The A-Team is the parent support group for the performing and visual arts department at Ben Franklin Academy.  Mrs. Hinkle and Ms. Johnson strive to continuously raise the bar in terms of quality and level of participation within our Arts program, and we need the help of our talented BFA community. Specifically, we are looking for the following:

Room Parents– This role involves coordinating other parents to help with performance set up or art hanging, etc.

Costumers– We need parents with either sewing skills OR ‘thrifty shopping skills’ to help Ms. Johnson make and/or find costumes for the middle school musical.

Set Building– If you have woodworking, construction or set building skills, we’d appreciate your help with building sets for various performances.

Performing and Visual Arts Liaison– This role is for anyone who wants to support music and art at BFA. These opportunities do not require artistic or musical skills. They might include: art room help, art display, green room parent, organizing meals for performers, fundraising (Disneyland trip), special events (poppies for Veterans Day or Talent Show), etc.

If you can help or would like more information, please click on this link. This will help our staff develop a “wish list” of parent volunteers who have a passion for the arts.

The mission of the Community Events Committee (CEC) is to promote interaction between students, staff, administration, parents and the surrounding community with emphasis on community service and outreach. The Committee also connects parents and students with the BFA internal and external community through annual service projects.

The CEC organizes the following events:

  • Back School Picnic
  • Boohoo/Yahoo
  • Veterans Day celebration
  • Morsels with Mom
  • Donuts with Dad
  • Goodies with Grandparents
  • and the OAK (One Act of Kindness) Holiday Outreach service projects.

The CEC is a small committee of officers who have a lot of fun strengthening the BFA community, building relationships, and bringing the 13 Virtues into action. The CEC welcomes ad-hoc help with events throughout the year. Please consider volunteering to fill these needs as they arise. This is a great way to get to know BFA families and fulfill your volunteer commitment without having to sit on a long-term committee. The term for serving as an officer is 2 years and we are always looking for good people to step into those positions when they become available.

The CEC programs truly demonstrate BFA’s 13 virtues in a tangible way. If you are interested in contributing to the CEC and its projects, email us here.

Accordion title

For a copy of the CEC Bylaws, click here.

    Becky Mayka

    Chair

    cec@bfacademy.org

        Amy Marks

        Vice Chair

            Anneke Delpiccolo

            Secretary

                Marissa Patterson

                Treasurer

                    Devon Preeo

                    Communications Officer

                        Mindy Pooler

                        Officer

                        Mindy has been volunteering at Ben Franklin since 2012 when her oldest son was in kindergarten. She has served as an Officer of the CEC for the past three years and enjoys supporting the many community-building events that are integral to life at Ben Franklin Academy. Prior to this, Mindy was on the PTO for seven years serving four years on the PTO Board as Social Chair (2 years) and Co-Secretary (2 years). Mindy has two boys; one in middle school at BFA and one who is a sophomore in high school. She works as a Senior Business Analyst for an internet company. Mindy moved to Highlands Ranch from the east coast 11 years ago and enjoys life in Colorado. She loves playing golf, skiing, spending time with family and friends and supporting her children’s passion for water polo.

                            Nikki Busto

                            Officer

                              Members & Bylaws

                                Lance Klassen

                                Chair

                                Lance works for the State of Colorado, and has been in the accounting department for over 14 years, and is currently a Payroll Manager for the Colorado Department of Human Services.  Lance has also been a small business owner for over 16 years with rentals in a few states.  Lance grew up on a farm in Minnesota and moved to Colorado in 2007 and enjoys spending time with his family, finding free events on the weekends, playing basketball, and cheering for the Vikings (and all other MN sports)!  Lance and his wife, Sara, have two boys at BFA (grades 2nd & 4th).

