Our K-8 Staff
Hello Heritage Pinnacle Families and Scholars!
I am honored and blessed to join the Heritage Academy family for the 24-25 school year as the new principal of Pinnacle and director of Liberty Kids Preschool. I am coming to you all with eighteen years of experience in public education (charter and district). I have a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from ASU and a master’s in Educational Administration from GCU. I have teaching experience in preschool through high school with a special place in my heart for middle grades science and children with exceptional needs.
A little personal background on me:
I am an Arizona native, having lived in both Tucson and the Phoenix area. Currently, my husband of fifteen years, Mike, and I live in Anthem with our two daughters (ages 12 and 10). We are an education family as my husband has also been a special education paraprofessional and self-contained special education teacher for fifteen years. I love baking, cooking, crafting, and photography.
As a leader I commit to serving, empowering, and supporting our scholars, staff, parents, and community. I believe in building meaningful relationships and engaging in transparent communication, and will make every decision with the following standard in mind: “What is best for scholars?”
Thank you for entrusting us with the most precious gifts in your lives. I look forward to partnering with you as we raise the heroes of tomorrow.
Leah Jenks
Hello, my name is Andrea Lenhart! I have been working in education for 4 1/2 years, my education is in General Studies. I absolutely love working with the scholars and their families. I am a mother to a beautiful daughter, that is my sunshine! On my free time I love to travel, hike and the ocean is my happy place!
Contact: a.lenhart@heritageacademyaz.com
My name is Monica Stekkinger. I was born and raised in Ventura, California. I attended Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff where I received my B.S. in Elementary Education and Special Education. After graduating from NAU in 2014, I moved to Scottsdale where I worked in education, primarily early education, for over five years before transitioning to kindergarten. This is my seventh-year teaching kindergarten. Some of my favorite activities include reading, traveling, and spending time with my cat, Figaro and my dog, Georgia.
Kindergarten is a year of growing socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually. I believe in a student-led classroom; many times, the process is more important than the product, and learning to accomplish by doing, touching, and experiencing!
I feel that my greatest contribution so far in education has been serving my students to the best of my ability, being an advocate for their education, and giving them independence and confidence to succeed!
My name is Britnie Smith. I was born and raised in Sherwood Oregon and received my Bachelors in Elementary Education from George Fox University in 2019. I spent a few years working as a substitute teacher in grades K-12 before moving to Surprise in 2021. In 2022, I worked at Pinnacle Point Academy as a Jr. High teacher and moved to first grade at Heritage Academy Pinnacle for the 2023-2024 school year.
I am passionate about teaching and first grade is the best! I love helping young scholars learn to read, make connections with the world around them, and grow socially.
My husband and I got married in 2024 and we have 3 dogs. In the evenings and on weekends you can find us biking, hiking, and camping with our Siberian Huskies. I am an avid reader and encourage all of my scholars to find a love for reading.
I am so excited to meet my new scholars and look forward to the amazing year ahead!
Hello 2nd grade families! My name is Jackie Wheeler and I will be your child’s teacher this year. I graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education. While pursuing my education, I worked as a K-6 substitute teacher for 5 years and then took a long-term media substitute position the year after that. Once in Arizona, I taught Kindergarten for 7 years, 2nd Grade for 8 years, and Reading Intervention for 2 years. I’m very excited to be joining the Heritage Community and believe 2nd grade is where I belong.
I was born and raised in Michigan and married my High School Sweetheart before moving to Arizona 17 years ago. We are the proud parents of a 13 year-old daughter and an 8 year old son. When I’m not busy in the classroom, I enjoy reading, baking, crafting, and hanging out by the pool with my family. I also loved attending Phoenix Coyotes games, but will now have to settle for watching the Detroit Red Wings and U of M Wolverines on TV.
I’m looking forward to being a part of your child’s education and hope that together we can make this a very successful year.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wheeler
My name is Katie Shaw. I graduated from Arizona State University in 2011 with my Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education degree and this is my13th year teaching. The majority of my career has been in 3rd grade, with one year of 4th grade. On top of being a teacher, I am a wife and a mother of two wonderful kids and loving every minute of it!
I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in the College of Teacher Education and Leadership from Arizona State University in 2009. While in college, I was a member of the Kappa Delta Pi’s Honor Society where I was involved in events that gave back to the educational community. During my time as a student teacher, I really fell in love with teaching fourth grade, and I have been teaching fourth grade for 12 years now. In addition to teaching, I have coached baseball, volleyball, soccer, and softball to help build a community of students who worked together as a team. I am excited to join the Heritage team, and I look forward to setting the example of what a life long learner looks like. When I am not learning with my fourth graders, I love to go to the park with my two young boys and my husband.
