MEET OUR STAFF

Jana Roberts, Founder & Director,

Mentor for Roots and Symbols (Tuesday)

Steven Roberts, Co-Founder & Director,

Mentor for Economics (Thursday)

Brooke Stephens, Co-Director & Ogden Supervisor, Key of Liberty Mentor

(Clearfield & Ogden)

Jana Roberts has had a desire to start up a school since college and is thrilled and humbled to feel the Lord's hand guide her in this endeavor at this time. She’s always had a deep love of learning. She was the kid you’d find asleep with encyclopedias all over her bed and reading in the car on the way to piano lessons. After getting a B.A. in Humanities at Brigham Young University, she did graduate work at George Wythe College, a college founded by Oliver DeMille (author of A Thomas Jefferson Education). Going to school there was a profound learning experience that changed her life and gave her first-hand experience what a leadership education is like. She then taught English, U.S. government and Humanities at Paradigm High School, a TJEd charter school. When she left, the director said he was losing one of his best mentors. She recently wrote (and carried out) the Miracle of America class which was a wonderful experience for her and the students alike. She also has licensed the curriculum to other learning institutions to help distribute it to more students. This inspired her to create and organize more classes to serve more students and to form this mircoschool. Jana has a wonderful husband and four beautiful children whom she has homeschooled from the beginning. She also loves the outdoors, holistic medicine, gardening, playing the piano, good conversations, and the temple.

Steven has a passion for teaching and has had many teaching opportunities throughout his life such as positions as a tutor, research assistant, teaching assistant, gospel doctrine teacher, and teacher of a college finance course he created. As a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he spoke Spanish and found joy in connecting with people through food, humor, and the gospel. Steven is a published author and has written on finance and religious topics. He also loves public speaking and has won first place in regional awards with Toastmaster’s International and has also been an I.E.E.E. Distinguished Speaker. Steven attended Brigham Young University where he was honored with the Hinckley Scholarship. He graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering and minored in Mathematics. He currently works as an electrical engineer, but his great love is teaching, especially teaching the gospel and is grateful to be the gospel doctrine teacher of his ward at this time. He also enjoys cooking, studying religion, hiking, patriotism, and helping people.

Brooke Stephens is an experienced teacher, entrepreneur and parental rights advocate dedicated to reviving America's civic spirit. She is the Director of Utah Moms for America, the founder of Amplify-USA, a mobile app that empowers citizens, and StoryLabs, a platform that provides civics, history, family-centered sex ed, and language curricula for K-12. Her work is guided by a Master's degree in Critical and Creative Thinking and eight years of experience teaching middle school. More importantly, Brooke’s principles are forged through twenty years of marriage and raising four adopted children.  Brooke's teaching approach is built on the belief that strong families and student-centered support are key to raising virtuous individuals. Brooke is honored to mentor your children as they discover the principles of liberty and their role as future leaders.

Shelli Thompson, Co-Founder

Meganne Bodily, Administrative Assistant, Mentor for Around the Hearth (Tuesday, Clearfield) & Explore the World (Thursday, Ogden)

Kami Applegate, Mentor for Cultures of the World (Monday)

Shelli Thompson

Meganne is thrilled to be a part of Aspire Mountain Academy! Meganne loves education and couldn't seem to stop going to school for many years! After serving an LDS mission and finding a passion for teaching, she received her Bachelors in Family Studies / Child Development from Brigham Young University shortly before getting married. She then received her Master's in Elementary Education a couple of years later. After her children were born, she left behind the world of teaching elementary and focused on the greatest job ever: being a stay at home mom! Even though she wasn't teaching full time anymore, Meganne continued her passion of teaching by teaching English to children in China over the internet and continued her love of teaching the Gospel in various callings in church. As a mother of 2 beautiful daughters, Meganne has always loved teaching within the home. She loves curiosity in a young mind and fully encourages asking questions, trying new things, learning through play, and seeing the wonders of the world that God has created!It has been a joy for Meganne to be able to stay home, homeschool her children, and now join the wonderful community of Aspire Mountain Academy: truly the best of both worlds!

