| Two longtime FWA educators promoted to lead Lower and Middle Schools; experienced independent school administrator joins academic leadership team. FORT WORTH, Texas — As Fort Worth Academy begins its 45th year serving Fort Worth families, the independent K-8 school has announced three academic leadership appointments for the 2026-2027 school year: Bridget Belyeu as Head of Lower School, Lauren Parker as Head of Middle School, and Joe Belyeu as Director of Academic Operations and Student Programs. The appointments bring together two longtime FWA educators promoted from within and an experienced independent school administrator joining Fort Worth Academy. Together, the three leaders bring decades of experience spanning classroom teaching, gifted education, experiential and project-based learning, academic leadership, and school operations. “As we begin our 45th year at Fort Worth Academy, I am incredibly excited about the team leading us into our next chapter,” said Shannon Elders, Head of School. “Bridget, Lauren, and Joe bring different experiences and areas of expertise, but they share something fundamental: a deep belief that children learn best when they are known, challenged, and given meaningful opportunities to think, create, collaborate, and solve problems. That is at the heart of who we are at FWA.” Bridget Belyeu | Head of Lower School For Bridget Belyeu, the new role builds on more than two decades of service to Fort Worth Academy. A member of the FWA community since 2003, Belyeu’s career at the school has spanned afterschool programming, business office operations, classroom teaching in kindergarten, third, and fourth grades, lead teacher responsibilities, and serving as the school’s Gifted and Advanced Learning Coordinator. Now, as Head of Lower School, Belyeu leads FWA’s kindergarten through fourth grade program while intentionally remaining connected to students through direct instruction. She teaches a K-4 Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Innovation (ELI) Lab enrichment course in the school’s new Lower School maker space, where students engage in hands-on opportunities to design, create, experiment, and solve problems. Her approach to education centers on empowering young learners to become critical thinkers and active problem solvers through project-based and experiential learning. Belyeu graduated magna cum laude from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in International Studies and minors in political science and French. She earned a Master of Science in Gifted Education from Johns Hopkins University, where she was recognized as a Student of Excellence, and is currently a doctoral candidate in Education at Johns Hopkins. Her research interests include neuroeducation, entrepreneurial leadership, and the social-emotional development of advanced and twice-exceptional learners in progressive educational settings. Beyond FWA, Belyeu has contributed to the field of gifted education through conference presentations on topics including design technology integration, early programming, game creation, and developing the whole child through experiential and project-based learning. “Bridget has an extraordinary understanding of both how young children learn and how educators can create the conditions for them to thrive,” Elders said. “After more than 20 years at FWA, she knows our students, our teachers, and our educational philosophy deeply. At the same time, she is continually studying, questioning, and pushing us to think about what is possible in education.” Lauren Parker | Head of Middle School Lauren Parker, now in her 12th year at Fort Worth Academy and 20th year in education, has been promoted to Head of Middle School after more than a decade of creating innovative, hands-on learning experiences for FWA students. Parker holds both a Bachelor of Science in Middle School Science Education and a Master of Education in Middle School Education from Texas Christian University. Her work has earned recognition well beyond the FWA campus. Most recently, Parker was selected as one of only 36 Pre-K-12 classroom and informal educators from across the United States and Canada for the prestigious National Geographic Society and Lindblad Expeditions Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship. Through the fellowship, she traveled aboard the National Geographic Resolution to Greenland for an immersive, field-based professional development experience. Parker has also collaborated with organizations at the forefront of science, technology, and experiential education, including Magnitude.io ExoLab, CrunchLabs, PocketLab, and The Concord Consortium, bringing authentic scientific inquiry, engineering, experimentation, and real-world problem solving into the student experience. “Lauren embodies the kind of learning we want our students to experience,” Elders said. “She is curious, creative, willing to take risks, and constantly looking for ways to connect what students are learning to the world around them. She has made an impact in our classrooms for more than a decade, and we are excited to see that influence extend across the entire Middle School.” As Head of Middle School, Parker leads FWA’s fifth through eighth grade faculty and program, supporting students through the academic, social, and developmental opportunities unique to the middle school years. Joe Belyeu | Director of Academic Operations and Student Programs Joe Belyeu joins Fort Worth Academy as Director of Academic Operations and Student Programs, bringing more than 17 years of experience in education and a career that includes service as a teacher, assistant principal, Head of Lower School, and Assistant Head of School in independent schools. In his new role, Belyeu helps lead and coordinate academic operations and student programming across FWA, supporting faculty and helping ensure a cohesive educational experience for students from kindergarten through eighth grade. He is passionate about creating meaningful learning experiences for students, supporting teachers, and building strong school communities where every child is known, challenged, and encouraged to thrive. Belyeu holds a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from The University of Texas at Arlington and a Certificate in School Management and Leadership from Harvard Business School. “Joe brings a valuable combination of academic leadership, operational experience, and a genuine commitment to students and teachers,” Elders said. “His ability to think both strategically and practically makes him an important addition to our leadership team as we continue strengthening the student experience across FWA.” 45 Years of Learning Designed for K-8 These leadership appointments coincide with two milestones for Fort Worth Academy: the school’s 45th year serving Fort Worth families and the 15th year of its signature Entrepreneurship, Leadership, and Innovation (ELI) program. Focused exclusively on the kindergarten through eighth grade years, Fort Worth Academy combines small classes, project-based and experiential learning, and opportunities for entrepreneurship, leadership, innovation, and collaboration to create an educational experience intentionally designed around the formative elementary and middle school years. “Kindergarten through eighth grade isn’t simply preparation for what comes next,” Elders said. “These are the years when young people begin discovering who they are as learners, thinkers, leaders, and problem solvers. For 45 years, Fort Worth Academy has believed those years deserve to be extraordinary.” About Fort Worth Academy Fort Worth Academy is an independent K-8 school in Fort Worth, Texas, that empowers young people to think critically, lead with empathy, and collaborate effectively to become the innovators and problem solvers of tomorrow. Through small classes, innovative teaching, project-based learning, and its signature Entrepreneurship, Leadership, and Innovation (ELI) program, FWA provides an educational experience intentionally designed for the elementary and middle school years. |
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