Email: alethea.alle@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/ms-allen

Ms. Alethea Allen was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. She attended Brigham Young University-Idaho where she got her B.A. in Political Science, emphasis in Foreign Affairs with a minor in International Studies. She has been teaching for four years. She taught three in Okeechobee, Florida and this is her second year teaching for Heritage Academy here in Arizona. She taught 6th-grade ELA and 7th-grade Civics in Florida. Last year she taught middle and high school computer classes at Heritage and now teaches 10th grade U.S. History. She also advises the school’s Scholar Council program for the second year.

Email: taylor.alve@heritageacademyaz.com

Mrs. Alvey is the oldest of five children born in Southern California and lived there until she was nine-years-old.  When she was five, she went with her grandma to pick up her uncle from his guitar lesson.  While they waited, she found a group piano class and saw a young boy playing the piano with no sheet music in front of him and was intrigued.  She has played the piano for choirs, in talent shows, recitals, accompaniments for different instruments and vocal solos, and can also play some songs with no sheet music.  She has attended many schools in Maricopa, including Maricopa High School where she found a new love of Technical Theater adding a new skill to her music knowledge.

She went to Central Arizona College and got her Associate of Science degree.  Before graduating, she went on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Washington Tacoma mission.  Currently, she is finishing her Bachelor of Mathematics (Statistics) at Arizona State University.  In 2019, she and her husband Jacob were married and in 2021 they had a beautiful, joyful daughter named Erin.

Email: tanyon.berry@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/instrumental-music

Mr. Berry earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the School of Music at Arizona State University where he studied oboe and refined his skills in the western art music tradition. For over twelve years, Mr. Berry also studied and performed taiko and shinobue (Japanese drumming and flute) with Fushicho Daiko Dojo in Phoenix, having two separate opportunities to travel to Japan to study and perform pieces in their cities of origin. His childhood dream was to play the trombone, and he still believes that someday he will.

When he’s not at work, Mr. Berry enjoys testing new recipes, developing board games with his wife, spending time with friends and family, and discussing life with anyone who’s willing to share their story. He likes his tea unsweetened and his coffee black, and he loves the mountains and the forest. Mr. Berry feels tremendously blessed to be the Instrumental Director at Heritage Academy in Maricopa, and he is excited to make music with the Heroes!

Email: michele.bocchinfuso@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/bocchinfusoenglish/home

Miss Bocchinfuso is originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and moved to Arizona in 2014 for a teaching opportunity. She graduated from Penn State University in 2012 with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. Additionally, she obtained a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Arizona State University in 2017.

Miss Bocchinfuso spent 4 years teaching fifth grade in the Casa Grande Elementary School District and Maricopa Unified School District, and began teaching at Heritage Academy Maricopa in 2019.  She enjoys spending time with friends and traveling home to see her family whenever possible.  She also loves to read, sing, and spend time outdoors.

Email: emily.brems@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/english

Mrs. Brems is an East Coast girl living in an Arizona world.  She moved to Arizona in 2004 with her husband but relocated her family to Maricopa in 2013.  Mrs. Brems went back to school when she was 26 and found that she really loves being a student and learning.  She spent 10 years completing multiple degrees: BA in English, BS in Family and Human Development, MA in English, and M.Ed. in Secondary Education. She is excited to share her love of the English subject with your scholars in the classroom.

When Mrs. Brems isn’t spending time with her husband or her five children, she loves to read and watch movies.  When she gets the chance, she loves to travel and has a list of places she still wants to go.  Her favorite family vacation spot is Disneyland, but she can’t decide on one single ride as her favorite.  Even though everything seemed spicy when she first moved to Arizona, she developed a real love for Mexican food .  Overall, Mrs. Brems just enjoys having a good time with the people she is with.  She looks forward to working with your scholars this year.

Email: nephi.bunker@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/bunkermusicroom

Mr. Bunker was born and raised in Arizona and is very happy to be teaching choir for Heritage Academy. He earned a Bachelors in Choral Music Education from Northern Arizona University and a Masters in Music Education from Arizona State University. Mr. Bunker has been teaching choir for over 11 years and looks forward to the new School year as our choir program continues to grow.

Mr. Bunker is happily married and is raising eight awesome kids with his amazing wife Laura . One of his favorite quotes about music is “The only thing better then singing is more singing” (Ella Fitzgerald).

Email: tanner.carpenter@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/math/home

Mr. Carpenter grew up in North Dakota with 3 younger sisters.  After high school he attended Mayville State University in North Dakota where he earned a BS in Mathematics and Physical Education while playing baseball and football. After teaching math for a year in North Dakota, he moved to Arizona where he has been teaching Mathematics and coaching baseball for the last 5 years.

Education runs in Mr. Carpenter’s family as both of his parents were part of the school system as he was growing up. This influenced him to become a teacher as well as two of his sisters who are elementary school teachers. Mr. Carpenter has enjoyed being able to make an impact on student’s lives both in the classroom and on the athletic fields.  As far as coaching experience, he has coached golf, baseball, basketball, and football.

