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

Director: Mrs. Susan Kirby will direct the school for the 20th 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 4 children and 13 grandchildren.

Office Manager: Mrs. VerDaun Bingham will complete her tenth year as office manager here at the school. She and her husband have been married 40 years and have 8 children, 22 grandchildren and 25 great grandchildren. In her earlier years 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 74 and is so happy to be administering the Ivy Hall Academy Ski Program again. She has held administrative-clerical positions for close to 40 years.

Pre-K: A native of Orem, Utah, Mrs. Ashley Neilsen will be the lead PK teacher for her third year at Ivy Hall. 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 Assistant: Miss Liahona Hunt is incredibly excited to begin her first year with Ivy Hall. Miss Hunt graduated from BYU-Hawaii with a major in Social Work. For the last six years Miss Hunt has worked with students of all ages, focusing her efforts on children with autism and at risk youth. She enjoys reading, warm weather, musicals and spending time with her five year old daughter.

Besides teaching, she also enjoys spending time with her friends and family. She loves to visit museums and theaters. 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.

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.

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.

This is her fifth year at Ivy Hall. She is a trained teacher and has worked in the education field for many years, both in the classroom and in administration. She is excited to be working with the Sensational 6th 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. She has 2 children and 7 grandchildren.

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 three of her four children attending Ivy Hall and is looking forward to teaching this year. She plans to have a year filled with exposure to new, exciting and challenging opportunities.

She and her husband, Carlos have been married for 3 years. She loves travelling and trying new foods. She also loves reading, being outdoors, running, playing racquetball and spending time with family.