News

Our newly hired team of teachers spent three weeks (120+ hours!) learning the ins and outs of all things Denver Academy. Welcome to the following new faculty and staff:

Ms. Griffen brings 10 years of experience empowering students with diverse learning and medical needs. She served most recently as assistant camp director at Double H Ranch, a camp in upstate New York for children with serious illnesses, and previously as a science teacher and literacy tutor at Vertical Skills Academy, a school in Colorado for students with dyslexia. Ms. Griffen earned her B.S. in Agriculture Education and Environmental Science from Cornell University.

Hailing from Midland, Texas, Zada Kadir is a passionate elementary educator with a BBA in Finance and a 4-8 Core Subjects certificate. She also holds a National Registry EMT-B certification. In 2023, she was named Rookie of the Year at Carver Center in her first year teaching science. Zada finds immense joy in sparking a love of learning in students and considers the classroom to be where she is truly herself. She loves conversations about animals, movies, anime, and Star Wars. When Zada is not teaching, she enjoys playing video games, watching eSports, reading science fiction, building Lego sets, and attending concerts.

While Caleigh McPherson grew up in North Carolina and moved to Colorado during middle school, she still considers North Carolina her forever home. Caleigh graduated from Colorado State University in 2024 with a B.A. in Sociology with a concentration in Criminology. Before teaching at Denver Academy, she spent two years as a DA teaching assistant. Working with kids is Caleigh's greatest passion, and her biggest goal is to create and foster a safe, positive, and fun learning environment. Outside of the classroom, she is a swim coach for a club team and a summer league team. Alongside teaching, coaching (which she has been doing since 2021) is one of her biggest joys in life. She also enjoys working out, reading, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family. 

Thadeaous “Thad” Mighell, Sr., joined Denver Academy’s Development Team in 2026 as Donor Relations & Campaign Associate, where he focuses on building meaningful relationships with alumni, donors, and the broader DA community. Prior to DA, Thad spent nearly eight years with the Denver Theatre District, producing events and community programs, curating public art and exhibitions, supporting artists, and developing partnerships throughout Denver’s creative community. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, Film, and Television from the University of Colorado and a Master of Liberal Studies in Arts Development and Nonprofit Management from the University of Denver. Throughout his career, Thad has been drawn to work that brings people together, builds a sense of belonging, and turns relationships into meaningful experiences.

Dr. Nick Newman strongly believes that everyone can sing. He is a passionate choral director in the Denver area who currently serves as artistic director of The One World Singers and as director of music at Lakewood UCC. Dr. Newman has taught singing at every age level, from kindergarten to retirement. When not teaching music, he enjoys rooting for the Las Vegas Raiders, watching horror movies, and spending time with his family. Dr. Newman holds a bachelor’s degree of Music in Music Education from Willamette University, a master’s degree in Choral Conducting from San Diego State University, and a doctorate in Choral Conducting from the University of Northern Colorado.

After teaching English and art history for nearly 30 years in a public school in the Denver area, Ms. Ramsey joined the Denver Academy family in 2026. She graduated from Colgate University with a B.A. in English Literature and received her M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University. Ms. Ramsey enjoys visiting museums and reading, and hopes to bring a love of literature and art to her students. Outside of school, Ms. Ramsey can be found hiking with her black lab, Stanley, and spending time with her husband and three children.

Ms. Riddle joined DA in 2026 after more than 15 years as a college teacher at universities, including Oregon and the University of Denver. She holds a BA in English from the College of Charleston, where she was lucky to do much of her coursework at the beach. She then moved to Eugene, Oregon, to earn a master's in English from the University of Oregon, where she received extensive training in teaching writing and rhetoric. Originally from Virginia, Ms. Riddle still misses the ocean. When she isn't at school, she is probably laughing with her family or taking a walk to get ice cream. 

Brenden joined DA's Physical Education Team in 2022. He earned his B.S. in Exercise Science from CSU-Pueblo, where he also played lacrosse. Brenden has been a sports performance coach since 2019, coaching athletes of various ages and sports. He owns a gym, Temple Strength & Performance, which is located in Westminster, Colorado.

Originally from New Mexico, Ms. Sanchez moved to Colorado in 2011 with her son and now calls Denver her permanent home. She has worked in many roles, including finance and payroll, and worked for six years as the front office administrative assistant for a local parochial school.  She loves getting to know students and families, and being the first happy face they see when they arrive, often quoting the late Dolly Parton, "Smile! It increases your face value!" Ms. Sanchez graduated with a BBA in Business Management from the College of Santa Fe and also studied Spanish at the University of Denver.

https://www.denveracademy.org/about-us/denver-academy-blogsA twice-exceptional child can solve a complex math problem in seconds and still struggle to finish a reading assignment on time. This contradiction confuses parents and frustrates teachers. It often leaves the child feeling like something is wrong with them. In reality, nothing is wrong. Twice-exceptional students, often abbreviated as 2e students, possess both remarkable strengths and real learning challenges. Traditional classrooms sometimes struggle with this paradox.