Email: colin.come@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site:  https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/comerford-mathematics

Mr. Colin Comerford has been teaching for 4 years. He was born in Albuquerque New Mexico and has lived in the southwest all of his life.  Mr. Comerford attended the University of Arizona and earned a bachelors degree in economics with minors in mathematics and education. He loves playing basketball, chess, reading, and video games. A quote that describes his life is “walk tall, love music, learn Arabic, and never forget you come from a long line of truth seekers, lovers, and warriors.”  – Hunter S. Thompson.

Email: Siria.cont@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/spanish-2/home

Ms. Contreras was raised in Obregon, Sonora, Mexico. She holds a Bachelors and Masters degree in Education. She came to the United States four years ago with teaching experience in all grade levels. This is her third-year teaching Spanish in Arizona and she is so happy to have the opportunity to share her culture. She has a bachelors and masters degree in Education and is certified by AZDE with a Spanish endorsement.

When Ms. Contreras is not teaching she enjoys traveling and visiting her family in Mexico.  A famous quote that describes her life is “We will not have failure, only success and new learning” -Queen Victoria.  The most important lesson that she has learned in life is to have discipline and to be diligent in everything she does; that’s her key to success.

Email: alan.daniels@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/8thgradeenglish/home

Mr. Daniels graduated from Utah State University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in English and a minor in business. He also earned his Master’s in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Argosy University. After graduating with his English degree, he worked as a technical writer, copy writer, graphic designer and marketing coordinator for several organizations as well as himself for a short time. In 2010, he began working in university enrollment and was successful at helping students see the value of earning a college degree. With his career in higher education, Mr. Daniels worked as the Director of Enrollment for several institutions, most recently at Benedictine University, Mesa.

Email: robin.daniels@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/coach-daniels

Mrs. Daniels graduated from California State University Hayward in 2002.  She earned a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Physical Education with a teaching emphasis.  She’s also taken many graduate level courses in Sport and Exercise Psychology.  Her professional background lies in a variety of sport and recreation programs, running youth and adult sports leagues and working as a personal trainer.  Mrs. Daniels was a dual sport athlete in high school and has over ten years competitive volleyball coaching experience.  She’s served as a boys’ head coach at the high school junior varsity level and a girls head coach at the varsity, junior varsity and elite club levels.  If that weren’t enough to show her love for coaching, she’s spent multiple seasons as a volunteer coach for multiple youth recreational sports.

Outside of school, Mrs. Daniels has a second career as a successfully published author, writing contemporary young adult and adult romantic comedy.  It probably goes without saying that in her free time she loves playing sports, reading and writing.  She also stays busy as a book blogger, wife, mother of five and active member of her church community.  She loves working with teens and is very excited to become a part of the Heritage family.

Email: courtney.deav@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site:

Ms. Courtney Deaver was born and raised here in Arizona. She attended Pepperdine University were she studied mathematics. She published research on cancer progression in coordination with The Ohio State University and was a finalist in the international Mathematical Modeling Competition. In her free time, Ms. Deaver enjoys thrifting, traveling, and knitting.

Email: maureen.duga@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/specialeducation6-8thgrade/home

Ms Dugan has 10 years of experience in special education. She holds a M.S. Education, Special Education and a M.S. Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelors of Science, Computer Information Technology all from the University of Phoenix. She also is certified in Special Education, Cross-Category K-12 / SEI Certification.

Email: marcus.ellsworth@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/drama

Marcus Ellsworth has a masters degree in youth theater from ASU and has been acting, directing and choreographing for over twenty years.  He has been teaching for Heritage Academy for five years at the Laveen campus and has directed shows including Thoroughly Modern Millie, West Side Story, Beauty and the Beast, Three Musketeers, Peter Pan and Wendy, and Addams Family.  He and his sister founded Actor’s Youth Theater in Gilbert and have been lucky enough to see their actors progress on to Broadway and television.

Marcus is excited to be bringing the drama program to the Maricopa campus.   He loves working with scholars and helping them achieve their goals.  Marcus is married to Kim and they have four awesome children, Parker, Ethan, Madilyn and Brady.

Email: kimberly.ellsworth@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/mrsellsworth/home?authuser=0

Mrs. Ellsworth started at Heritage Academy as a junior high English teacher in 1999. She later had the opportunity to work as a teacher and assistant principal with other schools in the valley. She returned to Heritage Academy in 2014 as the founding Principal for our Laveen Campus.

Mrs. Ellsworth has a great love for the mission of Heritage Academy, our scholars, and parents. In her new role as principal of the Maricopa campus, she will provide leadership and guidance to all the Heritage Academy Maricopa scholars and their families. Mrs. Ellsworth will serve on the new school governing board and report to Mr. Jared L. Taylor who is the Chairman of the Governing Board and Charter Representative for the Heritage Schools.

Email: marin.fairbanks@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/msfairbanks8thgradehistory/home

Ms. Fairbanks wanted to work at Hogwarts but the only available position was Defense Against the Dark Arts.  Realizing that the HISTORY of that position was quite precarious, she decided to return to her Alma Mater Heritage Academy as our 8th-grade History teacher and the History Capstone Class.

Ms. Fairbanks’ perspective as an Alumni of Heritage has given her a unique viewpoint of this amazing school. Her time as a scholar at Heritage was so influential, that it was in her 7th-grade history class she decided that teaching was her life’s passion.

