church and local government. Growing up, Harrison watched her mother help grow the Dallas Children’s Theater and advocate for accessible art.
“As I have watched Dallas experience tremendous growth over these last few years, I realized that there was a lot that we needed to focus on to be able to accommodate for such growth,” Harrison said. “We have seen numerous industries relocate to North Texas, which has been incredible, but it also made me look at our current infrastructure and, most importantly, education.”
Her first job was working for nonprofit Operation Smile, translating for medical teams and archiving medical histories.
Following her nonprofit work, she founded Conscious Cultures LLC, which allowed her to secure Office of Foreign Assets Control licensing to take U.S. citizens on licensed educational and cultural trips to Cuba. She’s also a director at the Rosewood Corporation.
Harrison’s philosophy: “If it doesn’t exist, then build it.”
Compass Auction Raises Over $1million at the Inaugural Auction at JSX
The Compass School of Texas celebrated Texas Independence Day with an evening of country music, barbecue, and an auction at the JSX Hangar. The event, known as Rock the Runway, drew 550 school supporters on March 2, 2024. Thanks to our sponsors, community partners, friends, and family for contributing to the vision to grow to become a Prekindergarten through Eighth Grade school. Our chairs Frances Mitchell, Francis Harrison, Caroline Harrison Loehr, and Louisa Oberman Harwood did a great job!
Modern Luxury celebrates the success of the School's inaugural auction!
PeopleNewspapers SOCIETY Digital Magazine Shares Photos
Dallas Morning News Shares Event Details
PeopleNewspapers Shares funds raised benefit the nonprofit Preston Hollow School.
Suzanne Woodburn Appointed Director of Academics & Instruction
We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Suzanne Woodburn as the Director of Academics & Instruction effective June 1st, 2024.
Suzanne, a dedicated 2nd grade Educator at The Compass School of Texas, brings nearly two decades of rich instructional and curriculum expertise to her role. Having served as an Instructional Coach, Curriculum Coordinator, and Teacher at Lucas Christian Academy, she played a key role in designing a comprehensive curriculum map for Kindergarten through 6th grade, ensuring alignment with state standards and enhancing school-wide academic achievement outcomes. Suzanne has also worked collaboratively with teachers and administrators in middle and high school grades in various capacities.
Suzanne brings a wealth of experience and a passion for education to her new role, and she will make an exceptional addition to our leadership team. She is excited to continue to serve the Compass community and expand on the robust curriculum and wholesome educational foundation we offer students and families. We look forward to the positive impact Suzanne will undoubtedly have on The Compass School of Texas community.
The Compass School of Texas Names Director of Advancement
It is with great honor and excitement that we announce the newest member of The Compass School of Texas team, Katie Townend Doherty. As of June 1st, Katie will serve as Director of Advancement, leading Compass efforts in fundraising, strategic growth, and community outreach. Katie joins us from Hockaday where she has been the Upper School Admission Division Director for the past fifteen years.
During her tenure at Hockaday, Katie has worked tirelessly with prospective families seeking to enroll their children in a top tier independent school. With experience collaborating with divisions and departments across the organization, she has effectively helped craft inspiring communications growing the school's local and national footprint. Katie's innovation in launching programs, such as the Parent Ambassador program, have been instrumental in fostering a sense of community and partnership. She has a proven track record of significant contributions to the school as the Annual Fund Chair, a member of the Benefit Committee, and as part of the Steering Committee during the ISAS re-accreditation process. Among many other impressive accomplishments, Katie is fluent in Spanish and holds an MBA in Management and Leadership from Northwood University, DeVos Graduate School of Business. She is also a proud mother of three precious children. Please join us in welcoming Katie as she helps us continue to pave the path of positively impacting families for generations to come.
“I am humbled and honored to be a part of this vision. As a native Dallasite, I know how competitive the independent school market is. We are not only building a new school to meet the demands of our community, but we are building a legacy. I’m inspired by our team as we are all committed to partnering with our friends and community members to offer our children the education they deserve.” -Katie Townend Doherty
Read about the announcement in the Preston Hollow Advocate and People Newspapers.
People Newspapers
New Dallas Private School Celebrates Inauguration
October 16, 2023
The Compass School of Texas recently held a ribbon cutting with community members, stakeholders, families, and students to celebrate the official inauguration of Dallas’ newest independent schools.
The school’s academic environment focuses on intention and purpose with learning through hands-on, real world application and encouraging an entrepreneurial spirit.
Founders Francis Harrison, Caroline Loehr, Frances Mitchell, Shelly Sender, Arnold Holtberg, and Alicia Haddock started the school to provide another option for parents looking for private school instruction.
The Compass School opened this fall to 44 students in pre-K through second grade and will expand through eighth grade by 2029.
The Compass School offers a blend of the Reggio Emilia child-centered teaching philosophy and inquiry and project-based learning. The average class size is between 12 and 16 students with a focus on small groups and one-on-one attention. Academics include language arts using phonemic awareness, system phonics, vocabulary, reading fluency, and comprehension; math; science; history; geography; and Spanish.
The school is located in Dallas on Northwest Highway in a 1920s-era Tudor home with a landscape of trees, greenspace, and a creek bordering the property.
The school’s academic leadership team includes:
Shelly Sender, head of school. She’s the former early childhood education director at Temple Emanu-El Dallas.
Arnold Holtberg, strategic adviser. He’s the former headmaster at St. Mark’s School of Texas.
Alicia Haddock, education consultant. She was formerly with KIPP NYC and is the co-founder of MyEducationist.
For more information, visit CompassSchoolTX.org.
Announcement of Head of School
The Compass School of Texas is pleased to announce Shelly Sender as Head of School.
Shelly Sender has been dedicated to the field of early childhood education for 40 years. She graduated from the Southern Methodist University, where she received her degree in psychology followed by a master’s degree in education administration.
Shelly lives in Dallas, and has three amazing children, ages 35, 33, and 27. She has pioneered the establishment and growth of several educational institutes by creating a thriving school community. Personal relationships and inquiry-based learning, in addition to a strong academic foundation, are truly relevant in her work with children. Shelly has served on several child advocacy boards and served as the VP of learning on the board of a national organization.
For the past 15 years, she served as the Early Childhood Education Director at Temple Emanu-El Dallas, where she has led 336 children and 100 staff members. Shelly guided the school using the Reggio Emilia philosophy, oversaw the third cycle of accreditation through the National Association for the Education of Young Children; and brought back the kindergarten classes over the past seven years.
Announcement of Location
August 16, 2022
The Compass School of Texas is excited to announce the opening of its doors to students and families August 2023 at 5414 W. Northwest Highway, Dallas, Texas 75220. The Meadowbrook School will continue its program and commitment education through the 2022-2023 school year.
The Compass School of Texas will serve PK-4 through 2nd grade and grow by one grade per year through 8th grade. Compass will provide an engaging and wholesome education that fosters analytical and independent thinking. The school values the partnership between families, educators, and students. The school's educational approach instills the joy of learning through intentionally curated classrooms and natural environments, while teaching classical literature, conceptual math and a hands-on science program. Compass students will have the opportunity to explore and discover through multi-disciplinary learning and authentic experiences.
The Compass School of Texas will be announcing more exciting updates in the coming weeks. Please visit www.compassschooltx.org for more information.