Staff Bios

Lisa Green-Principal

My name is Lisa Green and I am honored to serve as Jackson’s principal this school year. With 19 years of experience in education, my background includes roles as a Kindergarten and 1st-grade teacher, Gifted Coordinator, Special Education Coordinator, and Instructional Coach. For the past five years, I have been serving the Jackson community as the Assistant Principal. I am excited to work together with students, staff, and community members to create a supportive and inclusive environment where every student can thrive.

Emily Downs-Assistant Principal

My name is Emily Downs and I get to serve as the assistant principal at Jackson Elementary.  Prior to this role, I spent two years serving as the Elementary & K-Cultural and Linguistically Diverse Coordinator in District 6. Before that I spent a collective ten years as a second grade, CLD, and high school special education teacher.  I look forward to learning and growing with Jackson students, families, and staff.

Jen Gross-Instructional Coach

I am so excited to continue the amazing work we do at Jackson Elementary and this will be my third year as the instructional coach. Over the past 11 years I have also worked within Greeley District 6 as a CLD Teacher and a 2nd Grade Teacher. I spend my time when I am not working reading and enjoying all of the outdoor activities that Colorado has to offer with my husband and two children. I look forward to another amazing school year!

Rebekah Glasgow-Kindergarten

My name is Rebekah Glasgow and I will be teaching Kindergarten here at Jackson!  This is my 20th year in education, my 14th at Jackson.  I have taught  Kindergarten, Preschool, 4th Grade, and Special Education.   I have two teenage boys and a dog named Barkley who keep me busy. I am excited to serve another year at Jackson!

Hannah Sloan-Kindergarten

Hello! I am Mrs. Sloan and this is my third year of teaching kindergarten, but my first year at Jackson! I love hiking, mountain biking, and skiing. I am looking forward to seeing all of the growth our kindergarteners make this year! 

Bethani Ploegstra-Kindergarten

Hello! I am Bethani Ploegstra. This will be my 10th year teaching Kindergarten. I am married and have two grown children. We also have two crazy cats and a rabbit. I love hiking, baking, reading and traveling. I am so happy to be a Jackson Saint this year! We are going to have a great year filled with wonder, adventure and learning!!

Micah Evans-1st Grade

My name is Micah Evans.  This is my 22nd year working at Jackson.  I taught ESL for the first five years and have been teaching first grade for seventeen years.   I have two sons  and one daughter.  I enjoy cooking and spending time in the mountains.  I love teaching first grade and cannot wait to see the growth this year!

Caitlin Mounce-1st Grade

Hi, I’m Caitlin Mounce. I have been teaching in District 6 since 2013. This is my 6th year teaching first grade at Jackson. I am married and have two dogs. I enjoy reading and spending time in the sun. I can’t wait for a great year!

Michele Hudson-1st Grade

My name is Michele Hudson.  I have been at Jackson for 6 years.   I am married and have two grown children.  I enjoy lots of outdoor activities, usually with the dogs!  I am excited for another great year at Jackson. 

Dayna Schwartz-2nd Grade

I have the privilege of teaching second grade for the third year in a row at Jackson Elementary. I have taught for 28 years, at the Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade levels. I love to teach, inspire, help, and better the lives of all of my students. I am excited for another wonderful year at Jackson.

Abby Pensick-2nd Grade

Hello! I am so excited to be starting my second year teaching 2nd grade at Jackson! I love reading, spending time with my family and friends, and cooking. I am looking forward to watching all of the growth our second graders will make this year. 

Nikki Dankenbring-2nd Grade

I am Nikki Dankenbring. This is my 3rd year at Jackson, second year teaching 2nd grade. I graduated from Fort Hays State University in Kansas, and am so happy we relocated to the beautiful state of Colorado. I love reading, baking, Packers football, and anything outdoors. 

Brittany Benavides-2nd Grade

Hello! I am so excited to be starting my second year teaching 2nd grade at Jackson! I love reading, spending time with my family, and my sweet puppy. I am excited to see all my students grow this year in 2nd grade!

