Our History
Introduction
Northern Light School, an independent nonprofit serving preschool through eighth grade has transformed the lives of thousands of children for more than three decades, and was born from a deceptively simple conviction: that every child, regardless of socioeconomic or cultural background, deserves an education that nurtures the whole person–mind, body, and spirit.
Since opening its doors on September 11, 1989, with just twelve students and four determined women at the helm, Northern Light School has grown into one of the Bay Area’s most distinctive independent schools. Its story is one of grassroots idealism, community resilience, and an unwavering belief that education is not just preparation for a career, but for a meaningful life.
The Founders and Their Vision
Northern Light School was founded by four diverse women who shared a calling: Michelle Lewis, Karen Bell, Jennifer Diaz, and Nance Tovar. All four were former Catholic school educators who had worked in Oakland’s parochial school system and who recognized a profound gap in the educational landscape. They saw children in Oakland’s communities, particularly students of color from families representing diverse socioeconomic circumstances, who would never have access to the kind of intimate, values-driven private school education that could change the trajectory of their lives.
Each of the four directors served different roles in their capacities. Michelle Lewis, who remains the only founder involved in the school to this day, brought her strength in forming deep, sustained relationships with children, their families, supporters, and donors, a hallmark of Northern Light School’s model. Karen Bell, who ran the school’s day-to-day operations, knew every child’s background and how to relate to them individually while fostering peer-group interactions that helped children discover their shared humanity. Jennifer Diaz, the school’s administrative director, articulated the founding philosophy with clarity and supported the school’s belief that a strong moral education enabled academic achievement and well-rounded development. And Nance Tovar, responsible for cultural and student activities including Morning Circle, helped foster an environment that challenged students to consider their roles in the wider world through the practice of community-building.
Together, these four women shared multiple roles as teacher, administrator, operations manager, and culture and community organizer, and their collaborative, all-hands-on-deck spirit became the institutional DNA of Northern Light School.
Founding Mission: Educating the Whole Child
From its inception, Northern Light School organized itself around a philosophy the founders called “Educating the Whole Child.” This philosophy was a deliberate rejection of the narrow, test-driven model of education that was already gaining traction in American schooling in the late 1980s. The founders believed that education should encompass not just the intellectual, but the emotional, behavioral, and spiritual dimensions of a child’s development.
The school’s mission centered on several core commitments: academic excellence, nonviolence, the acceptance of differences, respect for the environment, and the moral advancement of humanity. Students were taught that they were part of a global village, that they lived in an interdependent society, and that they had an obligation to make the world a better place. These were not abstract ideals posted on a wall; they were woven into the curriculum, the ritual of Morning Circle, and the daily language of the school.
Central to the school’s identity were core values that every student was expected to embody: compassion, courage, confidence, and creativity. These traits were framed as both aspirations for students to develop, and qualities that Northern Light graduates would carry into the world. The founders embraced the African proverb that “it takes a village to raise a child,” positioning the school as a community in which students, families, and educators shared collective responsibility for each child’s growth.
Critically, the founders established Northern Light School as a school dedicated to financial accessibility. While it was structured as an independent private school, its mission explicitly prioritized serving children from diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, especially those who would not otherwise have the opportunity for a private school education.
Foundational Years (1989-2004)
Northern Light School first operated on 4500 Redwood Road in the Oakland Hills. Its early years were characterized by the intimate, family-like atmosphere that comes naturally to a small school, and the founders were determined to preserve this feature as the school grew.
Morning Circle was the beating heart of each school day. Every morning, the entire student body in preschool through eighth grade gathered together in what the founders described as a daily practice of peace. Children participated in community-building activities that reinforced the school’s commitment to nonviolence.
During its formative years, Northern Light School developed a reputation as an educational environment where children from Oakland’s most diverse communities could receive an education that was both rigorous and deeply caring. The community of students and families served a wide range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and it became known for the strong moral compass it instilled in its graduates.
As enrollment grew steadily and substantially through the 1990s, the Redwood Road campus became increasingly insufficient for the school’s needs. The founders began looking for a permanent home that could accommodate their expanding programs and their vision for the school’s future.
Dorisa Avenue Campus (2004-Present)
In 2004, Northern Light School relocated from its original site to a spacious eleven-acre campus off Golf Links Road at 3710 Dorisa Avenue in Oakland’s hillside neighborhoods near the Oakland Zoo. The new campus provided space for the school to expand its programs, accommodate more students, and create the kind of nature-connected environment that aligned with its holistic educational philosophy.
