Welcome to LEADPrep
We are a progressive middle/high micro-school located in North Seattle and Downtown Kirkland. Our team of educators, innovators and mentors – close-knit and energetic – is shaping tomorrow’s leaders. Both campuses collaborate as one community. We are wholeheartedly committed to seeing all students realize their passions and potential. Our innovative and dedicated approach prepares them to embrace their bright futures.
Quick Facts
Founded: 2013
Grades: 6–12
Teacher/Student Ratio: 1/6
501C3 Nonprofit
Accredited through NWAC-AdvancED
NWAIS Subscriber School
Annual Service Learning Trip
Community-based Fridays
The Challenge Ahead
The challenge ahead for all students is imminent and multi-faceted. Will your child be prepared to succeed? Here are some eye-opening stats and facts that you may find interesting about your children’s future.
What Makes LEADPrep Different
Four Unique Offerings Set Us Apart
Leadership
Great Leaders are Made,
Not Born
We believe that leadership is one of the most important skills in life. That’s why our curriculum is designed to weave in lessons that develop communication and public speaking abilities, decision-making skills, and most importantly, the confidence to explain ideas and inspire others. Along the way, our students learn an ethical leadership style that encompasses self-knowledge, wellness, and valuing the dignity and worth of others.
STEM
Building Critical Skills for
High-Demand Careers
At our alternative private school, we integrate the four subjects of STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — into a cohesive and hands-on curriculum. Students use design thinking for anything from building robots to producing films. We help our students find their interests and passions in a fun way that broadens their horizons.
Flip Lessons
No More Hours of
Homework!
Instead of students toiling over hours of reading and memorization, LEADPrep flips homework on its head.
Our students watch videos at home each night prepared by our educators to preview the lessons for the following day. This enables students to apply concepts and engage in the subject matter in a focused and direct way at school. The below video shows excerpts from actual flip lessons we use at LEADPrep.
Bridge
Helping Students
Find Their Way
At LEADPrep, we know that the journey through school is a complex and critical one. We personalize students’ learning in all phases: while entering and attending, and when moving to their next place of learning.
Our Experiential Approach
Improved Learning By Doing
Students learn better by seeing and doing, so we dedicate Fridays to experiential outings. Our activities include “service learning” such as building schools in Nicaragua, cooking and serving at a homeless teen shelter, planting trees, and much more. Our students actively engage in problem solving, with an emphasis on social justice. In both group projects and individually, students grapple with finding solutions to real-world issues.
What Students are Saying
you actually have a chance to talk to your teachers
“It’s really nice that it’s a small school because you actually have a chance to talk to your teachers. Homework stress is a lot less. Also, it starts later and it’s nice not having to get up at the crack of dawn. People are nice and don’t judge you.”
What Parents are Saying
for the first time, he really enjoyed going to school
“Thank you, Maureen, for all the great work and effort you and the rest of the teachers provided to our son. It made a huge difference, and for the first time, he really enjoyed going to school.”
What Students are Saying
they make sure we know our stuff before we move forward
“The teachers don’t follow a herd mentality. They work with the individual instead of just the whole class. They don’t stress about working in only one way and say there is no other option, instead they work with us and make sure we know our stuff before we move forward. LEADPrep is more fun in general.”
What Parents are Saying
Thank you
“Thank you for your unwavering support of our son at LEADPrep through his many ups and downs—never giving up on him and leading him to his high school diploma!”
What Students are Saying
I don’t feel stressed when I walk into school each morning
“I can work at my own level, not just at grade level. There are a lot less people than my other school and that makes it a lot easier. I don’t feel stressed when I walk into school each morning. The teachers are very nice. They are not at all strict compared to my other school. We have lots of breaks. I don’t have to worry as much about my homework compared to the other school.”
What Parents are Saying
[LEADPrep] has brought the twinkle back to our boy’s eyes
“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping our son rediscover how bright and capable he is. We were just ‘wow’d!’ by his performance on the Compass test. Even more important than grades on paper…our son is extremely proud of himself. The entire LEADPrep staff has brought the twinkle back to our boy’s eyes. Thank you.”
What Parents are Saying
the best school year he’s ever had
“My son told me it’s the best school year he’s ever had, and that’s great coming from a 9th grader!”
What Students are Saying
the teachers support my passion
“I love the fact that LEADPrep is a small school with personalized learning. I only have homework I need, not busy work. The teachers support my passion for history and always encourage me to get further into it.”
What Parents are Saying
the LEADPrep teachers appreciate my son's gifts
“The faculty and staff at LEADPrep have embraced my son’s unique style of learning from day one. Rather than stifle his individuality and squelch his inventive thoughts and dreams, the LEADPrep teachers appreciate my son’s gifts and encourage him to study the subjects he enjoys in the way he learns best.”
What Parents are Saying
We have been thrilled with our decision
“We are now seeing a happier, more confident good student in our daughter. The things we were concerned about (a smaller school, missing out on dances, etc.) turned out to be a non-issue. She now has time for extra-curricular activities and the homework battle is gone. It’s been a great experience and I cannot express enough what an impact LEADPrep has had on our family. We have been thrilled with our decision.”