Braea Baca-3rd Grade

I am so excited to be teaching 3rd grade here at Jackson Elementary. This is my 11th year of teaching and all but one year has been spent here at our amazing school. I have taught 1st grade, intervention and now 3rd grade! When I am not at school I love spending time with my 3 kids and 3 cats. I am looking forward to an amazing year with our students!

Lindsey Johnson-3rd Grade

I am so excited to be teaching third grade at Jackson! At Jackson, each student has the opportunity to succeed with the help of a loving staff, which is why I love being a part of such an amazing community. This year is going to be a great year! 

Ashleigh Seery-3rd Grade

Hello everyone! I am so excited to be going into my second year of being a 3rd grade teacher at Jackson! This school has been an amazing experience and I love working with every single student that enters my classroom or I see in the hallways. I graduated with my Bachelors in Elementary Education from the University of Northern Colorado and I am currently working towards earning my Master’s in Literacy as well. Outside of school, I love to spend time with my family and friends, play soccer, go to the gym, read and watch movies.

Jenni Warnock-3rd Grade

Hello I am so excited to start my 6th year teaching 3rd grade here at Jackson. This will be my 25th year in education. I started my teaching career teaching middle school P.E., and have since taught every grade level from preschool -12th grade. I love our community here at Jackson and I am committed to helping our students grow both academically and socially.

Alyssa Hartshorn-4th Grade

Hello! My name is Alyssa Hartshorn. This will be my 4th year at Jackson. I am excited to spend another year in 4th grade. I graduated from UNC with a degree in elementary education and I am currently working on my Masters degree with UNC. I am looking forward to an amazing year!

Kacie Johnston-4th Grade

Hi! My name is Kacie Johnston. This is my 4th year teaching, and my 2nd year at Jackson! When I’m not at school I love spending time with my family. I look forward to a great year in 4th grade!

Kara Myers-4th Grade

I am so excited to be back at Jackson for my 6th year of teaching! I’m a 4th grade teacher and graduated from UNC with my degree in Elementary Education! I’m ready for a good year ahead!

Claire Miller-5th Grade

Hi there! I am Ms. Miller, this is my first year teaching 5th grade and my third year teaching at Jackson. I am a mom, a UNC alumni (Go Bears!), and grew up here in Colorado. I am looking forward to an incredible and memorable year!

Mayra Garcia-5th Grade

Hello! I’m Mayra Garcia, and I’m thrilled to begin my journey as a first-year teacher at Jackson Elementary, where I’ll be teaching 5th grade. I graduated from the University of Northern Colorado and am excited to bring my dedication to the classroom. I enjoy drawing, cooking, and spending time with family. I look forward to working with my students and their families to make this a memorable and successful year!

Rebecca Bice-5th Grade

I am one of Jackson’s 5th grade teachers.  I have been teaching various grades for 33 years. I am so happy to be a part of the Jackson team!

Jioni Reliford-Physical Education Teacher

I have had the honor and privilege of working as the physical education teacher at Jackson for all 12 years of my career. There’s no place I’d rather have both of my boys join me than here at Jackson, which is our home away from home. My goal is to get kids excited about being active and making healthy choices while building lifelong relationships. 

Cheyanna McGlothlin-Music Teacher

I am so excited and honored to continue teaching music here at Jackson, where I have been lucky enough to be teaching since I graduated from UNC in 2022. My goal is to help kids learn about different instruments, cultures, and styles of music, while inspiring them to try new things and hopefully find something about music that calls to them. Outside of school, I enjoy reading, snuggling with my cats Daisy and Freddie, and singing with The Greeley Chorale. I am looking forward to another great year of learning, growing, and working with amazing people and students!

Angela Hight-Stem Lab/Library

Hi, my name is Angie Hight.  I have been with District 6 since 2017.  I have worked as a special ed para and a classroom para.  I have been at Jackson since 2023 as the StemLab Facilitator. I am looking forward to another great year in the lab with all of our Jackson Saints.

Barbie Elmshaeuser-Art

Hello- I am very excited to be teaching ART here at Jackson for my 3rd year. I am interested in almost all things art and “making”. My favorite artform is drawing.  I have been married for 23 years and we have a 13 year old son. We enjoy hiking, camping, and fishing together. I can’t wait to see what this school year holds. 

