Kathy Chase
AM Kindie
Jillane Disbrow
Kindie PM
Jillane is very excited to begin her seventh 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, Adam, for 25 years. They have two daughters, Jensen, who is a freshman at GCU, and Marin, who is a sophomore at Arapahoe High School.
Jillane looks forward to working with the kindergarten teaching team again and helping sweet kindies learn and grow during the 2020-21 school year.
Holly Melka
2nd Grade AM
EmailHolly 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.
Faculty FavoritesKristi 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.
Faculty FavoritesDana 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.
Sierrah White
Kindie AM and 3rd Grade PM
EmailSierrah is excited to join the BFA family for her first year as a Kindergarten AM and 3rd Grade PM Instructional Aide! She graduated Brigham Young University-Idaho with a Bachelors in Child Development and Minor in International Studies. With that, she has a newfound love to learn continually and enjoys being able to help others find their love to learn as well. In her free time she enjoys: Movie marathons, Hiking, Biking, Sleeping, Road Trips, Being with family and friends, and spontaneous adventures. She is ecstatic for the beginning of a great year and is ready to learn new things and meet new faces!
Faculty FavoritesJennifer 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.
Faculty FavoritesAbby Thomas
Lunch Aide
EmailAbigail Thomas grew up in Littleton Colorado. She is a paraprofessional in the transportation department for Littleton Public schools on the side. As a paraprofessional, she’s responsible for securing special needs students and attending to their day-to-day needs. She has been working with children for 8 years since she was in high school until now and is currently working at transportation. Her favorite age group to work with is Elementary. She believes every child should be treated equally and with respect! Ms. Thomas has an Associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Arapahoe Community College and is CPR/First aid certified. Outside of work, she has been dating someone for 4 years and loves spending time with him. Also, in her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, friends and being outdoors.
Faculty Favorites