The campus move also coincided with a period of growing recognition for the school. Northern Light School began placing its graduates in an impressive array of secondary schools, and over the years, alumni went on to attend over forty-five parochial, private, independent, and boarding high schools nationwide. College sweatshirts from institutions such as Stanford, UC Berkeley, Duke, Georgetown, Howard, Boston University, and many others lined the walls of the eighth grade classroom; visible proof for students of where a Northern Light School education could lead.
Cornell Maier: Godfather of Northern Light School
No account of Northern Light School’s history would be complete without the story of Cornell Maier, the retired chairman and CEO of Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation, who became one of the school’s most beloved figures and most devoted supporters.
Maier, nationally recognized for his philanthropy and civic engagement throughout the Oakland community, was drawn to Northern Light by its mission of serving children from challenging circumstances, and he became a regular presence on campus.
All four co-founders looked up to Maier as an inspirational figure. Michelle Lewis described him simply as “the godfather” who meant everything to the school, and whose presence made students feel accountable to the greater world. Alumni from all across the world remained in close contact with Maier throughout the latter part of his life, a reflection of the deep bonds he had formed with generations of children who had attended and graduated from the school.
Maier’s involvement exemplified the village model that Northern Light School championed. He was not a parent or professional educator, but a community elder who believed in the school’s mission and showed up, day after day, to be a presence in the lives of its children. His story reinforced the school’s founding conviction that children thrive when surrounded by adults who care deeply and show up consistently.
Growth and Evolution
Northern Light School’s academic program has expanded since its twelve-student beginnings. The school now serves approximately 128 students in preschool through eighth grade, with a student-to-teacher ratio of 9:1. This intimate scale allows for the individualized attention and deep relational bonds that have always been the school’s signature.
The curriculum encompasses a full range of academic subjects along with art, music, Spanish language, science, and STEAM programming. The school has also developed a dedicated High School Prep program administered by Maureen Marshall since 1995, that prepares eighth graders for the transition to secondary education, a reflection of the founders’ original commitment to not simply educating children but launching them successfully into the next stage of their lives. Additionally, Northern Light School’s teachers have a significant voice and agency in shaping the school’s curriculum, pedagogy, and school culture, an approach consistent with the school’s founding ethos, in which the four co-founders were simultaneously teachers, administrators, and visionaries.
Engagement and Fundraising
Sustaining a mission-driven independent school that prioritizes economic accessibility requires significant community support. Michelle Lewis developed a robust development program that includes major fundraisers like the Vida Blue Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament held at the Sequoyah Country Club since 2013, and a spring benefit concert headlined by music and comedy legends including Bonnie Raitt, Bob Weir, Jackson Browne, MC Hammer, Rosanne Cash, Lukas Nelson, and Dana Carvey. The development program also operates ongoing financial campaigns like its Scholar Fund, first established by Cornell Maier, which provides critical scholarships for students with significant need. Northern Light School relies on its community to close the gap between tuition income and the actual cost of delivering its educational program, and it has cultivated a culture of generosity among alumni and supporters.
Legacy and Impact
By 2026, Northern Light School will have produced over 400 graduates who have gone on to attend more than 100 prestigious secondary schools, colleges, and universities worldwide. 100 percent of graduates have been accepted to private high schools nationwide, and 88% have attended a private, parochial, independent, or boarding school. Alumni have pursued careers in medicine, technology, the arts, education, law, and public service including the military, as well as a wide range of other fields.
However, the school’s impact cannot be measured in placement statistics alone. Northern Light School’s founders set out to create graduates who understood their responsibility and opportunity to make the world a better place: young people who would travel through life carrying the values of compassion, courage, confidence, and creativity that were instilled in them from their earliest school days. By every available account, this is what the school has accomplished and should be known for.
The school’s motto “Impossible is Nothing,” the words of Muhammad Ali, captures the spirit of possibility that has defined Northern Light from the beginning. It is a phrase that propels students past, present, and future and is a reflection of what the four women founders proved in 1989 when they opened a school with only twelve students and a vision of what education could be.
The school’s endurance through more than three decades of social, economic, and educational change in Oakland speaks to the strength of its founding vision and the depth of community it has built. From the Morning Circle rituals of the early years, to the Vida Blue Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournaments of the 2010s-2020s; from the influence of Cornell Maier and the continued stewardship of founder Michelle Lewis, Northern Light School has maintained a remarkable continuity of purpose even as it has grown.
The founding principle of Northern Light School was a calling to send forth into the world dreamers who are knowledgeable yet empathetic, and it continues to answer that call, one child at a time.