After graduating from Heritage, Ms. Fairbanks attended Brigham Young University Idaho and graduated with her Bachelors in Social Studies Education with an emphasis in History. She has spent the last few years teaching 6th and 7th grade Social Studies in Las Vegas but is grateful to be back in good old Arizona.

Though she was educated at the Mesa Campus, she is excited to be a part of the Maricopa team in bringing the unique mission of Building America’s Heroes to Maricopa.

Email: lee.feiles@heritageacademyaz.com

Email: Jennifer.ford@heritageacademyaz.com

Mrs. Ford grew up in a small town in San Diego, California. She graduated from Ramona High School as Senior Class President with multiple scholarships from the State of California for “Future Teachers”. She then attended Palomar College in San Marcos and is continuing her education through the Brigham Young University Pathway program with an emphasis on Public Health and Safety. Mrs. Ford had her five children with her husband and the love of her life in their little town of Ramona. 

Together they started The I.T. Pros, a technology company, was recognized as one of San Diego’s 100 Fastest Growing Companies and by Inc. Magazine as one of the Top 5,000 fastest growing companies in the Country. In 2010 she and her husband sold their company to national I.T. Service provider and moved to Maricopa. While in Maricopa, Mrs. Ford started a Lego Robotics Team that competed in the FLL Challenge for three years and earned a spot in the Arizona State finals.

Mrs. Ford loves living in Maricopa and has had many opportunities to serve with the community. She is the founder of “Mothers of Everyday Heroes”, an arm of her family’s non-profit foundation, the Rocking 4D Foundation, that services and supports teens and victims of violent crimes. Through these services she has had the honor of working with local and state officials to help make Maricopa a loving and safe place for teens and their families.

Email: michelle.gibs@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/mrsgibson/home?authuser=0

Mrs. Gibson grew up in a rural community in South Georgia. She attended Brewton-Parker
College, a small Christian college in her hometown, where she received her BS in Secondary
English Education in 2004. In 2012, she moved to Arizona with her family, and in 2018 she
received her MA in reading from Grand Canyon University.

She has worked in education for over 12 years and has held teaching certificates in both Georgia and Arizona. In addition to teaching English Language Arts for grades 9-12, she has also worked as Director of Education and Center Director for Sylvan Learning in Ahwatukee and Chandler.

In her spare time, Mrs. Gibson enjoys visiting national parks with her family, which include her
husband, five children, and one grandson. Of the 70+ parks she has visited, her favorites are
Yellowstone National Park, Chiracahua National Monument, and Grand Canyon National Park.
Mrs. Gibson is excited to start the school year with Heritage Academy and looks forward to
teaching its exceptional scholars.

barry.halterman@heritageacademyaz.com

Mr. Halterman received a Bachelor’s degree in Geological Sciences and Spanish from Arizona State University, where he also worked as a teaching assistant for more than two years in the Earth sciences.  After graduating from ASU, he joined a well-respected groundwater science consulting firm in the Phoenix area where he worked for 11 years as a hydrogeologist. Mr. Halterman also holds a Registered Geologist certificate from the State of Arizona.

In 2014, Mr. Halterman joined the teaching staff at Heritage Academy’s Laveen campus, and since then has helped to build a culture of academic excellence as Science Department Chair. He has also been a part of numerous extracurricular and campus activities, including coaching the middle-school baseball team, and assisting in set construction for drama productions.  In his free time, he spends time with his family and volunteers with The Boy Scouts of America as a Unit Commissioner and Merit Badge Counselor.

Email: lyle.hamblin@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/hamblinssocialstudies/home

Mr. Hamblin grew up in Gilbert, Arizona with four siblings.  After high school, he lived for two years on the East Coast before getting married and earning a BA in History from BYU-Idaho. After a study abroad semester in Jerusalem, Mr. Hamblin began studying Arabic and earned an MA in Near Eastern Studies while teaching Spanish at the U of A.  While there, he and his wife had their first child and his wife earned an MA in Hispanic Linguistics. They had their second child while living in Kayenta, Arizona on the Navajo Nation, where Mr. Hamblin taught world history at a high school for five years. They moved to Maricopa in the summer of 2018 so their growing number of children could know their relatives that live nearby.

At Heritage, Mr. Hamblin will also be teaching dual-enrollment classes through Central Arizona College.  He enjoyed his college history classes and is excited to be providing a college experience to young scholars in such an excellent environment as Heritage Academy.

jeffery.hazlett@heritageacademyaz.com

Mr. Hazlett enjoyed his time in the Oil Industry as an “A” Operator for a refinery in Santa Fe Springs, California, changing crude oil into many other different forms of oil such as Methane, Ethane, H2s, Jet fuel, and Gasoline.

Mr. Hazlett  drove an 18 wheeler for 20 years, seeing every state in the United States and traveled to every province in Canada. It was during his time on the road where he found his love of Photography.  As a photographer, he loves to capture memories of weddings, families, and sports and enjoys bringing happiness to others through his photos.

For 5 years before coming to Heritage Academy Maricopa, Mr. Hazlett has worked for The Home Depot, first starting as an associate, then working his way up to a merchandise expert, responsible for the product display and promotion for 10 valley stores.

