News Detail
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.