Hayley received her Bachelor’s degree in Dance from The Brigham Young University, Idaho. In 2019 she volunteered for an elementary school in the Dominican Republic, helping young learners master the English language and other subjects. Hayley is an avid lover and supporter of the arts and loves to incorporate it into her teaching. She has been a dance instructor for more than seven years, teaching throughout Utah and Idaho. She plans to further her education by obtaining a Master’s degree in dance one day. Hayley enjoys teaching children and adults of all ages and hopes to continue to educate others for many years to come.

In her spare time she enjoys yoga and photography. She has her 200 hour yoga teacher certification and runs a small photography business.

Mason Thomas has been studying music for 14 years. Most recently, he has received his Bachelor’s in String Performance at Utah State University. During this time, he taught Elementary Orchestra through Mountain West String Academy. He also had the opportunity to play in a myriad of different settings including pit orchestras, symphony orchestras, big bands, and various chamber ensembles.

Outside of academia, Mason maintains a private studio and plays locally as a freelance musician. He had the chance to play with many well known artists including the Warren Brothers, Corey Christiansen, and Danny Gotlieb. Alongside his ensemble work, Mason has developed a solo repertoire for educational and performative use.

Rachel earned a Masters of Art Education at Brigham Young University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Utah. Prior to joining the Elizabeth Academy staff, Rachel was an art and pre-algebra teacher at Mount Vernon Academy. She also worked as a summer school craft teacher at Bonneville Elementary School and as a recreation leader at Camp Kostopulos, an organization that provides daily activities and summer camp for teenagers and adults with special needs.

Rachel loves to be outdoors, and enjoys hiking, biking, swimming, and waterskiing. She also creates her own ceramics for sale and spends as much time as she can at her family cabin in Montana.

Diego was born in Bogotá Colombia, and for 5 years now he has been in Salt Lake City, a librarian by profession with more than 12 years of experience in the field, he loves sharing and enjoying an academic environment. He likes learning new things and is excited to be a part of this school. Among his hobbies are: traveling, going to the gym, driving, contact with nature, by the way he loves cats.

Ellie Abbott has a bachelor’s degree in socio-cultural anthropology and an associate’s in nursing. She received her elementary education teaching license while working in China at an international school. However, her most rigorous education comes in the form of raising 5 children. Ellie has taught preschool, 4th and 5th grades. She loves project based learning and creating authentic educational experiences for her students. Ellie is passionate about learning through good books and excellent authors. She is excited to spread the love with students in the library.

Carolina is originally from Santiago, Chile. She and her husband moved to the United States in 2006 because of his work as an electrical engineer. They intended to live in the US for only six months, but his work got extended and they decided to stay.

Carolina is a journalist with an art background. She loves to write and is currently working on her first fictional book. Prior to moving to the US, she taught Spanish in Chile to people from England.

Carolina and her husband have two daughters who both attend Elizabeth Academy.

Lauren Kurt has a Master of Science degree in speech-language pathology from the University of Utah and Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Northern Iowa, with an emphasis in American Sign Language. This is her fifth year with Elizabeth Academy. She works with children receiving Early Intervention and Integrated Services, from Toddler through Upper Elementary.

*Private Speech Therapy Available

Shanone received her Master of Science degree in Speech & Language Pathology as well as her Bachelor of Science degree in Speech & Language Pathology and Audiology from Idaho State University. She has over 30 years of experience providing speech and language therapy in all areas of communication to children from preschool to high school in a variety of educational settings.

*Private Speech Therapy Available