Mr. Hazlett is proud to work for Heritage Academy for the past 2 years as the Maintenance Tech.  With all of the knowledge and experience he has gained throughout his journey, he hopes to be able to share his talents in maintaining a great working environment for our family of heroes.

Email: david.hettinger@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/mr-hettinger/home

Mr. Hettinger grew up in Southern California. He is a graduate of Cal State Northridge where he studied Film and Television Arts. In addition to his creative pursuits, he has always had a passion for History and American Government. As a youth, Mr. Hettinger traveled to many of the historic landmarks across the United States and even visited some of Europe’s celebrated destinations; this fanned the flames of his social studies interests.

Mr. Hettinger is entering his third year of teaching. Previously he taught U.S. and World History in Paradise Valley AZ. He was excited to begin teaching in Maricopa where he resides with his wife and three boys. He is especially proud to be teaching here at Heritage. Last year Mr. Hettinger taught World History and Film Production. This year he is pleased to add “wrestling coach” to his list of titles.

email: john.hill@heritageacademyaz.com

Mr. Hill is a native of Alabama. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Justice Studies from Arizona State University. This got him into law school. However, he quickly decided his real passion was traveling and studying languages. This took him on a journey to Seoul, South Korea, where he taught English at a private language academy to kids and adults – and was also the place he met his beautiful wife Jinsook. While in Seoul he also studied the Korean language at the prestigious Seoul National University. Upon returning to the States, Mr. Hill enrolled into the Masters of English
Linguistics program at ASU, with the goal of using his research and studies to return oversees to teach. Mr. Hill successfully defended his Master’s thesis, “The Effect of Orthography on Korean L1 and L2 Perception and Production” in May of 2005. Mr. Hill is currently completing what will be his second master’s degree, this a Master of Arts in English (Writing, Rhetoric and Literacies), which he plans to use to teach Dual Enrollment. His research focuses on intercultural pragmatics and its effect on language accessibility, equity and pedagogical strategies in the composition classroom. In addition, he has researched the effect of technology on language, language change, and assessment of rhetorical appropriateness in mixed genres across literacies; cross- cultural impacts on design, scope and evaluation of literacy narrative assignments in both L1 and L2 composition classrooms; cross- cultural use of metaphor in literacy narratives; literacy narratives as a source of metacognitive exploration in middle school students; and intercultural impacts in peer review in the composition classroom. In his spare time (note, he has none – ha ha!) Mr. Hill enjoys writing, reading non-fiction, coaching basketball, writing some more, hiking, listening to deep house music as he studies and writes. Did we mention he loves writing? If his fingers are on a keyboard it is pure
joy! Mr. Hill is passionate about our scholars and wants to make critical, creative and reflective thinking the foundation of his class. We are thrilled that he is a part of the Heritage Academy family.

“Freedom has cost too much blood and agony to be relinquished at the cheap price of rhetoric. It doesn’t matter how smart you are unless you stop and think.”
― Thomas Sowell, Knowledge And Decisions

Email: stephanie.hill@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site:

Mrs. Hill grew up in Southern Oregon.  She attended Southern Oregon University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, with minors in business, communication, and chemistry.  She has many years of teaching experience at various grade levels.  Last year she began working for Heritage Academy Maricopa as a substitute teacher, and this year she took over as our permanent 6th grade math teacher.

Email: thoffman@heritageacademyaz.com

Mrs. Hoffman was raised in St. Louis, Missouri in the beautiful Midwest.  She ventured out west to attend college at BYU-Idaho where she earned an associates in arts and sciences.  She married her sweetheart and moved to Portland, Oregon, where Mrs. Hoffman owned and operated her own dance studio, teaching tap, jazz, ballet, and clogging.

In 2006, Mrs. Hoffman relocated with her family to Maricopa, AZ where they have planted roots and are raising 4 beautiful children.  Over the years, community involvement has become an important part of her life.  She has enjoyed volunteering for the Maricopa Police Department, the Maricopa Food Bank, the Against Abuse Women’s Shelter, Time out for Women, and served on the board of Mothers of Everyday Heroes. She is currently serving as the JustServe Coordinator for Maricopa and is an HOA board member for her neighborhood community.

Mrs. Hoffman was blessed with the opportunity to help bring Heritage Academy to Maricopa in 2018.  Through this process, she decided to join the Heritage Family as the school’s Registrar.  She is grateful to work with amazing teachers, parents, and scholars.

In her rare spare time she loves to decorate, search for unique treasures, travel with her husband, and spend time with friends and family!

Email: sally.huff@heritageacademyaz.com

Email: heidi.klepfer@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site:  https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/special-education-high-school/home

Heidi Klepfer was born and raised in Tucson Arizona.  She has lived in Maricopa for 15 years with her wonderful husband, who also teaches at Heritage and her 3 beautiful boys.

Mrs. Klepfer has been teaching Special Education for 19 years.  She started her career in Kyrene School district and then taught Life Skills Special Education at Mountain Pointe High School for 12 years.  She has her Bachelor’s in Special Education Cross Categorical, from Northern Arizona University and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction in Behavioral Science from Arizona State University.

Email: joseph.klepfer@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/klepferscience/home

Mr. Klepfer teaches Chemistry, Physics, and Conceptual Science, as well as, coaches JH volleyball and JH Baseball at Heritage Maricopa. Mr. Klepfer has been teaching and coaching for 25 years in Arizona. He has a bachelor of Science in Education with a minor in Chemistry.

