ABOUT US
At Compass, we believe that a community in which everyone feels safe is a prerequisite for the healthy development of a person, their self-esteem, internal motivation, the courage to set ambitious goals and learn from mistakes.
MISSION
Create a learning environment that promotes empathy and responsibility, in which children and adults possess high self-awareness and acceptance of others and willingly take up challenges to create a better world. Together.
“We Are Crew, Not Passengers”
– Kurt Hahn
VISION
Together with our students, we create an educational environment rooted in empathetic communication, mutual respect and acceptance of diversity.
We accompany the students on their path to developing independence and agency, to being healthy, self-confident, ethical and empathetic people who cooperate with others to create a more equitable and just world every day.
MEET THE SCHOOL FOUNDERS
Iryna Stakhur
I’m the mother of Serhii and Ivan, who are my major motivation to constantly develop and to co-found Compass School.
Coming from Ukraine, I am a linguist by education and an educator by vocation. I graduated with a master’s degree in English linguistics from the National University of Ostroh Academy and I have been working in the field of education for the last 15 years. I am also an alumna of Harvard Graduate School of Education (Teaching and Learning program) and an instructional coach at Harvard Project Zero Online – Visible Thinking course for teachers. In my work, am fascinated by such topics as the development of thinking skills, bilingualism and its impact on our brain, neuroeducation and the development of empathy and responsibility in children.
For years, I have had a dream to start a school that would challenge the conventional idea of what a school should be like. I have visited such educational places in different countries and each of them gave me ideas for inspiration.
My whole life I’ve loved learning new things and developing new skills. This is the reason I co-founded Compass – I want this school to be a place that nurtures in children their passion for learning and discovering, their love of asking questions and challenging assumptions and their longing for understanding themselves and others.
Arleta Feldman
I am the mother of Nina and Pola, two polar opposites, who changed my view of the essence of education and one’s emotional needs.
I have a master’s degree in economics, but due to my personal interests, I also studied psychology and educational management.
In 2011, I founded a nursery and preschool “Centrum Zdrowego Rozwoju Czyżyk” (“Czyżyk Center of Healthy Development”) inspired by the pedagogy of Maria Montessori, Janusz Korczak, and Conscious Discipline by Dr. Becky Bailey.
Facing a decision about which primary school to choose for my daughters and noticing the challenges this process causes for other parents, I decided to apply my knowledge and experience gained in running “Czyżyk”, to create a school that I have always dreamt about. The school that helps students develop high self-esteem and meets their social, intellectual and physical needs. The school that promotes internal motivation and experiential learning. And this is how Compass was born.
MEET EXPERTS AND ORGANISATIONS THAT SUPPORT US
Our Advisors & Mentors
Dr hab. Grzegorz Mazurkiewicz
Head of Department of Leadership and Management in Education, Institute of Public Affairs of the Jagiellonian University
Marta Kułaga
CNVC Certified Trainer
Founder of Leance.org
Founder of Krasnal nursery and preschool
Becca Solomon
Instructional Coach at Project Zero Online, School of Education, Harvard University
Program Supervisor, Art Education Program, Tufts University and The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Sande Dawes
Instructional Coach at School of Education, Virginia Commonwealth University
Instructional Coach at Project Zero Online, School of Education, Harvard University.
Partner Institutions & Organisations
Department of Leadership and Management in Education, Institute of Public Affairs of the Jagiellonian University
Association “Expedition Inside Culture”
Leance – organisation promoting collaborative
communication based on NVC in families, schools
and businesses