FOUNDERS, FACULTY & STAFF
Founders
Mr. Jared Carman
Head of School
Mr. Carman is dedicated to helping students become leaders and doers. Over the last 25 years Mr. Carman has grown multiple learning technology companies, impacting millions of learners worldwide. Currently the owner and CEO of a Utah learning and testing company, Mr. Carman loves to invest in young people. Prior to founding Belmont, Mr. Carman served as board member and vice-chair of the independent, Christian school he attended in his youth. Mr. and Mrs. Carman founded Belmont after feeling moved upon to create a classical, Christian school for their own daughters, and for other families in Utah. Mr. Carman holds an M.S. in Instructional Technology from Utah State University and a B.S. in Psychology from Brigham Young University.
Mrs. Denise Carman
Director of Curriculum & Instruction
Mrs. Carman delights in teaching, and in creating, for students, a feast of the best books. Over the last 15 years, she has guided curriculum choices and taught in home and private schools. While serving as Curriculum Chair for a 7-12 charter school, she worked closely with teachers and department heads to ensure that curriculum choices were mission-aligned. Mrs. Carman has visited classical, Christian schools across the country, and collaborates with like-minded administrators in Kentucky, Michigan, Indiana, Arizona, California, and Utah. Mrs. Carman is an award-winning French teacher. Having lived in France and Switzerland, she shares her love of French with her students. Mrs. Carman holds a B.A. in French from Brigham Young University. Her greatest joys are her own five children.
Faculty & Staff
Mrs. Hannah Boynton
Uniforms Specialist
Mrs. Boynton loves that Belmont is a partnership with parents. She enjoys working with parents to help each child enjoy their experience at Belmont. Mrs. Boynton attended Brigham Young University Idaho.
Mrs. Shelli Boynton
Grades 4-5 Bible Study, History, Geography, Latin;
Math 6/7, Lower School Music; Upper School Latin II; Bell Choir
Mrs. Boynton is an accomplished educator with 20 years of homeschool teaching experience. She earned a B.A. in English from Brigham Young University. She minored in music, served as a Board Advisory Committee Member for the Intermountain Suzuki String Institute, and performs as a bell ringer with Bells on Temple Square. Mrs. Boynton is an avid lover of literature, maintaining an extensive personal library which she generously shares with Belmont faculty and students.
Mr. Clay Brown
Physical Education
Mr. Brown is an award-winning math teacher who loves sports. After running track for both Rick’s College and Brigham Young University, Mr. Brown coached both high school football and track & field, and currently teaches math at the college level. He holds a Masters in Mathematics from Central Washington University and a Bachelors in Mathematics education from Brigham Young University. When not teaching, Mr. Brown spends time outdoors with his family hiking, camping, and playing volleyball.
Mrs. Robin Brown
Kindergarten / 1st Grade Art, Music, PE; Yearbook; Service Club Advisor
Mrs. Brown teaches music, art, and P.E. to our Kindergarten and 1st grade students. She grew up in Placerville California, where she spent her childhood swinging in an enormous tire swing, climbing trees around the property, and swimming. Her passion of classical literature came as her father scooped her up each night after dinner and read the classics aloud. She spent a great deal of time camping, canoeing, and sailing in the Sierra Nevada's. She studied violin and piano at BYU Idaho. She married in 1999 and left college to start her family. Robin has a great love for being in nature with her 6 kids and amazing husband, Clay. She has a deep love for God, Family, and Country and feels very privileged to be a part of the Belmont Community.
Mrs. Ellen Burns
Algebra II, High School Biology
Mrs. Burns has many years of experience homeschooling and currently teaches college math at Utah Valley University. At Belmont, Mrs. Burns teaches Algebra 2 to high school students. She earned both her B.S. and M.S. in Statistics from Brigham Young University. She also serves as Co-Chair for the Highland City Arts Council, directing and producing youth Shakespeare and directing youth music productions. In addition to these many roles, she also teaches violin to young musicians. A true instructor of the quadrivium, she loves learning and teaching both math and music.
Mr. Mike Burns
Algebra I
Mr. Burns teaches Algebra 1 to middle and high school students at Belmont. He has a degree in Statistics from BYU and has written statistical software. He currently is the Principal Broker/Owner for Whitman Burns Realty in American Fork. Mr. Burns is involved in all aspects of real estate, development, rehabilitation, property management, land investment, new construction, and resale. He has served on various county and state committees in Utah. He has enjoyed teaching his children over the years, and with a great love for math and science, he is excited to get a head-start on his goal of teaching during retirement.
