Click on the teacher's picture to access the class page.

Director: Mrs. Susan Kirby will direct the school for the 19th year. She teaches English in Junior High and oversees the curriculum for each grade. This ensures each grade building upon the others and avoiding "holes" in the student's education. Mrs. Kirby graduated from Teachers' College in Toronto, Canada in 1967. She first taught for the Toronto School Board, where she was designated a Master Teacher after her first year. She later taught for the Mississauga School Board. She took a break from teaching professionally while her children were young and returned to substitute in the greater Toronto area. When her children were all in school, she taught for 5 years at Challenger School in Orem. She has been at Ivy Hall since 1991, and the Director since 1992. Mrs. Kirby has four children and twelve grandchildren.

Office Manager: Mrs. VerDaun Bingham will resume the position of office manager this year. She and her husband have been married 40 years and have 8 children, 22 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren. In her early days she raced sports cars with a professional sports car club in California. She is the youngest of 6 children; loves going to movies, seafood and cooking. She loves snow skiing at 73 and is so happy to be administering the Ivy Hall Academy Ski Program this year. She has held administrative-clerical positions for close to 40 years.

	Pre-K: A native of Orem, Utah, Mrs. Ashley Neilsen will be teaching our Pre-K class in the mornings and first grade in the afternoons. Mrs. Neilsen has three children who are students at Ivy Hall. She has been married to her sweetheart, Scott for 11 years. Her mothering skills and her experience with children make her an excellent preschool teacher.

Pre-K Aide: Mrs. Christine Williams will be assisting in the preschool at Ivy Hall this year. She is a native of Utah, but has lived in Idaho, Alaska, and British Columbia. Her greatest accomplishment has been to be a mother of three and still live to tell the story. Mrs. Williams' professional experience in education has primarily been with Pre-K through third grade, focusing on English as a Second Language and Special Education Preschool.

	All-Day Kindergarten: Mrs. Whitney Harken is entering her third year with us. She is the youngest of seven children. She grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. She's been married to her best friend, Dallas, for 27 years. They have four children. Their family loves camping, going to the Manti Pageant, and bowling with their Wii.

1st Grade: Mrs. Kathie Hunter begins her 19th year at Ivy Hall. Needless to say she has extensive experience and the patience of a saint. Many students have benefited from having her as a teacher, and nine grandchildren enjoy her as "Grandma".

2nd Grade: Miss Nichole Willden has been teaching at a private school in Springfield, Missouri for five years. She studied Education and Child Development at Ozark Technical College. She is very excited to be teaching the 2nd Grade this year. The classroom is her favorite place to be, and teaching is her greatest passion. Besides teaching, she also enjoys spending time with her friends and family. She loves to visit museums and theatres. She writes novels, poetry, and children’s books. She loves to write and direct children’s plays. In her free time she goes up into the beautiful mountains to dream.

3rd Grade: Mrs. Suzanne Forstrom is our new 3rd grade teacher this year. She came here from Newport Beach, California and went to BYU, majoring in English Secondary Education and minoring in Near Eastern Studies. She enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, swimming, tennis, and of course teaching. Mrs. Forstrom has one 9-year-old daughter and loves spending time with family. She also enjoys experiencing new cultures and environments and has had the opportunity to live in the South and Midwest.

	4th Grade: Mrs. Saria Ott is teaching our 4th grade. She grew up in Central and South America and southern California. Mrs. Ott graduated from BYU with a major in History and Spanish and minors in Math and Secondary Education. Mrs. Ott has four children, all of whom are attending Ivy Hall this year. She enjoys cooking, laughing, yoga, and vacations to Disneyland with her family.

5th Grade: Mrs. Lynne Shumway was born in England, raised in New Zealand, raised a family in Australia, and is now a genuine American Citizen. Now you try and work out that accent! This is her fourth year at Ivy Hall. She is a trained teacher and has worked in the education field for many years, both in classroom and in administration. She is excited to be working with the Fabulous 5th Grade this year. Mrs. Shumway is an avid fan of the great outdoors, enjoying fly-fishing, camping, and hiking. She also enjoys writing, reading, traveling, and the challenge of new experiences.

6th Grade: Mrs. Amanda González is our new 6th grade teacher. She served a mission in the foreign country of Alaska and there she learned Spanish! She graduated from UVU with a degree in Spanish Education. She will also be teaching Junior High Spanish and is excited to help the Ivy Hall students to learn about different cultures and improve their language skills. She and her husband, Carlos have been married for 2 ˝ years. She loves travelling and trying new foods. She also loves reading, being outdoors, running, playing racquetball and spending time with family.

Junior High: Mrs. Cynthia Simpson will be teaching Jr. High this year. She grew up in Provo and graduated from BYU with a degree in Russian. She enjoys running, tennis, traveling and spending time with family. Mrs. Simpson has been married for 14 years. She has lived in Russia, China, New York, Park City, and now Orem. She has loved living, learning and exploring many different cultures, and feels blessed to reside here in the United States. Mrs. Simpson has four children attending Ivy Hall and is looking forward to teaching 7th and 8th grades this year. She hopes to have a year filled with exposure to new, exciting and challenging opportunities.

Spanish: Our elementary Spanish will be taught by Mr. Justin Pitts. He grew up in Clermont, Florida, and has lived in Utah for two years. He served a mission in Costa Rica and loves being able to speak and teach the Spanish language. Growing up he had many teaching opportunities and it is something he has grown to love.