Kami Applegate

Heidi Martin, Mentor for Miracle of America (Monday)

Annie Piper, Mentor for Explore the World (Monday)

Amy Meyer, Mentor for LEMI Sword and Hero (Tuesday)

My name is Heidi Martin. I’m a wife and mother of six amazing adults and grandmother to six adorable grandkids. I hold a Bachelor’s of science in marriage and family studies with a minor in music. I’ve taught over 30 years of private piano lessons to hundreds of students. I’ve also been an elementary school music teacher, taught over a decade of music preschool classes, ukulele classes, after-school choirs, show choirs, and early morning seminary. I’m an entrepreneur and have been owner and operator of Princess Parties by Heidi for 15 years. I’ve served as primary president, young women’s president, and primary chorister for many years. My husband was an Air Force pilot for 20 years and after graduating BYU, we moved all over the country living in Oklahoma, South Carolina, Hawaii, New Jersey, and Virginia where he retired at the pentagon. We then moved to Colorado where we’ve lived for the last 12 years. All six of our children have served missions, and our youngest is currently serving in Tonga. I’ve worked with the homeschool community for decades teaching piano and elementary music. We just moved to Utah to live near our family.  I’m excited to teach at Aspire Mountain Academy beginning this fall and to get to know all of your lovely families!

Annie Piper

Amy Meyer

Mentor for Beacons of Light (Tuesday)

Mentor for Pre-Algebra (Monday & Thursday)

Mentor for Wonders of Earth (Thursday)

TBA

TBA

Cissily Heaton, Mentor for Heroic Youth for Boys (Thursday)

Rochelle Farnsworth, Mentor for Heroic Youth for Girls (Thursday)

Jennifer Hall, Mentor for Biology (Thursday)

Cissily Braten is very talented with a lot of experience teaching and organizing. She earned her B.S. in Science Education from Western Governors University, and she has been teaching since 2017. She has taught 6th through 12th grade science in many settings, including public, private, charter, Title I, turnaround, online, and in-person schools. Her background includes teaching Earth Science, Astronomy, Biology, STEM, Physical Science, and ESL. Cissily has also developed curriculum for BYU Online High School and Williamsburg Learning Academy, led middle school MTSS processes, served as a lead teacher, coached soccer, and worked in healthcare and laboratory settings. She currently homeschools her children and runs an adventure program for Davis County teens through Leadership Academy of Utah. She is passionate about helping students grow in confidence, curiosity, and a love of learning.

My name is Jennifer Hall and I have been teaching for as long as I can remember. I started when I was being homeschooled myself and “got” to help teach my younger siblings how to read and write. My grandmother was a teacher and I loved the days I spent with her in her classrooms setting up the spaces for her students to use. My homeschool education included many skills I have never used like anatomy, coding in three (now dead) programming languages, pottery, dissection and many others. On the other hand, I also learned many other skills that none of my friends knew that I have used over and over again like electrical wiring, plumbing, carpentry, grammar, written word, proofreading, spelling, cooking, canning, preserving food, sewing and living within a budget. I ended up growing up to be an accountant and raised four children of my own, three of whom are now in the financial world as well. I have taught many people how to do many different things over the years and I love seeing people learn something new and watching their faces light up as they learn. For the past 8 years, I have directed and taught at a hybrid school for homeschoolers.

Anne Haderlie, Mentor for Georgics LEMI Project and Life Science

Janese Embley, Mentor for Heroic Youth for Girls and Boys (Friday)

Kelsey Miller, Mentor for Wonders of Earth (Friday)

Anne Haderlie has been teaching as long as she can remember, from guiding younger siblings and coaching gymnastics to tutoring students. She taught English in Russia, was a Girl Scout and Cub Scout leader, and served in several church callings with the children and youth programs.  She also homeschooled her three now-graduated children. Passionate about lifelong learning and sharing knowledge of all kinds, she has taught with homeschool programs in Weber and Davis counties for the past six years. At home, Anne runs a lively homestead with dairy goats, meat rabbits, chickens, a garden, and an orchard—embracing the joyful chaos while continually learning and honing her jack-of-all-trades reputation. She holds an AA in Elementary Education, a BS in Business and Accounting, and a “Master’s in life.” Anne is thrilled to be part of the Aspire Mountain team.

