Administrative & Support Staff

Monte Brook

Facilities Manager

Rachel Rodriguez

Lunch Aide

Rachel loves the outdoors and enjoys spending time with her family. She is a plant lover and enjoys tending to her plants. She is also a great cook and is always eager to try new recipes.

Deb Williams

Librarian

Deb grew up in Dallas, Texas and attended Eastfield College where she studied Early Childhood Development.  For many years she was a foster parent for severely abused children which was heartbreaking and challenging, but also rewarding. She wanted to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren so in 2017 she made the move to Colorado from Ohio and came to work at BFA as the 4th grade aide. The following year she became our Librarian and has been happily reading to the students ever since. All three of her grandchildren attended BFA but they are now headed to college and Heritage High School.

In her free time she loves to read (surprise), swim, spend time with her grandchildren and love on her granddogs.

Colleen Bobbin

Director of Admissions & Records

Peggy Brown

RN, BFA's Nurse Consultant

Peggy is excited to begin her third year as the School Nurse Consultant for Ben Franklin Academy!  Though she has lived in Colorado for the past 29 years, she is originally from Portage WI. She graduated with a BSN from The University of San Diego, and has been a pediatric nurse throughout her career. She has worked in children’s hospitals in Milwaukee WI and San Diego CA,, as well as in Public health. Peggy has been a school nurse consultant in Douglas County for the past 24 years.

Jennifer Jones 

Office Manager

Carrie Keen

Communications Manager

Carrie has served the BFA community since before the school opened its doors. She is a BFA founding family and, prior to her current role, dedicated her free time toward volunteering on various BFA committees. She has served as the Communication Manager for seven years. She received a BSBA with an emphasis in marketing from Saint Louis University. Prior to moving to Colorado, Carrie spent 11 years with the Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis. Carrie enjoys spending time with family, friends and volunteering.

Shannon Jensen

School Resource Officer

Deputy Shannon Jensen is an experienced and accomplished School Resource Officer (SRO) with 14 years of law enforcement experience. She obtained her undergraduate degree and Doctor of Law in Northern California, where she also began her law enforcement career before moving to Colorado with her family. Deputy Jensen has been with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office for eight years and has had various assignments, including serving the community as a cold case detective. After solving a 40-year-old Colorado cold case, she was featured on Dateline NBC and People Magazine Investigates. Deputy Jensen graduated from the National Association of School Resource Officers Basic and Advanced School Resource Officer courses. She also was recently recognized as a NASRO practitioner, which requires years of training and service as a school resource officer. When she’s not in uniform, you can find Deputy Jensen exploring the outdoors, soaking in Colorado hot springs, cheering on her favorite baseball team, or enjoying a concert at Red Rocks.

Jeanelle Korhonen

Receptionist

Jeanelle is excited to work as a Receptionist in the front office at BFA. Originally from the Pacific Northwest but she has been enjoying living in the always sunny Highlands Ranch since late 2016. She is a Mom to two boys and two fur babies. In her free time, you can catch her doing some form of exercise and enjoying time exploring the outdoors with her family.

Kelley Marie Paulson

Health Aide

Kelley Marie Paulson is excited to be the BFA Health Aide. Born and bred in Kentucky, she received a Bachelor of Arts in Theater with a minor in Art and Language Arts from Northern Kentucky University. Kelley Marie moved to Colorado in 2001, where she met and married her husband, Karl. They have welcomed 5 wonderful children into their lives, Christian, Genevieve, Callister, Flettcher, and Cassandra (4 of them have attended BFA). Together with her family, Kelley Marie enjoys spending time in Steamboat Springs, where they can be seen at the lake boating/SUP/kayaking, hiking, fishing, and relaxing.  She also enjoys being a Dance/Scout/Golf/Soccer/Baseball/etc Mom. Kelley Marie also owns her own business making Artisan Bath & Body products. Kelley Marie joined the BFA staff in 2021 and is grateful to work with all the wonderful students and staff.

Leigh Savoy

BASE/Camp Director & Makerspace Coordinator

Leigh is honored to be part of the Ben Franklin Academy team. She has worked at Ben Franklin Academy since 2011, and is currently the Director of the BASE and Summer Camp programs. She worked in the Preschool program for 12 years as well. 

Leigh and her husband Frank have been married for 34 years and have lived many places thanks to the Military. But by far Colorado is the most awesome place to be!  They have three wonderful children, two sons and a daughter.  In her free time, Leigh likes to spend time with her family, playing tennis and spending time outdoors in the beautiful Colorado weather. 

Leigh loves working with all children because of their openness and willingness to learn and have fun.  She loves to be part of the BFA community and to be able to interact with the children and parents alike.

Leigh is excited to begin the school year and make a positive impact in your children’s lives.

