Administrative & Support Staff – Ben Franklin Academy

Administrative & Support Staff

Instructional Aides
Facilities
Library
Office Staff
Specials
Student Support Services

Kathy Chase

AM Kindie

Kathy is very excited to begin her 6th year at BFA as a kindergarten aide. She enjoys working with children and loves their smiles and energy. Kathy has been married to her husband, Matt, for 28 years. They are blessed to have 3 sons, Tyler (26), Zach (24) and Spencer (17). In her free time Kathy loves spending time with her large extended family, often hosting many family gatherings for them. She loves to travel, play games, watch cooking shows and read books.

Kathy looks forward to another great year with an amazing kindergarten team.

Jillane Disbrow

Kindie PM

Jillane is very excited to begin her sixth year at Ben Franklin Academy as the afternoon Instructional Aide for kindergarten. Originally from Wyoming, she attended the University of Wyoming where she received a B.S. in Psychology focusing on Child Psychology. She has been married to her husband for 24 years. They have two daughters, Jensen, who will be a senior at Arapahoe High School and Marin, who will be a freshman at Arapahoe.

Jillane looks forward to working with the kindergarten teaching team again and helping sweet kindies learn and grow during the 2019-20 school year.

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Melissa Eframo

Kindie PM

Meghan Fleming

Kindie Aide

Nannette Preciado

Kindie AM

Nannette is excited to be an Instructional Aide at Ben Franklin Academy. She has worked at Bear Canyon Elementary as a Instructional Aide and Health Room Assistant and at Ranch View Middle School with Nutrition Services. Nannette moved to Highlands Ranch in 1995 from California. Nannette and her husband have two children, Rob and Lauren. Rob attends University of Northern Colorado, and Lauren attends Colorado State University. Nannette enjoys camping, hiking, and spending time with her family.

Nannette is very excited to be part of BFA and loves working with the kindergarten students.

Tiffany deRis

Kindie/First Grade Aide

Mika Hurd

1st Grade

Holly Melka

2nd Grade AM

Holly is an Instructional Assistant for the 2nd grade team. She is a Colorado native. She graduated from Metro State with a BA in Sociology and minored in Psychology. Holly has been married for 21 years and has 3 teenage children. Justin her oldest, attends The University of Northern Colorado. Evan and Allie(twins)are juniors at ThunderRidge HS. She enjoys spending time with her family, baking, reading, crafts and taking walks with her Golden Retriever, Baylee.

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Kristi Watson

4th Grade AM/2nd Grade PM

Kristi is very happy to be part of the Ben Franklin Academy staff as a 2nd & 4th grade aid. She is from Iowa and moved here when she was 12 years old. She and her family have lived in Highlands Ranch for 12 years. They are the owners of two adopted cats and two adopted dogs. In her free time, Kristi enjoys gardening, jogging, crafting, reading, movies and hanging out with her daughter.

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Dana Tromeur-Nach

3rd Grade AM

Dana is an Instructional Assistant for the third grade team. Before coming to Ben Franklin Academy, she worked at Coyote Creek Elementary as an Educational Assistant. Dana moved to Highlands Ranch in 2009 from New Jersey, and she absolutely LOVES it here!! She loves the sunshine, mountains, and the people. Dana and her husband have three children, three cats, and a dog.

Dana is very excited to be part of BFA!

Jazmin Smith

3rd Grade PM

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Heidi Drees

3rd AM and 4th Grade PM

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Melissa Burke

5th Grade

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Lauren Preciado

Middle School Aide

Nicole Schmit

Middle School Aide

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Jennifer Thompson

7th Grade AM/8th Grade PM

Jennifer is excited to start her sixth year as a Middle School IA. She enjoys working with all the Middle School teachers, and students.

Married for 17 years to Rod, they have two children (Rodger, 9th, and Ashley, 6th grade) In her spare time Jennifer loves to read, write, do puzzles, and swim with the kids.

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Khristen Fritzsche

Middle School Aide

Tina Engelhardt

Lunch Aide

Scott Hedges

Lunch Recess IA

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Monte Brook

Facilities Manager

Deb Williams

Librarian

Deb is very happy to be a Librarian at BFA. She grew up in Dallas, Texas and moved here from Columbus, Ohio to be closer to her grandchildren. She was a fourth grade aide last year and volunteered in several areas at BFA. Deb has three grandchildren, two that attend BFA, and a grandson that attends Columbine High School. She loves animals, reading and most of all spending time with her grandchildren.