Janese Embley

Kelsey enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, especially camping and hiking. She also loves crocheting, caring for houseplants, and reading to her children every night before bed. Her passion for working with children began at a young age when she started babysitting and quickly earned a reputation as the neighborhood “child whisperer.” She worked as a nanny after graduation and later opened an in-home daycare when she had her own children. Kelsey attended Davis Technical College, where she earned her cosmetology license and spent eight years working in a salon. She has also served as a recess aide at her local elementary school, substituted in P.E. classes, and currently coaches youth soccer. Kelsey is the proud mother of four children, and she has homeschooled them for four years. She has spent many years serving youth through various church callings. Kelsey is passionate about helping children learn, grow, and feel valued, and she loves being part of a positive school community.

Mentor for Around the Hearth (Friday)

Coach Bo

Ashley Steed

TBA

Coach Bo Finau

Ashley Steed

OGDEN LOCATION

Brooke Stephens, Ogden Supervisor, Mentor for Key of Liberty

Ashley Kerbs, Mentor Miracle of America

Nicole Davis, Mentor for Explore the World

Brooke Stephens is an experienced teacher, entrepreneur and parental rights advocate dedicated to reviving America's civic spirit. She is the Director of Utah Moms for America, the founder of Amplify-USA, a mobile app that empowers citizens, and StoryLabs, a platform that provides civics, history, family-centered sex ed, and language curricula for K-12. Her work is guided by a Master's degree in Critical and Creative Thinking and eight years of experience teaching middle school. More importantly, Brooke’s principles are forged through twenty years of marriage and raising four adopted children.  Brooke's teaching approach is built on the belief that strong families and student-centered support are key to raising virtuous individuals. Brooke is honored to mentor your children as they discover the principles of liberty and their role as future leaders.

Hi I’m Ashley. I am a passionate home educator committed to fostering curiosity, empathy, and a lifelong love of learning in my children. I have a deep belief that education extends far beyond the “classroom” walls. My roots ran deep in the business world where I worked at management levels for years in the financial technology industry. Those opportunities gave me a bigger world view to glean from. Today outside the classroom, my life is anchored by a love for nature, my family, and a simple, slower, intentional lifestyle. Caring for my husband, our two boys, my horses and dogs keeps me grounded. I love to curl up with a great book (ones with real pages to turn) and read for hours. Reading is one of my favorite aspects of homeschooling. The joys that come from sitting down together to read a thought-provoking book is something I hope my boys will always fondly remember. When we’re not off on a family adventure or outside with our animals, you can often find me in the kitchen, gardening, decorating, antiquing and dabbling in sewing, among many other things. I enjoy serving in various callings within my church and community and will always be willing to jump up in the middle of the night, if it means I can help our neighbors round up their loose cows. Looking forward to creating an engaging environment where every child feels valued, supported, and inspired to explore the world around them.

Nicole

Mentor for Economics & Entreprenuership

Mentor for Science

Mentor for Heroic Youth

TBA

TBA

TBA

Meganne Bodily, Mentor for Explore the World

Meganne is thrilled to be a part of Aspire Mountain Academy! Meganne loves education and couldn't seem to stop going to school for many years! After serving an LDS mission and finding a passion for teaching, she received her Bachelors in Family Studies / Child Development from Brigham Young University shortly before getting married. She then received her Master's in Elementary Education a couple of years later. After her children were born, she left behind the world of teaching elementary and focused on the greatest job ever: being a stay at home mom! Even though she wasn't teaching full time anymore, Meganne continued her passion of teaching by teaching English to children in China over the internet and continued her love of teaching the Gospel in various callings in church. As a mother of 2 beautiful daughters, Meganne has always loved teaching within the home. She loves curiosity in a young mind and fully encourages asking questions, trying new things, learning through play, and seeing the wonders of the world that God has created!It has been a joy for Meganne to be able to stay home, homeschool her children, and now join the wonderful community of Aspire Mountain Academy: truly the best of both worlds!