This year TPCA has 7 candidates running for three positions. Scroll down to meet your candidates.
Candidate Forum and Voting Information:
Candidate Forum - Coffee with the Candidates, in The Cafetorium, Friday 3/10 8:05AM
Each Candidate will have the opportunity to speak for 2-3 minutes, and be available for one on one questions & introductions.
3/15 & 3/16: Election Days:
1 Vote per family
Ballots and Ballot Boxes will be located in the Elementary and Secondary Lobbies, 7:30 AM until 3:30 PM.
Voting after 3:30 PM will take place in the Elementary Lobby until 7:00 PM.
Regina Casey Community member
Explain why you chose TPCA for your child(ren).
N/A
Tell us about yourself and the skills, experiences or qualifications you offer the Board of Directors and the TPCA Community.
I have served on the Board of Directors off and on since the school was started. I am also a founding member of the school. For the most recent years until this year, I have served as President, Vice President, and Treasurer for the last 5 years. I understand the nuances that make Charter Schools different than traditional public school and the laws that govern. I understand school accounting and the differences with business accounting practices. I understand State laws that effect our school and students. I am familiar with Special Education and 504 plans for students. As a parent of adult children that are grateful for the education they received at TPCA, I am proud to be continuously involved with our school since we are educating our next leaders.
Describe the challenges or opportunities you believe TPCA will face in the short and long term future.
For short term is continuing to increase enrollment so that we remain fiscally sound. For long term, we need to always offer an education above and beyond what traditional public schools offer. We can't be all things for all students, but a classical based education is rich and timeless and the basis for teaching students critical thinking. By having an excellent education also helps enrollment, which in turns allows us to attract quality staff.
Explain why you want to serve as a TPCA Board member. Please elaborate, particularly if you are running as a community member.
I have been committed to the success of TPCA since gathering support in 1996. Service for the school is my main volunteer activity and my way of giving back to the community.
Melissa Marter Community Member, Parent Next Year
Explain why you chose TPCA for your child(ren).
N/A
Tell us about yourself and the skills, experiences or qualifications you offer the Board of Directors and the TPCA Community.
I am a Special Education Paraeducator at Firestone Charter Academy, where my two girls attend. After learning about TPCA and its incredible curriculum and performance, I have decided to move my children to TPCA for the 23-24 school year. I am the co-founder of a parent advocacy group called St. Vrain Awareness Alliance (SVAA). I have been advocating in the Saint Vrain Valley community since SVAA's inception in May of 2021. I have testified many times in front of the SV district board on numerous topics and believe school choice and parental involvement in your child's education are critical to their health and learning. My involvement in SVVSD, my advocacy, and leadership in supporting charter schools and school choice, and my vast network of support make me a great candidate for the TPCA Board of Directors.
Describe the challenges or opportunities you believe TPCA will face in the short and long term future.
I believe TCPA will continue to face challenges in SVVSD due to its charter status. Funding and support for the 6 charter schools in SVVSD could be altered at the stroke of a pen, potentially jeopardizing the future of the charter schools in SVVSD. Currently, no one in SVVSD has showcased TPCA's excellence and achievements, or any of the charter schools in SVVSD. TPCA needs a strong voice and advocate that can liaison with SVVSD and the community to solidify TPCA's future in the community and to promote the charter school alternative to mainline public schools.
Explain why you want to serve as a TPCA Board member. Please elaborate, particularly if you are running as a community member.
I want to serve as a TPCA board member because I want to protect, preserve and help spread the word about what TPCA has to offer. If elected this year, I would be a community member until my children are officially transferred into TPCA. As a new board member and community member I will bring an outside perspective to help with governance decisions. As a board member, I will use my large network and advocacy work to ensure TPCA is touted as an excellent, if not the only option, for parents and children looking for a focused classical education. The classical education curriculum and the supporting character development of the children help create more well-rounded citizens. I want to help foster and educated our community about why this program is so important to support.
Jose Rodriguez-Lopez Community Member
Explain why you chose TPCA for your child(ren).
N/A
Tell us about yourself and the skills, experiences or qualifications you offer the Board of Directors and the TPCA Community.
I am a St Vrain native and a graduate of SVVSD, and I currently reside in Longmont. I have been employed at IBM, H&R Block, and TPCA in accounting / finance-related roles since 2013. Additionally, I have held multiple community leadership roles, such as President of the Longmont United Hospital Volunteer Board and Longmont Police K9 Association Board Member. I am General Manager for Red Canyon Roofing, a local company where I oversee the daily operations and strategic goals for financial growth and goal accomplishments.
Describe the challenges or opportunities you believe TPCA will face in the short and long term future.
As we experienced the covid pandemic, our enrollment and that of the neighboring districts and Statewide K-12 have changed quickly within the last 36 months. The biggest challenge for the immediate future would be attracting prospective families to learn about TPCA and enrolling their students at TPCA while maintaining a high level of education performance. While new enrollment is essential, emphasis should be given to keeping current families/students at TPCA to continue to support them within our registration and our community which would be a long-term opportunity that TPCA will benefit from upon investing in our current families and their ties to TPCA.