Mr. Klepfer has written the Science curriculum for Gila Bend school district and created the “Simple Machines / Chemical Reactions” class for the Maricopa School District, and is writing a grant to create a garden for Mesquite Junior High, which has 30 indigenous plants and an analemmatic sundial in the middle of the garden.

Recently Mr. Klepfer was fortunate to coach the only HS baseball team in the town of Maricopa to ever win a HS baseball state championship. He returned the following year, falling short by one run of accomplishing the feat for a second time. Joseph enjoys surfing and mountain biking with his three boys Kai, Keanu, and Kalani and wife Heidi Klepfer, who is a special education teacher at Heritage as well.

Email: sherrie.lico@heritageacademyaz.com

Dr. Sherrie Licon has worked in education for more than 18 years. She earned her Doctoral and Master’s Degrees from Northern Arizona University and a dual Bachelor degree in French and International Studies from the State University of New York, College at Cortland. Dr. Licon is from Buffalo, New York, speaks French and Spanish, and has traveled extensively. In college, she completed four study/travel abroad experiences at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, L’Institut Universities Americanin Avignon, France, Centro Bilingue in Cuernavaca, Mexico, and a homestay in the Czech Republic. Dr. Licon lived in Mexico and taught French and English at the Universidad de la Sierra, A.C. located in Huauchinango, Puebla. Dr. Licon has a passion for language and linguistics and is excited to share her love of languages with Heritage scholars. Dr. Licon is married and lives with her wonderful husband and three amazing daughters. 

greg.mcca@heritageacademyaz.com

Mr. McCambridge, a New Jersey native, recently returned to the valley. He previously lived in the Phoenix metro area for over 10 years. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with minors in English, Philosophy, and Religious Studies from Fairfield University. He continued his education with a Master of Arts from The University of Arizona and a Master of Business Administration from Fayetteville State University.  Most recently he worked at Rutgers University.  His prior employment includes positions at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Arizona State University. With over 10 years working in higher education, Mr. McCambridge loves to promote learning at all levels and continues to learn new things every day.

Mr. McCambridge lives in Phoenix with his wife, his dog Loki, and several cats. He enjoys reading, watching movies, comic books and graphic novels, travel, and playing guitar.

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Email: jeffrey.miller@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/mrmillerhacopa/home

Mr Miller grew up in Southern California. He graduated from Brea-Olinda High School. He played high
school and club soccer. His soccer ability earned him a scholarship at NCAA DII Brigham Young
University – Hawaii. There he studied biology education and received his Bachelor of Science degree in
2001.

For the next few years after college, he taught at Kailua Intermediate School, Hau’ula Elementary
School, and Kahuku High School. He was hired as the head coach of BYU-Hawaii’s Men’s soccer team in
2006. At that time, Mr. Miller began working as the Assistant Sports Information Director and managed
events for the Canon Activities Center on campus.

In 2009, he moved his family to Maricopa while working in administration for Argosy University. While with Argosy University he was the Admissions Operations Manager, Director of Talent Management, and Data and Metrics HR Manager. He continued coaching in the valley, taking teams from Ahwatukee Foothills SC, Barcelona FC, Challenge FC, Legacy SC, and RSL AZ.

In the summer of 2019, he came back to education and began teaching high school science at Heritage Academy Maricopa. He currently
coaches in the soccer program while working as Athletic Director. 

Mr. Miller is married to Kim Miller and they have 4 sons.

Email: kimberly.miller@heritageacademyaz.com

Mrs. Miller was raised in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and moved to Laie, Hawaii after graduation. She attended Brigham Young University – Hawaii where she received her Bachelor’s degree in International Cultural Studies, with an Associates in Communications.  She loves the islands and stayed there for 12 years as she and her husband raised their family and started teaching school.  Her family moved to Arizona where she went on to receive her Masters degree in Education from Argosy University and has been teaching all ages, from preschool to high school, for over 19 years.

Mrs. Miller loves the ocean and has learned to love the desert during the last 12 years that she has lived in Maricopa.  She loves to run, hike, swim, camp, play sports, and read.  She and her husband have four boys and love the small town feel of Maricopa.  She loves learning and likes to make learning fun and engaging for her scholars.  She has been coaching volleyball and basketball at Heritage for the last two years and looks forward to working with scholars in the classroom and on the court!

Email: katie.nash@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/mrsnash

Mrs. Nash grew up in Arizona and is an alumna of Heritage Academy Mesa. It is at Heritage that she learned a deep appreciation for the Founding Fathers and where she met her husband of 17 years.

Mrs. Nash attended Brigham Young University Idaho where she received her bachelor’s degree in communications. She also received a Certificate for Latin Education from the University of Cambridge. As a life-long learner she is continually improving her knowledge of the Latin language and culture.