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Michelle Bynum

Office Manager/Volunteer Coordinator

Email Michelle is very excited to be in the front office at Ben Franklin Academy. Michelle has been the founding teams longest and most consistent volunteer. She’s helped in a number of areas; front desk, attendance and health room. She’s been a very active volunteer for her kid’s education and played an integral role founding Ben Franklin Academy. She graduated from Colorado State University at Pueblo with a degree in mass communications. Her family is very important to her: husband Brent, daughter Kate and son Jacob.

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Colleen Bobbin

Registrar

Colleen joined the Ben Franklin Academy office staff in January 2013. She worked part-time as the receptionist and then, from 2015-2018, shared the office manager role. In June 2018, she started as registrar, handling student records and all new student enrollment.

Colleen is originally from New Jersey but was raised in Northern California. She moved to Colorado from San Francisco in 2001 and married her husband, Nathan, two years later. They have a daughter and a son. Both children have attended Ben Franklin Academy since its doors opened in September 2011.

Colleen thrives on the interaction and fast-paced environment of the Ben Franklin Academy office. When she’s not working or with her family, however, she loves to run. It’s a great way to stay fit, unwind and experience the beauty of Colorado.

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Carrie Keen

Communications Manager

Carrie is a founding family at Ben Franklin Academy and since its inception has dedicated her free time toward serving on various BFA committees including, the CEC (when it was the PAC), the PTO and as an Assistant Room Parent. 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 where she was an integral part of marketing electronic payments to financial institutions, utilities and the general public. In addition, she created communication materials and provided training to financial institutions across the country on new Treasury software systems. Carrie spent her last five years at the Fed working in Human Resources overseeing their Recruiting, Leaves, Payroll and Benefits programs. Carrie enjoys spending time with family, friends and volunteering.

Jennifer Jones

Business Assistant

Jen is excited to be part of the Ben Franklin Academy staff. She has been a part of BFA since the first year when her daughter started Kindergarten. Jen moved from Fairfax, VA, nine years ago and loves living in Colorado! Her husband and two kids (8 and 5) enjoy being part of BFA and the community. In her free time, she volunteers at the school in the classroom or with PTO, loves to crochet, travel and hikes every chance she gets.

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Mindy Green

Receptionist

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Teri DeBellis

Health Room

Teri joined the office team as the Health Assistant in 2017 and enjoys being able to get to know so many of the students. She has been married for 15 years and has three kids, Trevor, Audrey and Alana. In her free time she enjoys reading, gardening, and spending time with family and friends.

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Becky Mullen

Receptionist

Becky is a Ben Franklin Academy founding board member and when her board term ended she wanted to remain part of the team. She now works in the front office at the front desk. Becky loves this community and enjoys the opportunity to welcome you when you arrive at BFA. Becky lives in Highlands Ranch with her husband, Rob and three kids. In her free time, you will find her hiking the Colorado trails, skiing the snowy mountains, volunteering, or laughing with friends.

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Kate Crespo

Elementary PE

Kate is excited to be starting her seventh year with BFA as a middle school Math Teacher. Kate earned her master’s degree in Education from the University of Phoenix in 2010, and received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Information Technology from New Jersey Institute of Technology in 2004, where she played basketball and soccer.

Kate has been married for twelve years, and has two children, both attend BFA. Kate and her husband, Jose, also have two dogs named Mufasa and Nala. Kate grew up in New Jersey and feels lucky to have called Colorado home for the past twelve and a half years. Kate enjoys staying fit, taking long walks, watching and playing sports, and spending time with her family and close friends. She can’t wait to help kids have fun learning math at BFA.