Explain why you want to serve as a TPCA Board member. Please elaborate, particularly if you are running as a community member.
I want to serve as a TPCA Board Member to continue contributing with my finance experience and be part of an evolving plan of growth that could steadily increase the community involvement for TPCA. Our strategic goals align with our growth strategy to allow us to continue improving our finances and our long-term future. Let us look forward to the future at TPCA!
Lauren Tilford Parent
Explain why you chose TPCA for your child(ren).
Choosing TPCA for our daughter was a no brainer. We have a good rapport with several of the teacher and staff. We were given excellent reviews about the academics, the discipline and the values to TPCA. TCPA has everything we wanted for our daughters success going forward and we will choose it again for our son. We also have 3 family members who attend the school and love it and love their teachers. they are all academically and socially achieving all their goals.
Tell us about yourself and the skills, experiences or qualifications you offer the Board of Directors and the TPCA Community.
My skills and qualities not only include 10 years of being a Creative Consultant/ Event planner, coordinating, but I am also part of the PTO at TPCA and have a good rapport with them. I look forward to continuing to work alongside Kate. Other skills include being an ABA Tech/ certified ABA, I work with a wide variety of children and their educational and behavioral, life skills, but I also work along side parents and teams of other important ABA, BCBA members to complete a successful team. I work well with others and alone. I am a very strong leader I am creative and love to be organized and be very detailed with my work. I am great with time management and more.
Describe the challenges or opportunities you believe TPCA will face in the short and long term future.
Challenges that TPCA may face in the future is not only change in tuitions and hot lunches, but also in the turn over of teacher and staff. However, I am very confident the TPCA is capable of handling challenges with out causing interruption to the children educations and the parents routines. There may also be a change in health needs within a school, pending on a government stand point. also along those lines adding in safety protocols, uniform changes, adding or removing programs and more. However I am currently aware that the school board is leaning heavily away from the PTO when it comes to support of each other and funds allocated This, is a challenge they will have to over come.
Explain why you want to serve as a TPCA Board member. Please elaborate, particularly if you are running as a community member.
I am interested in serving as a TPCA Board member because not only is my child and my 3 nieces enrolled and succeeding at TPCA but the most appealing thing about the school and choosing it is, it is parent teacher lead. there is no hierarchy. I love being able to be apart of things going on within and outside of the school. I love being able to be in the classroom being a helper. I love that my voice is hears and that the teacher and staff truly care about the safety and the power of education and strength. the Values speak loudly.
Monique Trevithick Parent
Explain why you chose TPCA for your child(ren).
From the moment my family stepped through the doors to tour TPCA, we felt at home. The things we value as a family align with what is taught in the classroom. Our kiddos have thrived under the classical curriculum. TPCA offers more than your typical public school, which is what we were looking for. It was the best move we could’ve made.
Tell us about yourself and the skills, experiences or qualifications you offer the Board of Directors and the TPCA Community.
First and foremost, I’m a wife and a stay at home mom. I’ve been married to my amazing husband, Cody, for over 11 years. We have three phenomenal kiddos, who all go to school at Twin Peaks. For the last 10+ years, we’ve been busy growing our farming and ranching business in the Hygiene area. My husband is a 6th generation Boulder County farmer, and we’ve been working really hard trying to keep that going. We currently raise cows, yaks, goats and pigs. Although we have downsized our animals and the acreage we farm by nearly half over the past year, we still have plenty left to keep us busy. We do all of the farming and ranching work ourselves, as a family of five. I also manage our bookkeeping and records. Before I became a mom, I worked in the medical field doing surgery scheduling, but decided to stay home after our first kiddo was born. Growing up, my dad was an entrepreneur. I’ve always been around starting and growing different businesses, and it has taught me the value of hard work and dedication. My love for business has never gone away, and I’m excited to bring some of my knowledge and experience to TPCA.
Describe the challenges or opportunities you believe TPCA will face in the short and long term future.
I believe one of our biggest challenges we have and will continue to face is keeping our school’s values and principles the same while continuing to grow with the community and the challenges that come with that. I understand that TPCA isn’t a fit for everyone, and that’s okay. But for those of us that love this school and value and appreciate everything it stands for, it’s our job to keep it as amazing as it is.
Explain why you want to serve as a TPCA Board member. Please elaborate, particularly if you are running as a community member.
I’d love to serve as a board member because I want to see our school and students succeed. I want to be involved with how TPCA is ran so we can continue helping our kiddos grow into the best versions of themselves that they can be. We all chose this school for a reason, whatever that reason is. I want to help our school continue on the path that it’s on. A path that every board member and staff member has worked so hard to achieve and maintain over the years.
Faune Van Pelt Parent
Explain why you chose TPCA for your child(ren).
I chose TPCA because of the classical education, the high academic success, and most importantly, the wonderful things other parents had to say about their experiences with TPCA.
Tell us about yourself and the skills, experiences or qualifications you offer the Board of Directors and the TPCA Community.
