Welcome Home to YES Prep West Elementary!
Go West, Be Your Best! As the Founding Principal of YES Prep West Elementary, I’m excited to serve the Alief community and create a school where each student can become the best version of themselves.
At YES Prep West Elementary, we are committed to being a place where your child will learn the skills and knowledge to thrive today and in the future. We believe in cultivating independence so that students can do and advocate for themselves. We ensure that students have the skills to be empathetic and kind so that they can build healthy relationships and friendships. Lastly, we create a school environment that is based on joy and curiosity for learning. At West, there is a buzz of excitement and questioning for the world around us!
Our vision is clear: At West Elementary, we empower students to explore with curiosity, act with independence, learn with joy, and lead with kindness. West students receive an exceptional educational experience so that they can lead lives of opportunity today and in the future.
I look forward to meeting each of you and will work to ensure every student at YES Prep West Elementary develops into their best self. Together, we will cultivate students that thrive in and out of school!
With love,
Dr. Caroline Thouin-Frederick
Founding Principal, YES Prep West Elementary
About Dr. Thouin-Frederick
Caroline Thouin-Frederick is a proud immigrant, mother, and first-generation college student. She is a dedicated educator who thrives in supporting students become the best version of themselves. As the Founding Principal of West Elementary, she is honored to serve a diverse community that is deeply personal to her and will ensure that each student has the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in and out of school.
As a child, her family immigrated from Canada to Southwest Houston, and she grew up attending schools in the Fort Bend Independent School District. After graduating from the University of Houston, she began her teaching career with KIPP Texas Public Schools as a high school social studies teacher in Northeast Houston. In her four years with KIPP Texas, she was the girls' head soccer coach, social studies department chair, curriculum writer for AP Human Geography and received an M.Ed. from Texas A&M University. She also spent a summer teaching English in San Miguel De Allende, Mexico.
In 2018, she pursued her passion for education research and went back to school for her Ph.D. in Higher Education Policy and Leadership studies from the University of Houston. During her time in the doctoral program, she published articles, book chapters, and policy papers that supported the funding and expansion of educational opportunities for incarcerated adults.
Caroline has now been with YES Prep for 5 years and has made an impact on multiple campuses. She has worked as a Dean of Instruction at Southside Secondary, a founding Assistant Principal at Airline Elementary, and has been a Resident Principal at West Secondary and East End Elementary. She is passionate about seeing students learn, advocate for themselves, and build independence that will help them succeed today and in the future.
Outside of work, Caroline enjoys staying active by playing soccer, tennis, and pickleball. On the weekends, she can be found exploring new parks and restaurants with her daughter, Lina (4).
At YES Prep West Elementary, Caroline is excited to instill a joy for learning, independence and curiosity in each student.