Valerie Ditus-Intervention

I am a Reading Interventionist here at Jackson. This will be my second year at Jackson, but my 21st year teaching. I have taught preschool through 3rd grade. I love teaching children how to read and am looking forward to another exciting year at Jackson. When I am not teaching, I love to read, watch the New York Yankees, and spend time with my family and friends.

Glenn Klein-CLD

I am teaching in my 21st year of education this year, my second at Jackson Elementary.  I am one of the ML (Multilingual Learners) teachers at Jackson, so I get to work primarily with students learning the English language.  This is my fifth year serving as an ML teacher.  Prior to that I taught Math Intervention, and I was a classroom teacher in Kindergarten and 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th grades.  I’m excited to be back at Jackson this year, and I look forward to working with all the amazing Saints at our school!

Andrea Boyd-CLD

My name is Andrea Boyd and I will be one of the CLD teachers at Jackson this year. I am so excited to work with all of you this school year! I am from Uruguay and I have been living in the United States for twenty years. During my career as an educator I have been an English and Spanish teacher,general education teacher, curriculum writer and instructional coach. I am thrilled to add CLD teacher to that list. When I am not working I like to spend time with my family and enjoy the Colorado mountains.

Kim Hoeft-CLD

Hi, my name is Kim Hoeft. I am beginning my 27th year in education.  I have taught in Kindergarten through grade 4 classrooms and ESL. I have also worked as an Instructional Coach, Parent Involvement Facilitator,  Assistant Principal, and Reading Specialist.  This is my second year to have the privilege to work closely with our diverse population of multilingual learners at Jackson Elementary as a CLD/ESL teacher. I look forward to the opportunity to see all of our Jackson students grow as learners.

Sherri Gentz-SPED

I am a special education teacher here at Jackson and have been in District 6 for 15 years. I love watching all of the students learn and start believing in themselves as learners. When I am not at school I love reading, spending time with my family and friends along with enjoying the outdoors. I am excited to be a part of the Jackson family, your family, and especially your child’s life. 

Brandon Mueller-SPED

Hello! My name is Brandon Mueller. This is my first year at Jackson. I taught middle school for 11 years. I am so excited to join Jackson this year! When I’m not teaching, you can find me spending time outside with my two boys and my wife.

Jennifer Weirauch-Speech

   Hello : )  I am grateful and so excited to be working with students at Jackson Elementary this year!  This will be year 3 for me at Jackson.  I have been a Speech/Language Therapist for 18 years.  Prior to working at Jackson I’ve worked in a variety of settings-preschool, as an early intervention therapist within family homes, as an online speech therapist as well as with middle schoolers.  When I’m not at work I love spending time with my family and friends, reading and swimming.  Looking forward to a great year within our Jackson community!  

Rachel Jasper-Social Worker

Hello! I’m the school social worker here at Jackson. This is my 9th year here at District 6. I love our students and families. I’m passionate about connecting families to resources and supports to ensure their students’ success both in and out of the classroom. I look forward to another year working with our amazing Jackson Saints!

Ann Hansen-School Counselor

I am so excited to be back at Jackson as the school counselor. I love the Jackson students and families; and, it is an honor to collaborate with a wonderful staff in order to serve students in the best possible way. 

When I am not at work, I spend as much time as possible on the farm and with my grandsons!

Amber Every-READ Act Specialist

I am the READ Act Specialist here at Jackson. In this role, I get the opportunity to work with small groups of students and develop them into super readers! This will be my 3rd year here. I have 21 years of experience teaching. Some of my favorite jobs have included special education and instructional coaching. When I am not working, I love to spend time with my family and our five cats! 

Cynthia Luark-School Nurse

Hi, This is my third year as the school nurse at Jackson. I’ve worked as a nurse for 32 years in all kinds of nursing including hospital, post-partum, neonatal intensive care unit, public health and pediatric home health care. I’ve only been a school nurse for 3 years, but I absolutely love taking care of the kids in our schools. I live with my husband and three adult children. We currently have a cat and 16 chickens. I really enjoy working with the staff at Jackson. You are a wonderful group of people:)