Catherine Wallace, a long-time educator from Dallas and husband, Luis Martinez, a teacher and actor from Oaxaca, Mexico, started Spanish House in the spare bedroom of their East Dallas home in 2008, providing Spanish and English-as-a-Second-Language classes for adult students. Prior to starting the school, Catherine worked as an ESL elementary teacher in the Dallas ISD, and Luis taught Spanish immersion classes at a language institute in Oaxaca.

Catherine & Luis are firm believers in the “all-Spanish” immersion approach and strive to provide a safe, academically-rigorous and culturally-rich environment for all students. Their original project, Spanish House, brought authentic learning in the Spanish language to the East Dallas community and allowed them to open 4 different campuses to serve students ages 3 months through adults in the course of 10 years. Upon the school’s 10-year anniversary in 2020, Spanish House transformed into Spanish World School. Along with the school’s leadership team, Catherine and Luis are committed to preparing students for a diverse and ever-changing world through intensive language, cultural and educational experiences. With a consistent focus on the school’s four Core Values of Responsibility, Communication, Respect and Honesty,  Spanish World School offers students a unique immersion experience that will open the doors for future world changers and leaders as well as culturally-savvy citizens.

Catherine serves as the Executive Director of the school, and Luis leads the adult Spanish program and oversees the operations of all 4 schools. They are honored to work with a unique and dynamic group of learners and educators and enjoy bringing the magic of the Spanish language and culture to their community. Their son Oliver was in the very first graduating 5th grade class of 2020, and their daughter Isabel graduated in 2024.