Brenda Bauer

Elementary PE Teacher

• Website: Link

Bree Dunn

Life Skills Instructor

Miss. Dunn is excited to further her involvement with Ben Franklin Academy. She loves the students and is passionate about creating an environment that the students feel safe in. She has her BS in Marine Biology from BYU-Hawai’i and loved her time in education. In previous years, she has worked in a variety of child care positions, from nannying to rearing children’s excitement for the sciences on a sailboat. Last year she got to know many students as a substitute teacher, and that furthered her interest in teaching. In her free time, she likes to spend her days outdoors enjoying warm weather. Sporting events are a great hobby of hers, whether she is playing or spectating!

Lauren Flint

Elementary Science Teacher

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Ali Hinkle

K-8 Art Teacher

Ali has been teaching for more than twenty years. She graduated from Sussex University in England with a bachelor’s degree in Art and Education and went on to teach in England, Spain and Italy for many years before coming to America in 1994. After spending a few years at home with her children, she began teaching again. She has been teaching art in Core Knowledge schools in Douglas County since 2005. She lives in Highlands Ranch with her husband, John, who is a native Coloradan. They have two children who are busy pursuing their own careers. Their daughter and son-in-law are medics in the Navy and their son is an engineer working in Switzerland. She loves teaching art and is proud to have been a part of Ben Franklin Academy from the beginning. She is also excited to be able to teach at a S.T.E.A.M. school where art is considered to be an important part of a well-rounded education.

• Website: Link

Jaime Johnson

K-5 Music

Ms. Jaime Johnson is happy to be back as the K-8 music director at Ben Franklin Academy. She is responsible for directing all performances and after school classes as well as teaching elementary general music and middle school music and theatre electives.

Ms. Johnson holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from University of Redlands and a Masters in Music Education from University of Colorado Boulder. Outside of Ben Franklin, Ms. Johnson is the music director for the theatre group Audience of One and sings with Skyline Chorus, a barbershop group. Prior to BFA, she taught band and orchestra at three Douglas County schools and K-8 general music at a charter school in Denver.

Ms. Johnson truly believes in the power of the performing arts and is thrilled BFA is a STEAM school. Her role as a music teacher is to teach skills that will help students succeed in school and in life such as working with others, listening, storytelling, speaking in front of a group, being a good audience and accepting other people’s interests. Through the arts, she has seen students come out of their shells and embrace learning.

• Website: Link

Beth Konesky

Middle School S.T.E.A.M.

With a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Creighton University, more than 10 years in the computer industry as a programmer and network engineer, along with many years as a Technology Teacher, Beth has a plethora of ideas and hands-on activities to inspire and challenge students. A die-hard Broncos fan, Beth loves Colorado, the outdoors, her two teenage daughters, and learning new things!

• Website: Link

Craig Macias

Middle School PE & Health

I am a sixth year teacher and a graduate of Colorado State University.  My course work and life have prepared me to be an informed, dynamic, professional in the Health and Physical Education field. In high school I was on the baseball, football and tennis teams where my coaches taught me the value of hard work, dedication, being a stand up individual and many other life lessons that I hope I can pass along to my students.   I do not only teach Health and Physical Education, I also live it.  I like to think that I practice what I preach!  Some of my favorite hobbies are exercising and playing/coaching different sports.  I have coached elite youth baseball, football and golf throughout the last ten years which has helped inspire me to pursue my dream of becoming a Health and Physical Education teacher and Athletic Director.  I love to try new things and spend time with my family and friends.  Lastly I truly love and have a lot of passion for what I do.  I believe I have the best job in the world, and get up every day thankful that I get to do what I do.  I love working with all my students, and having the opportunity to teach them how to be healthy and physically fit.

• Website: Link

Kyle Nolting

STEM Coordinator

Kyle Nolting is the STEM Coordinator at Ben Franklin Academy. Kyle is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in education from the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver. He has a background in K-12 science and technology education while teaching for the New York City department of education. In the classroom, he has interests in STEM curriculum design, ASD Education, Gifted & Talented Education, Multicultural Teaching Practices, LGBTQ+ Youth Advocacy and DEI Work. Outside of the classroom, Kyle is interested in hiking, birding, fly fishing and general all around spending time outdoors. He is excited to meet you on campus!

Laura Tickle

K-5 Technology

Teaching has always been a passion of Laura’s, and she loves being a member of the Ben Franklin Academy staff. Laura has taught for many years. She has taught fourth grade and currently is the K-5 Specials technology teacher. Technology is important to BFA and Laura is able to help effectively integrate technology into the hands of students at BFA.

Laura received her Bachelor’s degree in 2009 in Elementary Education from Purdue University. She has her certification in Linguistically Diverse Education from the University of Colorado at Denver, as well as a Masters in Information and Learning Technologies from the University of Colorado at Denver. Laura also received an award for ‘Outstanding Student in the Program’ at the end of her Masters program course work. This ILT program not only allowed Laura to grow with her own personal education, but it helps bring many of the latest ideas and projects related to technology into the classrooms at BFA. 

A Colorado native, Laura loves working out, watching football and spending time with her family.

