Eggold Bringing ‘Culture Change’

New Dallas Lutheran School leader to guide rebuild after 2019 tornado

Dallas Lutheran School’s new head of school looks forward to fostering a culture change on campus and rebuilding from the October 2019 tornado. 

Stephen Eggold comes to DLS as its fifth head of school with more than 38 years of Lutheran school education experience and a reputation for promoting growth on campuses. 

“I think any bold change or initiative focused on improving or enhancing the environment for students must come with a certain type of culture change,” Eggold said. “Certainly, here with the aftermath of the 2019 tornado that significantly damaged our campus and the tremendous impact it has had on our student family community, we are going to go through a culture change. However, that doesn’t mean we must sacrifice who we are as a school.”

His first task is overseeing the Arise & Build capital campaign, which will replace the classrooms and administration space hit by the tornado. Students have been learning in portable classrooms since the storm. 

Construction will include exterior-facing classrooms, entries and hallways, a visual arts building, art studios, computer and science labs, administrative offices, a library, a talent zone, and a study center. 

The first phase will accommodate 250 students, and future phases include plans to expand classrooms to hold up to 360 students, an athletic field, and a performing arts center and chapel. 

“This is a crucial point in the history of Dallas Lutheran School,” Eggold said. “A new capital campaign to rebuild our school is daunting in today’s environment, but it is a challenge we must meet head-on.”

During his most recent work as principal of Green Park Lutheran School in Mehlville, Missouri, for eight years, enrollment grew by about 38%. The campus added a pre-K 3-and-4-year-old program, and a $250,000 capital campaign brought new teachers and staff, a balanced budget, enhanced technology, and improved academics.

From 2007 to 2014, he had a similar experience as principal of Lutheran High School in San Antonio. He got to work and secured a $3 million donor gift to construct a new building, locker rooms, and a cafeteria. 

“When I arrived in San Antonio, we were in portables just as we are here in Dallas,” Eggold said. “We built specialty classrooms to accommodate our students and were soon able to get everyone back on campus and in a new building and new gymnasium.”

Applying what he’s learned at his past schools, he expects the “Christ-centered educational approach will deliver well-rounded students and not only prepare them for college and their next steps, but it will place them at the center of the learning process to prepare them to be the best person they can be.”