CDA Dallas | Classical Christian School in Dallas

Logic School | Grades 5-8

Students in grades 5 – 8 move through the Logic stage of the trivium. During this stage, they study the relationship between facts learned at the Grammar stage. Students dialogue with one another as they explore how God reveals himself through the truth, goodness, and beauty present in all subjects. For this reason, our Logic teachers integrate biblical worldview questions and discussions in every course they teach. Students grapple with the complexity of life in the safety of a Christian environment, allowing them to grow in their understanding of the Christian faith and the world they live in. During this stage, parents are encouraged to help their students grapple with these difficult questions, continuing these classroom conversations at home. Logic School core classes are available on either Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays. Logic students in the Five Day program are scheduled for a combination of core classes and learning center times Monday through Thursday. These students can also take advantage of all school-year electives which are included in the Five Day Program tuition.

During Logic school, students are given opportunities to discover who God has created them to be through a variety of electives, sports, clubs, and events. Every class day, students gather for chapel after lunch, where they hear the Word read aloud and pray communally. In addition to chapel, all Logic school students are part of an intramural team with whom they compete throughout the year in various athletic and creative-thinking challenges. Lion Leadership Club, a CDA Dallas Logic school organization, gives students the opportunity to serve their teachers, fellow students, and greater community. Our Logic school electives, offered on Fridays, provide students the chance to explore their giftings and interests for themselves. Electives such as speech, art, computer skills, and life skills allow our students to grow in areas outside of traditional academia. We believe these opportunities will allow our students to grow as whole-people to the glory of God.

Sports & Physical Education

Our Athletics/PE program has options available to every student. Grammar students attend PE on their days at school. Additional Friday PE Electives are available to all ages as well. Pre-K through 3^rd grade students play on Parent-volunteer led recreational teams that compete in local rec leagues. Beginning in the 4^th grade, we offer official Athletic teams. 4^th-6^th grade students play in the CSAF league, 7^th-8^th grade students play in the IAA league, and high school students play in the TAPPS league. Current athletic offerings include Girls Volleyball, Co-ed Soccer, Co-ed Cross Country, Boys and Girls basketball, Boys Baseball, Co-ed Track and Field. Our goal in all competitive Sports is to train students to win with humility and lose with dignity.

Grammar School | Grades PreK-4

Grammar School (PK-4^th) is the foundation of the trivium in classical education. We strive to create a sense of wonder and a love of learning through a Christian worldview lens during these years. The grammar stage focuses on building long-term memory such as phonics rules, spelling rules, and math facts. Classical methodologies are used for instruction: narration, song, movement, discussion, imitation, and wonder. Phonics is taught through 2^nd grade, Latin begins in 3^rd grade, and cursive begins in 2^nd grade. Rich, classic literature coordinates with our history timeline in each grade, and narration is incorporated with bible and history curriculum. In addition, habit training is fundamental at this level to set our students up for success as they grow. Small class sizes create a safe environment for learning and give teachers opportunities to truly know their students and families.

Grammar students begin each day in chapel. We also understand the importance of play and rest during the day, so all students have recess, PE, and lunch. In addition to our signature program, students may attend Friday electives. There are a variety of classes to participate in from Musical Theater, Art, Spanish, Sports Skills, Great Books, and Science. These electives are designed to provide fun and enrichment to the core curriculum and are one of our favorite days of the week.

RHETORIC SCHOOL | Grades 9-12

The Rhetoric School (Grades 9-12) is the pinnacle of the trivium in PreK-12 Classical education. In the Rhetoric School, students begin to seek wisdom through the content they are learning. Mastery of this stage requires the articulation of learning through oral and written expression. For CDA students this includes, but is not limited to, speeches, debates, papers, working with original source documents, and proofs in mathematics.

Rhetoric students in the Signature Program attend core classes either Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday. Rhetoric students in the Five Day program are scheduled for a combination of core classes and learning center times Monday through Thursday. These students can also take advantage of all school-year electives which are included in the Five Day Program tuition.

On Fridays, Rhetoric School students have science labs, House meetings, and electives such as Musical Theater, Choir, Woodworking, and many others.

The CDA Dallas Campus is currently building our Rhetoric School with our trailblazing Class of 2024. We currently offer grades 9 through11 for the 2022-23 school year and will add 12^th grade in 2023-24.

Dallas Parent Teacher Fellowship

Our Parent Teacher Fellowship (PTF) serves our campus by building a tight-knit community among our families and teachers, supporting our campus administrators and teachers so they can do their work effectively, and advancing our school’s mission. The PTF is the umbrella for all parent volunteer opportunities on our campus. There are a variety of ways to serve with your time and talents. As a CDA Dallas parent, you are a member of our PTF and encouraged to join us!

Dallas Campus News

List of 3 news stories.

Dallas Campus Presents: Once Upon a Mattress
5/9/2022

On Monday, May 2^nd, and Tuesday, May 3^rd, the Dallas Campus Upper School Theatre Department presented the musical “Once Upon a Mattress.”
Rhetoric Swimmers Make Big Splash
2/9/2022
Jacob Turner (10th grade) and Reimer Bouma (9th grade) place in TAPPS Regional Swim meet.
House of Lucia Service Project Completed
11/29/2021
The House of Lucia Service Project at CDA Dallas Campus was a huge success.

List of 10 members.

Jon Jordan

Dallas Headmaster, Theology Department Chair

Bio
Jon has worked with Coram Deo since 2010. Before serving as Dallas Campus Administrator and Logic Principal, he served as Dean of Students at the Flower Mound campus. He also teaches a variety of Logic and Rhetoric level History, Theology, and Greek courses.