Meet Our Educators
Maureen O'Shaughnessy
Founder, Executive Director
Maureen is a trailblazing school administrator and mother of three. Her master’s and doctorate focused on educational innovation. She is thrilled to use her experience and passion for personalized learning and academic success to innovate and lead this non-traditional, creative school. Hobbies include travel, exploring, and singing to the car radio.
David Chen
Middle School Math Seattle
Prior to David‘s tenure at LEADPrep, David served as a math teacher at an alternative K-12 school. David holds a BA and MA from the University of Washington, along with dual teaching endorsements in elementary education and secondary math. In addition to his time as a LEADPrep instructor, David is also a part-time student at Western Washington University, where he is working towards acquiring his teaching certificate. Outside of his time as a math instructor, David enjoys playing basketball and video games. If you’re feeling confident, you can challenge him to a game of horse at any time; just watch out for his long distance shooting!
Lindsay Spangler
Seattle Campus Coordinator & Science Teacher
Lindsay is a transplant to the PNW, born and raised in Virginia. She received a B.S. degree in Environmental Resource Management from Virginia Tech. After moving to Thailand for a year to teach English and Science, she found a passion for education. She worked at a private non-profit school for autism after her travels abroad, and eventually made it out to Seattle as an environmental educator with Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust. She loves inspiring youth to recognize the importance of protecting the environment, and the communities within it. In her spare time, she usually escapes to the mountains for camping and hiking. She also enjoys learning new instruments and music.
Mansi Sorathiya
Middle School Math Kirkland
Rob Nightingale
Liaison to the Dream Team
Rob found his passion for working with children at a summer camp in upstate New York, where he led children through a multitude of tasks – ranging from kayaking to songwriting, while providing emotional support for children struggling being away from home for the first time. From there, he began working in an elementary school special education classroom in Florida, where he found the joys of working with neurodiverse children. In 2015, Rob moved across the country, taking a month long road trip from Florida to Seattle while camping at all the national parks he could along the way. He has spent the past four years working as an ABA behavior technician, providing one on one support both at home and in the classroom for children with autism as young as three and as old as eighteen. In his free time, Rob loves noodling on guitar, paddling his canoe, and snoozing in his hammock.
Roberto Andrilla
Spanish Teacher
Steve Coffing
High School Math Teacher
Terry Risdon
Director of Learning & Science Teacher
Terry is a certified science teacher and mother of one. Her education is in Zoology, Ecology, and Secondary Education. After teaching briefly in public schools, Terry found her heart’s calling while homeschooling her son through high school in addition to teaching many other homeschooled students and students with special needs. In her spare time she can be found gardening with native plants, swimming, and watching birds at her backyard feeders.
Jessica Isakow
Kirkland Campus co-ordinator & Science Teacher
Born and raised in South Africa, Jessica is new to the PNW. She studied Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management before finding her passion in education and teaching. She is a qualified secondary teacher specializing in biology and science. She loves working with students in small learning environments where she can really get to know each child on an individual level. In her spare time, Jess usually has her nose in a book, playing word games or finishing a puzzle. Nerd Alert!
Conor Smith
STEM Teacher
Conor began existing prior to space-time when energy was so cluttered and confined even light could not escape. Luckily, 14 billion years ago, random fluctuations of the vacuum cleaned up the clutter and freed light in a Spring Cleaning known as the Big Bang! They drifted through the universe binding into particles, molecules and finally pulled together into a star where they forged heavier elements. But the energy bill was too high and their landlord, gravity, evicted & ejected them at thousands of km/s into the void where they drifted until 4.5 billion years ago when they began trying to get their life together, coalesced into Earth and spent the next billion years attempting to produce that aforementioned life. But all that was hard work, so they cooled off with a 2.5 billion year swim at which point they crawled onto land and formed Connor. He has since been learning and teaching in various areas of STEM. Conor enjoys reading, writing, listening to and making music, backpacking and meditating and is looking forward to working with the LEADPrep students.
Casey Ikeda
History Teacher
Casey is a Seattle native and is excited for the opportunity to give and support his community. Casey received his BA in History at the University of San Francisco. After graduation he stayed and work at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center designing cultural programs for elementary school students and seniors living in the neighborhood. In his free time, Casey enjoys playing Ultimate frisbee, hiking, snowboarding, and binge watching Netflix series.
Jacob Janin
English Teacher
Jacob is new to Seattle. Born and raised in Eugene, OR, he received his B.A. in philosophy at Whitman College. After living in Ghana and working at a small orphanage/voluntourism NGO, Jacob moved home and served as a third grade and support services aide and middle school P.E. teacher at Portland Jewish Academy. In his spare time, Jacob enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, listening to audiobooks, playing ultimate frisbee, and watching basketball.
Get in Touch
LEADPrep
Kirkland Campus
316 Fourth Avenue South
Kirkland, WA 98033
LEADPrep
Seattle Campus
Phinney Neighborhood Association
6532 Phinney Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
Dr. Maureen O’Shaughnessy
Executive Director
maureen@LEAD-prep.org
425-298-6451