Mrs. Denise Carman
AP French, Honors French Literature, Latin IV
Mrs. Carman delights in teaching, and in creating, for students, a feast of the best books. Over the last 15 years, she has guided curriculum choices and taught in home and private schools. While serving as Curriculum Chair for a 7-12 charter school, she worked closely with teachers and department heads to ensure that curriculum choices were mission-aligned. Mrs. Carman has visited classical, Christian schools across the country, and collaborates with like-minded administrators in Kentucky, Michigan, Indiana, Arizona, California, and Utah. Mrs. Carman is an award-winning French teacher. Having lived in France and Switzerland, she shares her love of French with her students. Mrs. Carman holds a B.A. in French from Brigham Young University. Her greatest joys are her own five children.
Mr. Jared Carman
Grades 9-12 Bible Study
Mr. Carman is dedicated to helping students grow in Caritas, Veritas, and Actio. Over the last 25 years Mr. Carman has grown multiple learning technology companies, impacting millions of learners worldwide. Currently the owner and CEO of a Utah learning and testing company, Mr. Carman loves to invest in young people. Prior to founding Belmont, Mr. Carman served as board member and vice-chair of the independent, Christian school he attended in his youth. Mr. and Mrs. Carman founded Belmont after feeling moved upon to create a classical, Christian school for their own daughters, and for other families in Utah. Mr. Carman holds an M.S. in Instructional Technology from Utah State University and a B.S. in Psychology from Brigham Young University.
Mrs. Carson Center
Drama, Classical Storytelling
Mrs. Center is a talented performer and accomplished director and teacher. On stage, she has played in, or directed, such classic productions as The Scarlet Pimpernel, Mary Poppins, Jane Eyre, White Christmas, Beauty and the Beast, and more. Mrs. Center loves students, and served several years as an adjunct faculty member at BYU, teaching Drama for the Elementary Classroom. She has taught workshops and directed productions for the Utah Theatre Association and numerous local schools, and currently serves as Director for Broadway Bound through Center Stage Youth Performers. Mrs. Center holds a BA in K-12 Theater Education from Brigham Young University.
Mrs. Colleen Estrada
Kindergarten/First Grade Reading, Writing, Bible Study;
Grades 6-8 Science
Mrs. Estrada loves children and families. With a BS in Family Science from Utah Valley University, Mrs. Estrada is a Certified Family Life Educator, and has worked with people of all ages, from small children to seniors in a care center. Mrs. Estrada loves children's literature (especially Peter Rabbit!) and seeing children succeed in their earliest years at school. She not only helps each child master reading and writing, but also cultivates courtesy, kindness, patience, and self-directed learning. Mrs. Estrada's classroom is a joy to visit.
Mr. Darrell Falconburg
Western Heritage, Civics, Geography; Logic
Mr. Falconburg is an enthusiastic classical teacher, esteemed by students and parents alike. Prior to joining Belmont, he was a humanities teacher and Dean of Students for classical Christian high schools in Colorado. He has taught history, literature, philosophy, composition, and civics courses, and has published about the thoughts of writers such as Dante and Russell Kirk. Currently pursuing a PhD from Faulkner University’s Great Books Honors College, Mr. Falconburg holds a BA in History from the College of Idaho and an MA in Philosophy from Mount Angel Abbey and Seminary.
Mrs. Anastasia Heder
Latin, Admissions Director
Mrs. Heder is passionate about bringing the time-honored tradition of classical education to the modern family. She has taught Latin, Literature, Classical Studies, Christian Studies, and Science in home and private schools for the last ten years. Before her family’s relocation to Utah, Mrs. Heder launched a Latin-centered education program with several campuses in Southern California. Mrs. Heder enjoys reading and discussing literature, hiking, and entertaining friends and family.
Mrs. Tracy Jorgensen
Geometry, Pre-Calculus
Mrs. Jorgensen loves students and has a contagious enthusiasm for math. At the college level, Mrs. Jorgensen has taught students in College Algebra, Business Calculus, and Quantitative Reasoning with Integrated Algebra. At the Junior High and High School levels, she has taught students in PreAlgebra, Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II, Pre-Calculus, and AP Calculus. With a BS in Mathematics from Brigham Young University, Mrs. Jorgensen regularly puts her math expertise to good use, as a computer programmer, teacher, and mother.