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Janet Harlow

Life Skills and SPED Aide

Janet is happy to be back this year teaching Life Skills in the morning and working with Student Support in the afternoon. Janet enjoys teaching the 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders what is necessary for success above and beyond what they learn academically. This will be Janet’s 7th year as a part of the middle school. During the summers, Janet is also the Co-Director of the successful BFA Summer Camp program. Janet enjoys the constant connection with a large number of students,

Janet has earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Phoenix and is currently finishing the student teaching portion for her Master’s in Special Education from Grand Canyon University. Janet is a mom of two. Her daughter works full-time in the management field in Portland OR, while her son is a Sergeant with the United States Marine Corps. As an empty nester, Janet enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and her cats, Harper and Tulo. Janet has lived in Colorado since 2006, after many years in Texas. Born in Wyoming, she enjoys the wide-open spaces and the mountains. She enjoys drawing, painting, and reading. She loves watching sports: the Colorado Rockies, college football, and college basketball.

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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 is a Sargent in the Air National Guard working towards her nursing degree and their son is studying engineering at CU Boulder. 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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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. Laura also teaches two educational technology courses at the University of Colorado at Denver.

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

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Emily Ward

K-5 Science Specialist

Emily is thrilled to partner again with the teachers, parents, and staff as Ben Franklin Academy’s Science Specialist. Her goal is to help students reinforce the concepts they are taught in class as well as delve deeper into the Scientific Process. Emily has been with BFA since it opened; she started at BFA as a fourth grade teacher before becoming the Science Specialist in 2014. In her free time she enjoys outdoor activities with her computer animator husband, Cliff, their independent young lady, Iris, new little miss, Cerise, and crazy mutt, Gertie.

As our namesake, Benjamin Franklin, said, “The doors of wisdom are never shut.” Emily has always had a passion for science, which has led her to obtain her Master’s in Math and Science Curriculum Instruction. She hopes to instill this love of learning, questioning, and curiosity to the students using meaningful experiments and hands-on explorations. Emily looks forward to continue getting to know the elementary students and fostering their love of science!

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Patricia Connell

Middle School Spanish

Sra. Connell is very proud to be part of such a great school! Even though this is her first year at Ben Franklin, this is her nineteenth year in the educational field with seven years in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and 12 years in Douglas County, Colorado.

After graduating from school in Peru with a degree in Tourism Administration, she moved to the United States where she changed her career to education to become a Spanish teacher. Sra. Connell has taught at all levels and at all ages from Preschool to women’s college at Denver University. She attended Ashford University and also obtained an endorsement in Spanish from Metropolitan state University. She is a member of the Colorado Congress of Foreign Language Teachers.

Sra. Connell’s believes in learning through hands-on activities and lots of public speaking. She also teaches an adult Spanish class at the Littleton YMCA.

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Sarah Harrell

English Language Development Teacher

Response to Intervention Team Lead

Learning Specialist

504 Coordinator

Phone: 720-383-4519 ext. 3225

Sarah Harrell is a Colorado native and received her B.A. from the University of Colorado. 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 in 2010. She then received her M. Ed in Special Education and ELD endorsement in 2014. She works as one of the Learning Specialists as well as the 504 Coordinator and ELD teacher.

In her free time, Sarah enjoys spending time with her family. She and her husband, David, have two boys, D.C. at Utah State University and Xavier at Arapahoe High School. They enjoy movies, snowboarding, traveling, and watching the boys play sports. Sarah also loves to read, hike, and spend time with her big extended family in Colorado.

Sarah Russell

Special Education Team Lead

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

This is going to be Hugh’s seventh year at Ben Franklin Academy as the licensed school psychologist and 15th year with Douglas County. He received his Ed.S. in School Psychology from UCD and began working with students in 1996. Hugh really loves working at Ben Franklin because he is able to get into the classroom on a daily basis and teaches social emotional learning to students ranging from Kindergarten up to eighth grade. Additionally he teaches bully-proofing in fourth and sixth grade.

Hugh just celebrated his 22nd anniversary to his wonderful wife. His daughter is going to be a senior and his son is going to be a sophomore at Thunder Ridge High School. When Hugh is not with his family you can find him at the ice rink playing ‘old-man’ hockey.

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Jennifer Woudenberg

MS Counselor

I am the Middle School Counselor at BFA. I have been in education for over 15 years and love working with middle schoolers! I grew up in Colorado and love living here! I met my husband of 17 years in college in sunny southern CA where I was attending Chapman University. Somehow convinced the SoCal boy to move to CO to be with my family and we have been in Highlands Ranch for 16 years, raising our son and dogs! In my free time, I love spending time with my family outdoors in the mountains, going to the movies, at an Avs game, or doing anything with my son and husband!