Jon earned an M.A. in Religion from Reformed Theological Seminary, and a Certificate in Anglican Studies from Wycliffe College, University of Toronto. He also holds a B.A. in History and Education from the University of Texas at Dallas.

After discerning whether to enter pastoral or academic ministry, Jon has found Coram Deo to be a perfect combination of the two. In addition to serving as a place to train the minds and hearts of the next generation of Christian leaders, CDA also provides a place to build relationships that will last a lifetime and beyond. He was ordained a Deacon in February 2019, and a Priest in August 2019.

Jon and his wife Vivien have two children, Zoë and Rowan. They worship together at Church of the Incarnation in Dallas, where Jon also serves on the clergy team.

You can see several of his sermons and written works on his website: http://jonjordan.com.

2 Thessalonians 2:8: “with such affection for you we were happy to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.”
Michele Howard

Dallas GS Principal

Bio
Michele Howard joined Coram Deo Academy as a parent in 2005 at the Collin County Campus when her oldest son started Kindergarten. Because of their love for the biblical worldview in the CDA model, the Howard family helped start the Dallas campus in 2006. Michele then joined the Dallas staff in 2009 as the 3^rd grade teacher when her youngest son started Kindergarten. In her 10^th year she became the Admissions Coordinator in Dallas while continuing to teach. Michele is now the Grammar School Principal. With her background as a former parent, lead teacher, and admissions coordinator, her passion for classical education allows her to collaborate with teachers and parents under CDA’s model. Michele considers it a joy to shepherd young hearts for Christ and to help foster a love of learning at an early age in truth, beauty, and goodness.

Michele has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Business Education from Baylor University. She is also a lifetime certified teacher in the state of Texas. Before staying home with her children, Michele was a corporate trainer and manager for PricewaterhouseCoopers. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree at Gordon College in Leadership for Classical Christian Schools.

Michele has been married to her husband, Rick, since 1996 and have three sons who all attended CDA in Dallas. They have been actively involved at Watermark Community Church since 1999 and have a passion for mission work and young married couples.
Jennifer Southerland

Dallas LS Principal

Bio
Jennifer Southerland serves as the Logic School Principal at the Dallas campus. She taught for 9 years and served as the Director of Grammar and Logic Curriculum before joining the Dallas campus. She considers her service at Coram Deo Academy her ministry as she combines her passion for serving CDA families with her love of classical education. She is currently working on her master’s degree with a concentration in classical education leadership.

Jennifer and her husband, Kurt, have been married for 31 years, and have three sons, Ryan, Aaron and Jordan who all attended CDA.
Tommy McCrory

Asst. Rhetoric School Principal, LS Science Teacher

Bio
Tommy McCrory joined CDA in 2022 as the Assistant Principal of the Rhetoric School. Tommy is from the Lake Highlands area of Dallas. He has a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University, a Masters in Christian Education (focus Educational Leadership) from Dallas Theological Seminary, and has completed Principal Certification program from University of Texas Arlington. After his time at Texas A&M he went to work in the sports industry, however his time serving with Young Life helped lead to a change in career. This career change led to 5 years as a Youth Director, which is when he began his time at DTS. While at DTS he realized his love for education and began to move toward a career in this field.

Tommy has been married to his wife, Meg, for 8 wonderful years. He has two wonderful daughters and a baby boy coming in September. Tommy and his family attend Watermark Community Church where he and his wife enjoy serving in marriage ministry together. Tommy enjoys spending time with his family and friends, cooking, reading, sports, and running.
Luke Hatteberg

Dean of Students; LS/RS Faculty - Dallas
Garrett Smith

College Guidance; First Grade; Electives - Dallas

Bio
Garrett joined CDA after moving to Dallas in 2019. Originally from Savannah, Georgia, Garrett moved to the area after marrying his wife, Ria. Garrett and Ria both work at the Dallas campus, where he is the guidance counselor, grammar school teacher, and assistant baseball coach.

Garrett Received an undergraduate degree in Education from Georgia Southern University in 2015 and is currently working towards a master's in School Guidance Counseling. He found his passion for teaching and counseling while working at summer camps throughout college and fell in love with the classical school model while working at The Habersham School in Savannah.

Garrett and Ria currently attend Northway Church. They can usually be found in the summer at the lake with their dog Daisy, at baseball game, or catching some trout on the white river!
Drew Lott

Dallas Campus Athletic Director

Bio
Drew Lott joined CDA in 2019 as the FM Head Baseball Coach and is now the Dallas Campus Athletic Director.

Drew was born in Portland, OR and raised in Tacoma, WA and Lynden, WA where he graduated from Lynden High School. Drew then went on to attend Trinity Western University where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Human Kinetics and History. He earned his Texas Educators Certificate from Region 10. He earned his Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. Drew Lott coached club baseball from 2000-2019. He has coached high school baseball at CDA FM, CDA CC, Lynden, Nooksack, and Dallas Covenant. He has coached at the collegiate level with Athletes in Action and Mid America Nazarene University.

Drew sees coaching as a platform for discipleship in the gospel by incorporating prayer and devotional times with each team he coaches. He enjoys teaching athletes how to commit to a team and become a great teammate, how to embrace the hard work required for skill development, and ways to master the mental side of sports.

Drew and his wife, Laura, have two young children that attend CDA Dallas in 3^rd grade and Kindergarten. His family worships and serves at Mosaic Church in Richardson, TX.
Rebekah Querfeld

LS/RS Coordinator, Science, History - Dallas
Mandy Sisco

GS Administrative Asst.; Electives- Dallas
Rhonda Hillner

Admissions Coordinator - Dallas