Our Story
Meet the Founders
We're intentional parents, just like you — and we built the school we always wished existed.
We vividly remember our experience of unimaginable excitement intertwined with overwhelming feelings of responsibility for the new life we had just learned was coming. About to become Mom and Dad for the first time, we — like most parents — wanted the absolute best for our child. We soon found ourselves ignited with a passion to discover the structures and methods that develop the awareness and capability necessary for one to take full control over their own destiny. In our pursuit to structure our home life with the optimal mix of fun, love, rigor, development, ease, and joy, years quickly passed and additional children were born into our family. Before we knew it, we arrived at the big decision point all parents end up at: “Where were our kids going to attend school?”
For Holly and me, this was an unusually difficult decision. Growing up, we both had endured a stress-filled schooling process that robbed all the joy out of learning and seemed far more interested in forcing conformity, compliance, and obedience than it was in fostering a love of learning and the full blossoming of our true potential. Because of this — along with many other reasons — we had both experienced the schooling system as severely broken and dysfunctional in so many ways. Knowing how formative the time they spent at school would be to the outcomes of their lives, we were committed to finding something better for our children.
In our pursuit of the ideal learning environment, we toured over 30 schools — including Waldorf, Reggio-Emilia, and many others — before finally saying yes to a top Montessori school, which we grew to love. Although Montessori served us well for many years, it had its limitations. We were looking for an educational experience for our children that would fully blossom their intelligence and equip them with 21st-century skills as they gained mastery over their innate gifts and talents — enabling them to live a truly meaningful life. After searching for these things in all the schools we toured and never quite finding what we were looking for, it became clear to us that we got to be the ones to create the educational experience we envisioned.
Wonderstorm Academy was born!
Contact UsOur Team
Holly Yarbrough
Holly is a mother of six children, wife, Montessori educator, and leader who dreams of being the catalyst that unlocks the highest possibility in every child while igniting their hearts and minds. She is passionate about supporting children in actualizing every drop of their potential as she celebrates and works to blossom the unique genius that exists in every child.
Holly specializes in developing experiences that spark each child's eagerness to learn in the ways that best support their individual needs. She loves coaching young leaders to explore the feelings that drive behavior and helps them develop a deeper understanding of themselves, others, and the world around them.
Holly holds a BS in Child and Adolescent Development from California State University, Fullerton, and a graduate certificate as a credentialed Montessori Educator from the extension program at UCI.
Dave Yarbrough
Dave is a dedicated father of six children and loving husband, whose lifelong dream has been to transform the paradigm of education by creating a revolutionary new type of learning center — one that advances a new science of human flourishing, derived from a deep focus on the underlying mechanisms within the human being that allow each individual to rise to their highest possibility.
For over 25 years, Dave has rigorously pursued the study of how to most effectively develop human potential. His single-pointed aim has been the creation of an education center that functions as the premier learning laboratory for the exploration and demonstration of the specific methodologies and metrics that result in a child achieving his or her ultimate potential.
Dave envisions a shift being created in consciousness around what is truly possible for our children, for human development, and for the entire education system as a whole — where the accepted standards and metrics by which human development is measured are completely redefined.
Dave holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of California, Santa Barbara. His areas of specialization include applied analytic reasoning, psychology, sociology, learning theory, and communication.
“Opening this paradigm-changing school has been a lifelong dream for me — one that was born from the pain of having endured a joyless, stress-filled schooling process that I experienced as dysfunctional in so many ways. The time has come for a radically different approach to schooling — one that ignites a love of learning and transforms the educational experience into a true adventure of self-discovery. Imagine a schooling experience where young leaders become captivated by the process of discovering their own unique gifts and superpowers as they joyfully advance through progressively higher levels of achievement. Bringing this new vision of schooling to life for all our children is truly a passion project for me.”
Our promises to your child
They will:
- Begin building sovereign systems for lifelong success.
- Develop into a curious, independent, lifelong leader.
- Cultivate a deep respect for economic, political, and religious freedoms.
- Cherish the arts, the wonders of the physical world, and the mysteries of life on Earth.
- Discover their most precious gifts and learn to use them to solve difficult problems.
- Understand the importance of strong character.
- Value a healthy lifestyle of mind and body.
Our beliefs
We believe:
- We believe each child has a unique genius that can make a profound impact on the world.
- We believe in a closely connected family of lifelong leaders.
- We believe in developing the whole person — mind, body, and character.
- We believe in economic, religious, and political freedom.