Mrs. Nash has four “particularly rambunctious” boys who keep her and her husband very busy, as well as a German Shepherd Dog named Pilot.  Mrs. Nash enjoys playing video games with her boys, reading, taking walks, going on hikes and learning about plants and their uses.

carrie.ormo@heritageacademyaz.com

Mrs. Ormond was born and raised in Southern California where she enjoyed all things Disney and all things in the beach and ocean.  She graduated and spent 4 magical years studying at BYU Hawaii.  After graduating with a BA in Psychology, she married her college sweetheart and together they moved to the Midwest for 4 years.  It was there that she made the transition from yoga student to yoga instructor.  Most recently, Mrs. Ormond worked in behavioral health working with children, adolescents, and families as a resource, guide and advocate.  She is thrilled to join the Heroes at Heritage working to cultivate physical and mental strength, and resiliency through the practice of yoga and principles of mindfulness. 

Email: matthew.ormo@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/biology/home

Dr. Matthew Ormond earned his Bachelors of Art from BYU-Hawaii and earned his Doctorate Degree from Cleveland University. He is a husband and proud father of 6 children. He owns and operates Relief & Restoration Chiropractic located in Huntington Beach, California.

His hobbies include: soccer, learning, teaching, running, camping, fishing, pickleball and enjoying the outdoors with his family. Dr. Ormond is looking forward to sharing his love for science with the scholars at Heritage Academy. Three things still left on my Bucket List are: 1. Hiking Napali Coast in Kauai with my family. 2. Getting my pilots license. 3. Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu with my wife.

A famous quote that can describe my life is: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, live the life you have imagined”, Henry David Therou.

Email: christy.pepper@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/mrspepper/home?authuser=0

Mrs. Pepper has been a certified teacher for 21 years. She earned her degree in Education from Ottawa University. One of the reasons why she became a teacher was to share the love of reading and writing with kids. She has taught 7th grade for a majority of her teaching career, but she has also taught 1st grade, 2nd grade, 5th grade, 6th grade and 10th grade as well. This is her 3rd year teaching 9th grade, and she loves it!

Mrs. Pepper is married and has two adult children.  She is looking forward to becoming a grandma this school year! Mrs. Pepper’s favorite authors include Edgar Allan Poe, Ray Bradbury, and Stephen King. She is excited for the new school year to start!

Email: daniel.ramirez@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/mathlab/home

Mr. Ramirez is a native of Arizona and lives in Casa Grande with His wife and two children. This is his first year at Heritage Academy teaching math lab. Mr. Ramirez received his associates of business from Central Arizona Community College and is curtly perusing his bachelor’s in science of mathematics with emphasis in secondary education at Grand Canyon University.

Mr. Ramirez is leading heritage academy’s football program in it’s first year. He has coached for seven years, five at the high school level as an offensive coordinator and two at the youth level. This is his first year as a head coach and he is looking forward to building the Heritage Academy football program.

Email: enrique.rivera@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/mr-rivera/home

Mr. Rivera holds a Bachelors and Masters degree in English from Arizona State University. He has also been an advisor for the Chinese Startalk Language Program sponsored by NASA.

Language has always been an integral part of Mr. Rivera’s identity and so he is passionate about sharing what he has learned with his scholars. In Mr. Rivera’s Spanish class, his hope is for scholars will come away with a better understanding of themselves, their culture, and the cultures of others, and learn to consider things outside of their normal frame of reference. 

One recommendation that Mr. Rivera would make is to learn to fail forward.  Not to encourage scholars to fail, but instead to encourage scholars to try new things and learn from those experiences, especially those moments that ended in failure. 

Email: jeanfran.roma@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/mrromanekssite/home

Mr. Romanek was raised in Paris, France and obtained a French Masters in International Law at the Sorbonne University. He quickly realized that he was not happy working with lawyers so he became a teacher in addition to starting his own company. In addition to teaching he is also involved in real estate projects in Europe and the preservation of Holocaust monuments in Poland.

Mr. Romanek really enjoys living in Phoenix because of the climate and it’s people. Remember, it often rains in France! Working on old american vintage cars and also renovating paintings are two hobbies he has.  He also enjoys traveling back to Europe with his family and friends as often as he possibly can!

Welcome to Latin Class!

email: anthony.rowa@heritageacademyaz.com

Mr. Rowan was born and raised in Illinois. He played every sport growing up but found a passion for basketball. Mr. Rowan has been coaching the game since he was 18 and at all levels; middle/high school clubs, high school programs and at the college level. He spent over 10 years with the Chicago Bulls Training Academy and has helped with player development and coached the ESPN top 100 camp.

Besides basketball, Mr. Rowan has spent his career as a strength coach/personal trainer. He has made it his passion to help individuals realize the best version of themselves. Mr. Rowan relocated to beautiful Arizona with his wife (Christina), 2 dogs (Feenix and Lilu) and cat (Ralph).  Mr. Rowan is ready to take Heritage Scholars to the next level!

Email: jan.schm@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/7thgradehistory/home

Ms. Schmidgall was born in Louisville Kentucky but moved to Arizona at a very young age. Ms. Schmidgall earned her BA in education at ASU and her master’s degree in Curriculum and Planning at NAU.  She has two sons and four wonderful grandchildren.

When Ms. Schmidgall is not teaching (which she loves) you can find her playing with her 5 grandkids, watching her family play baseball, or traveling to any history site.  Ms. Schmidgall even spends her summers in teacher workshops learning more about history! Ms. Schmidgall loves cooler weather so you can find her in Flagstaff visiting one son as much as possible.

