The Dutch School of Houston is a non-profit language school founded in 2019 in Houston by Olivia Simoen and Marlies Kempers. Olivia and Marlies first met in Belgium about 15 years ago and kept crossing paths ever since. Once they both moved to Houston their friendship led them to found Dutch School Houston.
Juf Olivia
Olivia, a Belgian international educator with extensive experience in online teaching, is specialized in curriculum building, using global resources to tailor a student friendly platform. A teacher of 25+ years in history and various languages, she has experience in teaching as well as professional development in education.
She brought up two children through the international system including the IB, studying in both the UK and US. Through her extensive 15-year intercontinental experience, she has built a reputation as a consultant for international families and specializes in making the best scholastic decisions for students throughout their high-school, IB, and collegiate careers.
Marlies
Marlies loves language as an art to communicate and is especially amazed how cultural influences affect all levels of communication. She has a passion for design, organization, and creativity. Marlies is a Dutch international and has a background in law and marketing & communications.
Besides administration and finance Marlies is the content creator and designer of the weekly insta’s of Dutch School Houston. It’s her highlight of the week to come up with a fun or interesting topic that reflects the theme of the week, season of the year or something that just pops up in her head.