Ms. Taylene Lund
Math 5/4
Mrs. Lund loves God, her family, freedom, and teaching. Over the last twenty years she has taught in many different settings including a charter school, co-ops, homeschool, church, health departments, gyms, and even a barn. Her favorite subjects to teach (and study) are History, Classics, Math, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. She lives on a small farm with her husband, kids, and several chickens, bunnies, and goats. She is excited to be a part of the Belmont family. Prior to joining Belmont, Mrs. Lund taught at a classical charter school in Utah. Mrs. Lund holds a B.S. from Brigham Young University.
Mrs. Alyssa McKinnon
Math 8/7, Latin I, Chinese I & II
Mrs. McKinnon happily spreads an infectious love of Asian languages and culture. An award-winning student in high school, Mrs. McKinnon was awarded the BYU StarTalk Debra Wells Chinese Excellence Award, and was Utah Sterling Scholar Runner-up for World Languages. After living abroad for 18 months in Seoul, South Korea, Mrs. McKinnon returned to the US and founded Woori English, an international online tutoring business, where she focuses on relevance and context in language learning. Mrs. McKinnon graduated summa cum laude from Brigham Young University with a B.A. in Asian Studies.
Mrs. Christy Moore, J.D.
Chinese IV
Mrs Moore teaches Chinese 3 and 4 to middle and high school students. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a B.A. in Political Science. and a Juris Doctorate from the J. Reuben Clark Law School (BYU). She studied with the International Language Program in Moscow, Russia and Ningbo, China. Mrs. Moore has written articles for the Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News, co-founded a scripture study app launched in 2021 and has lectured and written on parenting. It is a joy to have Mrs. Moore teaching at Belmont Classical Academy, sharing her rich knowledge of international languages.
Mrs. Julie Morris
Honors Latin Literature; Information Technology
Well-grounded in classical, Christian education, Mrs. Morris earned her M.A. in Philosophy from Holy Apostles College and Seminary, did undergraduate work in Theology at Franciscan University, and received B.S. degrees in Economics and Accounting from the University of Kentucky. At the high school and college levels she has taught courses in Composition, English Grammar, Latin, Literature, Logic, Math, and Computers. Prior to joining Belmont, Mrs. Morris served as Director of Curriculum at a classical school in Louisville, KY. When she is not immersed in good books, she can be found helping support the family bungee jumping business or enjoying the beautiful outdoors.
Mrs. Emilee Shelley
Art
Mrs. Shelley has been teaching art in one form or another for over 12 years. She has found joy in classical art technique and in helping each student find the value in learning visual art. Mrs. Shelley attended and has taught at various classical schools and has developed art curriculum for students from Pre-K through adulthood (including instruction in art therapy for special needs children). She completed her education in the visual arts, focusing on photography and illustration. In her spare time, Mrs. Shelley enjoys spending time with her husband and three children in the mountains, and decompressing through her favorite art medium: painting in watercolor.
Ms. Pati Watson
Grades 2-3
Ms. Watson is an esteemed elementary school teacher who loves helping young students enjoy learning and make progress. She has taught in private and parochial schools for over 30 years in Utah and Montana, most recently at a private school in Utah (9 years). With a mother's heart, Ms. Watson has taught and nurtured students from 1st to 4th grades, and takes a special pleasure in helping each student become a fluent reader and writer. A particular admirer of Beatrix Potter, she delights in helping students feel the beauty and wonder of nature, make connections between subjects, and grow in the knowledge that God loves them.
Mrs. Rachael Wood
Kindergarten / 1st Grade Math, Science, History, Geography
Mrs. Wood takes a special interest in each child. Knowing that each student is a child of God, Mrs. Wood carefully helps them enjoy the beauty of nature, and grow good habits. In her class students cultivate a love of nature up-close, with such memorable experiences as hatching butterflies, tending quail eggs, interacting with honey bees, and touching and observing real stuffed birds and animals (taxidermy) borrowed from a nearby university museum. Mrs. Wood holds a BS in Child Development from Brigham Young University-Idaho and has taught young students in the classroom since 2014.