Ms. Schmidgall is excited to be at Heritage Academy and can’t wait for some great historical adventures with her scholars!

Email: stephanie.schwarzen@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/ms-schwarzens-art-classes/home

Ms. Stephanie Schwarzen is celebrating her fourth year of teaching and first year with Heritage Academy.  Currently a sixth grade teacher, she is thrilled for the opportunity to share her love of creativity and to foster the artist within each of our Heritage Heroes!

Born and raised in Missouri, Ms. Schwarzen has lived in Maricopa with her family for nine years. She studied studio art at Webster University, and earned her Liberal Arts Degree from Arizona State University in 2013. Since then, she has earned a well-rounded skill set through work as Director for Bright Minds Preschool, elementary art teacher, and as a creative mentor to underprivileged women and children in Haiti, where she taught drawing, painting, and sewing.

Ms. Schwarzen has two beautiful daughters, ages 8 and 11, who are heavily involved in Maricopa youth sports. Chances are, you’ll see her on the sideline of one field or another, cheering on her favorite athletes and sharing sidewalk chalk with any kiddo who asks!

Email: melissa.sims@heritageacademyaz.com

Mrs. Sims first discovered she wanted to be a teacher at 7 years old. She went to a college-prep high school and graduated while also becoming certified as an EMT and CNA.  Furthermore, she then went on to get a diploma in Medical Assisting. Mrs. Sims wanted to explore the medical field, so she began her pre-nursing at Mesa Community College. She loved the medical field, but something was missing. It was teaching! She decided to follow her dreams and go back to teaching. Mrs. Sims graduated from Grand Canyon University with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with Magma Cum Laude honors. She spent three years as a substitute teacher in North Pole, Alaska. She moved back to Arizona with her family two years ago, where she began teaching 5th-grade science and social studies at Florence Unified School District. She found out she loves teaching science because of her medical professional background. She loves all things science and loves showing how science can be found
everywhere! Mrs. Sims has two beautiful children with her husband, Jesse Sims. She and her family were looking for a location to build a home, they went to look at Maricopa and fell in love! She then began looking for a teaching position that would align with her goals and values then she found Heritage Academy, which aligned in every way she wanted. She looks forward to teaching our scholars this year!  “It is our choices that show us what truly we are far more than our abilities” This quote by Albus Dumbledore is what Mrs. Sims teaches her scholars. You can do anything you want to do if you chose your choices wisely. A fun fact about Mrs. Sims is that she considers both Alaska and Arizona her home states.

Email: ashley.smith@heritageacademyaz.com

Ms. Ashley Smith began her dance training at the early age of 2. She studied all forms of dance and grew up as a competitive dancer in the Dallas and Phoenix areas. She received a scholarship to attend Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA and graduated cum laude with a B.A. degree in Dance.

Ashley continued her dance training at the Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles, at the Broadway Dance Center in NYC, along with Chicago’s Lou Conte Dance Center, River North Chicago, and The Giordano Dance School in Evanston, IL. After graduating from college, she received a full scholarship to study and perform at the Giordano Dance School in Evanston, IL as a member of the Giordano 3 Company.

While living in Chicago, Ashley had the opportunity to perform and work with numerous Jazz and Contemporary dance companies and well-known choreographers. She landed the incredible opportunity of touring internationally as a professional dancer/performer with Disney Live!’s “Mickey’s Rockin Road Show”, a Feld Entertainment Production. For five years, Ashley toured internationally and performed in over 25 different countries along the way.

After touring, Ashley relocated back to Phoenix, Arizona where she currently teaches all forms of dance across the valley. Her favorite styles to teach and choreograph are Lyrical, Contemporary, and Jazz. Ashley also travels around the nation as a competitive dance adjudicator and enjoys sharing her lifetime passion of dance and technical knowledge with others. Ashley is currently furthering her education and artistry by pursuing her MFA in Dance Choreography from Jacksonville University (2022). Ashley started Emote Creations Dance Project and is Artistic/Creative Director creating mini Dance Films. She loves to inspire and motivate dancers and students to be their best and is ecstatic to share her love of dance, fitness and creativity with the scholars at Heritage Academy!

Email: christina.sorenson@heritageacademyaz.com

Ms. Sorenson was born and raised in Tempe, Arizona. She graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s in Finance and communications. She completed her Post Baccularate program in Elementary Education. She recently obtained her Master’s Degree in Administration in Leadership from Grand Canyon University.

Email: danielle.steelman@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/mrssteelman

By the age of sixteen, Mrs. Steelman had lived in Connecticut, Louisiana, Nevada, and Virginia!  She grew up playing soccer and acting. She also loves traveling, photography, and animals. Her father was a College Professor and her mother was a Middle School Educator. Because Mrs. Steelman was immersed in education from a young age, she knew she wanted to be an educator.

She earned her BS in Education from Chowan University in North Carolina, and a MA in New Professional Studies in Education from George Mason University in Virginia. Mrs. Steelman has also completed the majority of her coursework towards a PhD in Mathematics Leadership.