• Website: Link

Sarah Harrell

Student Support Coordinator

504 Coordinator

K-4th Grade Learning Specialist

English Language Development Teacher

Phone: 720-383-4519 ext. 3225

Sarah Harrell is a Colorado native and received her B.A. from CU Boulder.  After working with students of all ages for several years in a variety of settings including residential treatment facilities and charter schools, she decided that she most enjoyed working with struggling students.  Sarah received her Literacy Intervention Specialist certificate from Colorado College.  She then went on to attain her M.Ed in Special Education. She works as one of the Learning Specialists as well as the 504 Coordinator and ELD teacher.

She and her husband, David, have two college-age sons, D.C. and Xavier. In her free time, Sarah enjoys spending time with her family, traveling anywhere, reading, hiking, spending time outdoors, and watching Xavier play football. She also loves to volunteer with RezDawg Rescue.

Sarah Russell

Speech Language Pathologist

Sarah Russell is an accomplished Speech Language Pathologist who graduated with her Masters degree from the University of Colorado and Undergraduate degree from Miami University.  She has always wanted to work with children and help them improve their communication skills.  Sarah’s experience covers many settings including schools, hospitals, rehabilitation facilities and Purdue University as an associate professor.  After taking a few years off from her career to spend time with her three amazing young children and wonderful husband. Sarah is excited to be part of the BFA team!! As a fun fact, Sarah attended school in Michigan as a child, and for 8 years wore the same plaid as the students at BFA! What a coincidence!!

Hugh Redford

School Psychologist

Angela Bond

Intervention Specialist: Gifted Education Facilitator

Katie Murphy

Gifted and Talented Specialist

Katie is starting her 23rd year of teaching. She has worked with students in grades three through five for most of her career and taught fifth grade for thirteen years. This upcoming year will be her eighth year as the Gifted and Talented Education Specialist at Ben Franklin Academy, her seventh year as the DCSD Gifted Charter School Lead, and her fifth year coaching volleyball. Teaching is her passion, and she loves every minute she spends helping students meet their academic potential.

Katie has a Bachelor’s degree in Painting from the University of Missouri Kansas City, a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Denver, a Master of Science in Special Education from Western Governor’s University, and her Gifted and Talented Specialist endorsement from Regis University.

Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Katie moved to Colorado in 1999. She lives with her husband, Patrick, and their three children, Lillia (sophomore in college at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago), Aidan (11th grade at MVHS), Charlie (8th grade at BFA), and their dog, Stella, in Castle Pines. Katie spends most of her free time keeping up with her very active children. She also loves to spend time knee-deep in a great book, walking her dog on the beautiful trails throughout Colorado, or planning her family’s next vacation to a National Park. Her goal is to visit all 63 National Parks. Katie and her husband also enjoy gardening–she takes care of the flowers, and he’s in charge of the vegetables. As a family, they enjoy being outdoors, family game and movie nights, trips to the mountains, skiing, and visiting her family in Wisconsin.

Faculty Favorites

• Website: Link

Erin Atkins

Middle School Moderate Needs Teacher

Becky Archunde

Occupational Therapist

Ellen Cain

Literacy Interventionist

READ Act Coordinator

This past school year Ellen completed her tenth year working with elementary-aged students in the Douglas County Charter School system. Prior to her Charter School experience, Ellen began her career working for a major test-prep company, where she prepared students for college, grad school, and medical licensure.  When not on the sidelines watching her kids play sports, Ellen can be found hiking, biking, snowboarding, or READing!

Paulette Graves

Literacy Specialist

Mrs. Graves was an Elementary Education Teacher for 17 years in Michigan. She has a B.S. Michigan State University and her masters from Oakland University. She has experience in most elementary grades; she taught second, third, and fourth grades primarily and one year of kindergarten. Her hobbies include needlework, golf and watercolor painting.

Tracy Pierce

Second Step Coordinator

Tracy is thrilled to join the eighth grade team for her third year at Ben Franklin Academy.  Tracy earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in both Psychology and Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Wisconsin and a Master’s Degree in Education from University of Colorado at Boulder. 

Tracy grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago, visiting Colorado often, and finally moving to Denver after college.  She has a wide variety of teaching experience that ranges from traditional classrooms to directing an overnight camp to homeschooling her own children in an RV for seven months while traveling the country.  

Faculty Favorites

Jackie Losasso

Special Education Paraprofessional

Jackie has worked as an ISS para for several years in Douglas county.  She received her college degree from University of Northern Colorado.  She has worked with various special needs populations over the past 30 years.  Jackie lives in Highland Ranch with her husband and her dog Layla.  She has two adult children, a son and a daughter.  Jackie calls herself an energizer bunny; she enjoys yoga, weight lifting, and speed walking.  She has a unique passion for working with students, and receives tremendous joy from working with BFA students.

Michelle Ziegler

Student Support

Emily Pitrone

Behavior/Learning Specialist