                                    Brendon Cussio

                                    Vice Chair

                                        Kyle Schlenker

                                        Secretary

                                            Liz Elder

                                            Finance Committee Member

                                            Liz is a Financial Analyst at Wind Crest, a CCRC retirement community in Highlands Ranch.  She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an Emphasis in Marketing from University of Northern Colorado and a Master’s of Science in Accountancy from University of Phoenix.  Liz started in various Sales positions after college and has been in financial roles for 15+ years.  Originally from Kansas, Liz moved to Colorado in elementary school.  Outside of work, Liz enjoys time with her family (husband, Eric, and daughter, Paige, a 4th grader at BFA), road trips, movies, crafting and reading.

                                                Jill Noble

                                                Finance Committee Member

                                                Jill is a CPA specializing in SEC reporting and technical accounting. She has her BS in Accountancy from Arizona State University and her MS in Accountancy from the University of Denver. She started her career at KPMG Denver in the audit practice before switching to industry. She currently works as an independent contractor and is going into her sixth year with Liberty Media as a quarterly consultant in their SEC reporting group. She lives in Highlands Ranch with her husband, Travis, and three children – Landon (1st grade), Connor (pre-K) and Claire (2.5 years old). She loves running and going to the mountains/any kind of travel and her children are her main “hobby” at this stage of her life. She has loved becoming more a part of the BFA community and also really enjoys participating in the Community Engagement Committee at BFA and volunteering for their events.

                                                    Drew Wunderlich

                                                    Finance Committee Member

                                                        Halsley Hoff 

                                                        Business Manager

                                                        hhoff@bfacademy.org

                                                        Halsley loves being part of the Ben Franklin Academy family. She was involved with our PTO from the beginning initially serving as the Fundraising Coordinator and then as Secretary. She joined the BFA staff in November of 2012 working as the Business Assistant. In March 2015, she moved into the role of Business Manager.

                                                        She is a Colorado native and graduated from Fort Lewis College with a degree in Computer Science. Prior to BFA she worked as the Clinic/Grants & Contracts Manager at the Barbara Davis Center. Her oldest daughter was part of the first BFA Kindergarten class and will be a Senior this year, her youngest daughter graduated BFA last year and will be a Freshman.

                                                        Faculty Favorites

                                                            Sarah Nisbet

                                                            Treasurer

                                                            Email

                                                            Sarah Nisbet serves as Treasurer on the BFA Board of Directors. She holds a degree in education from Texas State University and spent five years teaching full day Kindergarten. During that time, she furthered her education becoming GT trained, ESL certified, and served on the literacy collaborative committee. When she left teaching to spend more time with her kids, she stayed involved by leading and running the finance side of a MOPS group and volunteering at BFA. Currently she is a Senior Coffee Specialist at the Nespresso Boutique. In addition to her volunteer work at BFA, Ms. Nisbet leads a single mom’s group at Mission Hills Church. Prior to joining the Board, Ms. Nisbet served on the School Accountability Committee (SAC) for four years. Currently, Ms. Nisbet serves as the Board liaison for the School Accountability Committee and the Uniform Committee. She’s also our representative on the DCSD Alliance.

                                                              Meeting Agendas

                                                              Committee Meeting Minutes

                                                              The Grant Writing Committee is a working sub-committee of the Ben Franklin Academy (BFA) Board of Directors (Board) that works collaboratively with BFA’s teachers, staff, administrators, parents, Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) and Board to investigate, identify and assist in the submission of grant applications for projects aligned with the mission and vision of BFA.

                                                              Some generous employers offer grants to non-profits such as BFA, when their employees volunteer time.  In fact, some employers (such as Liberty Media or Arrow Electronics) will consider requests for funding only if the request is made by an employee. If you have any questions regarding whether your employer offers any potential grants, contact your Human Resources Department or send an email to grants@bfacademy.org.

                                                              In the past, BFA has received employer volunteer grants from Qwest (now CenturyLink), Farmers Insurance and Bank of America.  Such employee volunteer grants are separate from employer matching programs for employee financial donations and submitted through the PTO.  Please see the PTO’s web page for additional details.

                                                              If you want to get involved with BFA’s grant team or have any questions regarding any grant opportunities, please contact the Grant Writing Committee via email.

                                                              Grant Committee Members

                                                                Sandy Graham

                                                                Grant Committee Member