Mrs. Steelman taught Middle School Mathematics for eight years in Virginia; for three of those eight years, she taught both Mathematics and Science.  She then spent six years as a Mathematics Coach. She moved to Arizona in June of 2016 because of her love of the southwest. Since moving to Arizona, she has taught Math 7 in a virtual setting for two years, and Math 6 Tiger Prep in Maricopa Unified School District 20 for one year. She lives here in Maricopa with her husband, 3-year old son, and two dogs.

Email: joanne.taylor@heritageacademyaz.com

Mrs. Taylor is a native of sunny Arizona. After graduating from High School, she moved to the Midwest where she obtained her ASL Interpreter Certification. Mrs. Taylor has enjoyed working in, and or supporting, education and scholars since 2012. She started out as an involved parent, quickly joined the PTO and has never looked back.

The best part of her day is observing those moments when scholars realize their full potential, decide to go for it and reach their goals. Setting the bar high and leaving zero room for excuses, her scholars know she expects their best and they are happy to give it. They know she will be there to celebrate every milestone and cheering for them at the finish line both on and off the court or field.

Mrs. Taylor has lived in Maricopa since 2006 with her husband and has built a beautiful family with their three amazing children. During the little free time her busy life provides, she enjoys being with her family, reading, decorating, gardening, cooking and camping.

Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.

– Albert Einstein

Email: jennifer.titus@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/8thgradescience

Mrs. Titus grew up in Southern California. She attended Brigham Young University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education. She has taught several different grade levels and subjects in Utah, California, Texas, and Arizona. She has had the honor of being Teacher of the Year twice. Her most recent assignment has been teaching math and science in the Blended Learning program in Maricopa where she won the State Golden Bell Award with her fellow blended teachers.

She moved to Maricopa 3 years ago with her husband and 4 children to be closer to her extended family. She LOVES Disneyland and is a little obsessed with all things Disney! She is very excited to teach science at Heritage Academy and is looking forward to a fabulous year.

samantha.titu@heritageacademyaz.com

Ms. Titus is originally from California, but has lived in Southeast Alaska for the past few years. She is currently working on her degree in Elementary Education and is excited to share her passion for music with Heritage this school year. She has helped with the productions of Frozen and Addams Family here at Heritage, and played in the orchestra pit for many different shows while she was in high school. She is state ranked in Texas for flute, and participates in an annual Christmas brass band playing various different instruments. When she is not working, Ms. Titus likes to travel, camp, and hike.

Email: kasey.turik@heritageacademyaz.com

Ms. Turik graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and has been teaching for 17 years.  She has taught grades 4^th through 8^th in Texas and Arizona and has especially enjoyed teaching American Sign Language and crocheting as elective classes.   She loves making a difference in her community and encourages her students to give as well.  Her crochet students donate the hats and bags that they make to the Cancer Treatment Center of America.

Ms. Turik has two amazing daughters that keep her super busy, as well as two cats and three dogs.  Her favorite activities are cooking (well, mostly eating) and reading. Ms. Turik’s favorite genre is horror and she has read every Stephen King book written.  She is so excited to be teaching at Heritage Academy!!

Email: kevin.will@heritageacademyaz.com

Mr. Williamson was born and raised in Oregon and spent his high school years in Mexico as the son of missionaries. He later went to Bible college and want back as a missionary for several years himself, becoming very fluent in Spanish. He used to study math for fun before having any plans to use it professionally. He eventually earned a masters in education from Liberty University and a graduate certificate in mathematics from Texas Tech. He has taught various things for many years, including the Bible, Spanish, piano, and math. Helping people with math is one of his favorite things to do. He also enjoys hiking, tennis, and fishing.

Email: audrey.wils@heritageacademyaz.com

Mrs. Wilson was born and raised in the great state of Texas. She married the love of her life over 26 years ago.  They have 5 children and 1 granddaughter.  She enjoys singing, playing the piano, reading, and camping. She plays a mean game of Scrabble and is always ready to face off with a new challenger.

Mrs. Wilson holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Grand Canyon University.

Email: derek.zapp@heritageacademyaz.com

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/heritageacademyaz.com/zappaclasses/home

Coach Zappa attended Northern Arizona University where he was a member of the executive council of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. He received his B.S. in Education with an emphasis in Physical Education.  He worked at Leupp Public School on the Navajo Nation where he taught a 5^th/6^th grade multi-aged classroom and coached girls’ basketball.  Once his wife graduated from NAU, they relocated to the valley.

In 2000, Mr. Zappa started the Athletic Department for The Tesseract School and coached softball and various other spots.  In between Tesseract and Pardes He entered Real Estate and coached Softball at Phoenix Country Day School where they won a league Title.   In 2008, he revamped the athletic program at Pardes.  In 2019, he taught Weight Training and PE at Pathway Academy and coached their JH and Varsity softball teams where their varsity team won the 2019 CAA D2 H.S. Softball State Championship.

Mr. Zappa enjoys spending his free time with his wife and two children while coaching his travel softball team, The Killer Bee’s. Over the years he’s competed in triathlons and Ironman’s in Arizona, California, and Colorado. He was the Vice President and one of four founding fathers of the Ahwatukee Softball Club ages 8u-16u,

Coach Zappa looks forward to another fabulous year at Heritage Academy-Maricopa. Along with passion and drive in the development of Heritage’s competitive softball program.

“There may be people who have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” – Derek Jeter

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