Our Partnership Model is the heart of everything we do at Denver Academy. It's one of the reasons families choose us over a traditional school. We believe that learning happens in relationships. Learning happens in relationships. The strongest relationships form when students, teachers, and families work from the same

playbook.

That's the Denver Academy difference. It isn't a slogan on a brochure. It's a structured, intentional way of building education around real student-teacher-parent relationships. It shapes every decision we make.

DA senior Ian J. has been selected as a recipient of the Boettcher Foundation Scholarship! The scholarship includes $20,000 per year for four years to a Colorado post-secondary institution.

 

With a 4.0 GPA, Ian has taken 12 college classes in two years and is graduating from Denver Academy with 39 college credits – just six credits from being a second-semester sophomore when he attends the University of Colorado in Boulder. Ian was also selected as the Valedictorian for the Class of 2026.  

Last month, DA held its annual Middle and High School Juried Art Show. The show featured multiple forms of art, including metalworks, charcoal drawings, painting, ceramics, clothing, photography, and more.

Congratulations to the 2026 winners!

Best in Show: "Valkyrie" Metal Sculpture by Griffin H., grade 11

Viewer's Choice: "Inevitable" Ceramic Sculpture by Zoie B., grade 12

Best of Painting: "Free at Last" by Hal H., grade 9

Best of Drawing: "Jenna Ilawy" by Zoie B., grade 12

Best of Ceramics: "Citrus Ceramics" by Laura B., grade 12

Best of Fiber Art: "Goldfish Bag" by Audrey M., grade 7

Best of Photography: "Watercolor Storm" by Charlotte D., grade 11

Best of Digital Art: "Digital Portfolio" by Rory L., grade 10

Best of Mixed Media: "Mossfate" by Jillian F., grade 10

Best of Metal Arts: "Valkyrie" by Griffin H., grade 11

On May 29, Denver Academy held its annual commencement ceremony, graduating 43 students. In front of family and friends, along with DA faculty and staff, each student was celebrated individually as they received their diplomas. Students in the DA Class of 2026 will head to both in-state and out-of-state colleges and universities. Several graduates will be involved with the athletics programs of those institutions. 

This year’s graduating class included valedictorian Ian J., who was selected as a recipient of the Boettcher Foundation Scholarship. The scholarship includes $20,000 per year for four years to a Colorado post-secondary institution. Click here to watch Ian’s graduation speech.

Learn more about Denver Academy's fundraising endeavors and ways to give here. Questions? Contact DA Director of Development Michael McNeill.

The DA community recently came together for an inspiring adult-only evening at the 2026 DA Symposium: Flip the Script on Anxiety. Held in mid-March, the event featured Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary, author of Future Tense: Why Anxiety Is Good For You (Even Though It Feels Bad). She explored the surprising benefits of anxiety and how to harness it for growth. Dr. Dennis-Tiwary also spoke to DA Middle School and DA High School students during the school day.

DA Parents and educators who attended gained fresh insights into guiding youth through today’s challenges with resilience and purpose, including: 

Thank you to the DA Parent Association (DAPA) for hosting a lively social hour prior to the event.

Did you know? Denver Academy has three Campos SmartLabs dedicated to elementary, sixth-grade, middle school, and high school students. These three labs ignite passions and create a learning pathway through progressively advanced skills and concepts, paving the way for a future in STEM.

In the words of Lower School Campos SmartLab Teacher Thomas Laird, “With the lower school SmartLab programming, we have made strides within our robotics team. Yes, you read that correctly, DA has a robotics team! We have been learning coding, engineering, mathematics, and problem-solving through SmartLab programming and have successfully competed in the LEGO First Robotics Challenge for our third season. Through our middle school robotics team, we have seen these students become leaders when they get into the high school level SmartLab classes and the high school robotics team, the Hurricane Nuts.” 

In mid-January 2026, more than a dozen DA educators attended the annual Courage to Risk Conference in Colorado Springs. Courage to Risk is a collaborative conference of organizations committed to the educational success of students with diverse learning needs. We’re proud to say that our educators led a whopping six presentations. 

Curious about what our educators discussed? Check out this summary of presentations.