Home
Prentiss Grant Recipients Named
In
1999, Michael and Patricia Prentiss established a
professional development endowment fund in the names of
their two daughters, Paige Prentiss Coulman ’92 and
Kennedy Prentiss Herrington ’99. This generous gift,
which has become a part of Hockaday’s Endowment Fund,
allows teachers to enjoy summer travel experiences and
education.
The Prentiss Grant rotates
amongst the three divisions, and this year, Middle
School teachers were invited to apply.
Shane Bourek, Middle School Math
Teacher
27th year at Hockaday
Cities of Light – Trip of a
Lifetime
Shane Bourek will embark on
a multi-country educational journey through France,
Germany, the Czech Republic, and Poland, exploring
some of Europe’s most historically and
culturally significant cities. The program begins in
Paris, where centuries of art, literature, and
architecture provide a foundation for understanding
Europe’s cultural influence, and continues
through the Champagne region to Trier, one of
Germany’s oldest cities.
Taking a river cruise of the
Moselle, Rhine, and Main Rivers, Shane will visit
historic towns and cities including Bernkastel,
Cochem, Koblenz, Heidelberg, Würzburg, Bamberg,
and Nuremberg, each offering perspectives on
medieval history, religious and political movements,
and the enduring impact of European art and
architecture. The journey continues to Prague, the
“City of a Hundred Spires,” and
concludes the tour through Kraków,
Częstochowa, and Warsaw, exploring resilience,
restoration, and Slavic cultural
identity.
The trip is deeply personal
for Shane, reconnecting him with his
family’s heritage. Having lived in France as a
child, he looks forward to revisiting early memories
with a new perspective. Traveling through Germany
and Bohemia links him to his family’s roots;
enjoying traditional German and Czech recipes with
his grandmother and great-grandmother inspired his
lifelong love of cooking and sharing cultural
traditions with students and colleagues.
Experiencing these places firsthand will allow Shane
to connect the tastes, aromas, and cultural
practices of his heritage to his present
life.
Erica Coats, Lower and Middle School
Librarian
5th Year at
Hockaday
Innovation in Youth Libraries and
Children’s Literature
This summer, Erica
will participate in a three-week
international professional development program
focused on innovative youth libraries and global
children’s literature.
During the first two weeks,
she will visit internationally recognized libraries
in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands,
including Oodi Central Library in
Helsinki, Malmö City
Library, Ørestad Library in
Copenhagen, and the Amsterdam Public Library. These
spaces serve as living laboratories for how young
people learn, collaborate, and create, featuring
makerspaces, media studios, and flexible learning
zones designed to foster creativity, independence,
and engagement.
The third week will be spent
at the 2026 Children’s Literature Summer
School at the University of Antwerp, where Erica
will explore different perspectives, translations,
and contemporary research in children’s
literature through lectures, workshops, and
collaborative study.
This experience will expand
Erica’s vision for how library spaces can
inspire student creativity and collaboration while
deepening her understanding of global storytelling
traditions and culturally responsive literacy
practices. Upon returning, Erica looks forward to
applying these insights to library programming,
collection development, and long-term space planning
in the Lower and Middle School Library.
The Hockaday School
Within the private school community, The Hockaday School is an independent
college-preparatory day school for girls from grades PK–12 located in Dallas,
Texas. Students realize their limitless potential through challenging academic
curricula, arts, athletics, and extracurricular programs so that they are inspired
to lead lives of purpose and impact.
The Hockaday School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, creed, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its educational, admissions, financial aid, athletic, and other policies and programs.
The Hockaday School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, creed, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its educational, admissions, financial aid, athletic, and other policies and programs.