My name is Debra Kahalewai and I am so excited to be supporting the 5th grade scholars at Heritage Academy Pinnacle!.. I have been an educator in Hawaii and Arizona for a total of 36 years. I completed my undergraduate degree from BYU-Hawaii and my master’s from Ottawa University. In addition, I have recently completed a couple of graduate certificates from Harvard University. My four children are adults and I have one grandchild in 5th grade. My three dogs and two cats, provide my family with a great deal of comfort and love. My favorite activities are reading books, traveling, watching movies, going to museums, and spending time with my family. I look forward to making some awesome memories the remainder of the school year!
My name is Zachary Smith. I was born and raised in Portland Oregon. I received my Bachelors in Biology in 2020 followed by my Masters in Secondary Education in 2021 from Pacific University. I moved to Surprise Arizona in 2021 and married my wife in 2024.
I have taught Jr. High Math and Science since 2021. I am passionate about fostering curiosity and critical thinking in young minds through engaging lessons and hands on activities. I have high expectations of my scholars and invite them to join me in the exploration of math and science this school year.
Outside of school, I enjoy playing soccer, hiking, biking, and camping with my wife and 2 Siberian Husky’s.
Hi, I’m Amanda Nesvig! I hold a music composition degree from The Master’s University and
Butler University and have spent my career teaching general music, music theory, and choir to
students from preschool through high school. This year, I’m thrilled to join Heritage Pinnacle as
the music teacher!
I am passionate about providing a rich and engaging music education, believing that every
student has the potential to become musically literate. In our music classes, you might find
students singing, dancing, playing music games, reading rhythms and melodies, or exploring
instruments—a joyful celebration of learning through music.
Outside of teaching, I treasure my role as a wife to my husband, Tim, and as a mother to our
two daughters, Mae (5) and Cecilia (3). My other favorite pastimes include cooking, reading,
hiking, and playing the piano.
My name is Mrs. Robison, I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. I attended The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Los Angeles and earned a degree in Merchandise Marketing. I went on to work in the licensed sports apparel industry for over 20 years. My first love is art so working in the apparel industry gave me the opportunity to further my knowledge of graphic design. I started teaching digital design to high school students during the 22-23 school year and went on to obtain an Arizona CTE Certificate to be able to share my real life work experience with our scholars. During my down time, I enjoy spending my time with my husband and our three daughters; traveling, creating art, and helping my husband coach youth basketball. I look forward to sharing my knowledge of sports, art, and design with our young scholars.
Hello, I’m Ms. Roberts. I am so excited to become a part of the Heritage Family as the Special Education Teacher at Pinnacle!! After raising my children, I started my career as an instructional assistant in a self-contained special education program in 2013. I enjoyed it so much, I put myself through school to become a special education teacher! I graduated Magna Cum Laude in December 2019 from Northcentral Online University with a B.S. in Special Education and began teaching in January of 2020. I have taught students in every grade K-8. I pride myself in organization, integrity, and communication. In my free time, I enjoy jigsaw puzzles and spending time with my two adult children, two cats, and one dog.
Hello, My name is Hannah Dodge-Zurita but you can call me Ms. Z. I was born and raised in New Hampshire and moved to Arizona in 2014 after spending several years in Texas. For more than 16 years, I’ve dedicated myself to working with children. Eight years ago, I discovered my passion for supporting children with special needs. I transitioned into the school setting in 2019 and sat for my Paraprofessional certification in 2020. I have worked with children of all ages and abilities and love nothing more than seeing a child accomplish a goal they never thought they could! I truly believe that each child is capable of greatness and I look forward to helping them discover that. I am very excited to join the Heritage family and look forward to getting to know the amazing scholars of Heritage Pinnacle. In my spare time, I enjoy traveling, especially to the ocean, gardening, camping, crafting, and spending time with my husband and our 4 rescue dogs.
Hello, my name is Karen Whitney. I am so excited to join the Heritage Academy family and become a part of the special education program at Pinnacle! I was born and raised in Glendale, Arizona. I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Applied Human Behavior. I have always felt a special connection with those with special needs and enjoyed my internship working with children with autism spectrum disorder. I want to continue making a different in the lives of children. In my free time, I enjoy golfing, doing crafts, being with friends, and traveling to see family. I am also an animal lover and have two dogs, a tortoise, and a snail.
Hello, my name is Jocelyn Santizo. I am excited to have the opportunity to join the Heritage Academy family this year. I have a 5+ year background working with grade school children in a classroom setting as a paraeducator and my education is in general studies. Throughout that time, I have come to have a true love and respect for everything, and everyone involved in caring and guiding our youth to their bright futures. I am a wife and mother to 3 extraordinary children; my family is my world and by far my greatest motivation. During my spare time you can find me crafting, cooking, boating, supporting my children in their extracurricular activities or hanging out with my family and friends. This school year will be amazing! I feel blessed and honored to join the team, help and see all our scholars grow!