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Angela Bond

Gifted and Talented Specialist

I am a Texas Native, but I have lived in Highlands Ranch for 15 years. I have an amazing husband and two awesome sons. I love the mountains, the 4 seasons, and all of the outdoor opportunities that living in Colorado provides. In my free time I enjoy traveling, spending time with my family, and reading for fun or to learn something new.

I have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and a Masters Degree in Teaching from the University of Northern Colorado. Before becoming a teacher, I worked as a Software Consultant with Deloitte Consulting and as a Project Manager at a small start up software company in Austin. I was also lucky to be a stay-at-home mom when my sons were younger.

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Katie Murphy

Gifted and Talented Specialist

Katie completed her 18th year of teaching this past year. She has worked with students in grades three through five for the majority of her career and taught fifth grade for thirteen years. This upcoming year will be her fifth year as the gifted and talented specialist at Ben Franklin Academy. Teaching is her passion, and she loves every minute she gets to spend with students helping them 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 certification from Regis University.

Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Katie moved to Colorado in 1999. She lives with her husband, Patrick, their three children, Lillia (10th grade), Aidan (7th grade) and Charlie (4th grade), and their dog 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 or walking her dog on the beautiful trails throughout Colorado. 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.

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Becky Archunde

Occupational Therapist

I have been an OT since 2003 and have loved the challenge of problem solving to make their life better with everyone I have worked with in that time!

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Courtney Young

Speech Language Pathology Aide

My name is Courtney Young, and I’m excited to be a part of the BFA team this year! I finished my leveling certificate in speech-language and hearing science and completed my SLPA internship from Metropolitan State University in May of 2018. While I’m working as an assistant to Sarah Russell, BFA’s speech-language pathologist, I will also be taking online courses at the University of Northern Colorado to receive my Master of Arts degree in Speech-Language Pathology. When I’m done with my degree, I would love to work as either a school-based speech therapist and/or provide in-home intervention for young children with communication disorders.

I live in Parker with my husband, Chris, and our two energetic daughters – Sophie (age 9) and Aria (age 7). Our children attend Global Village Academy in Parker where the classes are taught in English and Spanish. I used to be a teacher of English as a Second Language to refugees and asylum seekers – in the USA and abroad- so travel and learning about different languages and cultures are my life-long passions. I also LOVE to garden and spend time outdoors with my family.

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Katie Frisbie

MS Student Support Specialist

Katie has worked at Ben Franklin Academy for the past two years as a speech-language pathology assistant and learning interventionist. She is excited to enter into her 3^rd year as the middle school learning specialist. In April 2019, Katie earned her Master’s degree in special education from Grand Canyon University. This past summer was a busy one as Katie got married in July! She has a Labradoodle named Kobe who she loves to take for hikes, cuddle, and play fetch with. Katie’s husband is a high school football coach, so she is continually learning more about the sport and she enjoys attending every game. She enjoys working out, hiking, traveling, playing games, camping, spending time with family, and so much more.

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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!

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Paulette Graves

Literacy Specialist

Janet Harlow

Life Skills and SPED Aide

Janet is happy to be back this year teaching Life Skills in the morning and working with Student Support in the afternoon. Janet enjoys teaching the 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders what is necessary for success above and beyond what they learn academically. This will be Janet’s 7th year as a part of the middle school. During the summers, Janet is also the Co-Director of the successful BFA Summer Camp program. Janet enjoys the constant connection with a large number of students,

Janet has earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Phoenix and is currently finishing the student teaching portion for her Master’s in Special Education from Grand Canyon University. Janet is a mom of two. Her daughter works full-time in the management field in Portland OR, while her son is a Sergeant with the United States Marine Corps. As an empty nester, Janet enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and her cats, Harper and Tulo. Janet has lived in Colorado since 2006, after many years in Texas. Born in Wyoming, she enjoys the wide-open spaces and the mountains. She enjoys drawing, painting, and reading. She loves watching sports: the Colorado Rockies, college football, and college basketball.

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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.

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Eric Tulga

Student Support

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Michelle Ziegler

Student Support

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