I'm a Colorado native, I grew up here and have lived in the St. Vrain Valley School District area since moving here in 2015. I am very involved in the local community and have an understanding of Colorado culture, politics and history that will benefit the TPCA community. I have a Bachelor's of Science degree from UNC in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management. I spent three years abroad in Taiwan; I studied first for a year then taught English as a second language for another two years. After returning from Taiwan, I began a career in insurance and currently hold my insurance producer license. From my education and work experiences, I've gained skills in organizational management, classroom management, and risk management, all of which are very applicable for supporting a successful school. I am currently a stay-at-home mom for my TPCA student and two other young boys. As a stay-at-home mom I have flexibility and time to serve on the TPCA board of directors. I also spend time volunteering to watch kids at my church. Doing so gives me insight into the perspectives of our teachers and staff as they support our students and parents day to day. I believe all my experiences will help me as a member of the board of directors, but also my passion, problem solving skills, and determination will be great assets.
Describe the challenges or opportunities you believe TPCA will face in the short and long term future.
Currently, many schools are struggling to find good teachers. I believe it is, and will continue to be, a challenge for TPCA to find and retain talented teachers and staff that respect and understand the classical approach to our childrens’ education. We currently have some excellent teachers, but the overall shortage for quality teachers makes it increasingly difficult to find the right candidates. I have seen a lack of support and funding for TPCA from the St. Vrain Valley School District which has affected our ability to offer needed services, things like special education which students who would benefit deserve. With the lack of support from the school district, it makes it difficult to communicate to parents about what Twin Peaks Classical Academy has to offer. Our school offers a unique experience that is unlike any other school in the district. We have a great opportunity to serve families that have not been served well by the typical public school. We need to get the word out about TPCA and educate the broader community about the benefits of a classical education. Communication with potential TPCA families in the community is essential, but we also need to make sure we have open communication with current TPCA parents. The school app has been great for fostering communication and hopefully more families are encouraged to use it. It is important that our school offer opportunities to learn practical, real-world lessons that will help children succeed after they graduate. I believe TPCA has been very successful and implements improvements very well. I want to be a part of this continuing at Twin Peaks Classical Academy.
Explain why you want to serve as a TPCA Board member. Please elaborate, particularly if you are running as a community member.
I want to serve as a board member of Twin Peaks Classical Academy to help continue to ensure the school is an exceptional school that is safe for our students, teachers, and staff and holds true to the classical education approach. I want to make sure Twin Peaks Classical Academy is a school parents, like myself, are proud of and excited about sending our kids to now and for years to come. I want to make sure Twin Peaks Classical Academy continues to be a school that helps guide, assist, and teach our students in becoming productive members of society. That they not only are set up for success academically, but have strong character. I also want to help build a stronger community with other TPCA parents and make sure everyone has a voice that is heard.
Kris Zeh Parent
Explain why you chose TPCA for your child(ren).
We chose TPCA for our 3 children because of the academics - the curriculum is rigorous, challenges students to learn content, but also teaches them the skills of critical thinking, reason, deduction, and teaches them to see the things they are learning as more than just the content, but as the works of emotion and beauty and art.
We also chose TPCA for our children because of the character pillars. TPCA doesn't just have cute signs and banners touting the character traits they highlight - the character education is woven into our curriculum as early as the first days of preschool. The use of examples and practical applications every day mean that all students are hearing, reading, seeing and practicing what it means to be a person that is trustworthy, responsible, respectful, fair, caring and a good citizen.
Tell us about yourself and the skills, experiences or qualifications you offer the Board of Directors and the TPCA Community.
I'm a native of Longmont, a wife, mother of 3, and a small business owner. I have served in many volunteer positions from coaching youth athletics, to mentor programs. I bring a heart that is passionate about providing an amazing classical education to the students at Twin Peaks, and have served on the Board of Directors for 3 years. I love working with people and finding solutions to challenges and obstacles. As a business owner, I work with people in advertising, providing customer service, communications, finances, and have spent many hours in the actual work to provide our products, all of which bring a unique perspective of knowing the process from start to finish. As a mother of 3 students that will all graduate from TPCA High School, I'm invested in ensuring that we stay the course that our founders set forth.
Describe the challenges or opportunities you believe TPCA will face in the short and long term future.
As with any Charter School, we face the challenges of ensuring that we stay true to our Mission, and serve our community with sustainable growth, all while being wise stewards of the resources we have. As we look at a future with declining birth rates, TPCA must find a way to continue to be the unique and wonderful school we are, communicate that to our community, and keep the right people at the helm.
The opportunities we have include showcasing our school as being engaged in community relations - using resources to create relationships with businesses, families, and professionals. Providing events that are open to the community at large to showcase our amazing student athletes, artists, musicians and scholars alongside events that allow our community to come alongside and support us are just one avenue.
I look forward to finding the best course of action to provide this.
Explain why you want to serve as a TPCA Board member. Please elaborate, particularly if you are running as a community member.
I believe wholeheartedly in the Classical Education model, and have seen firsthand the fruits it can bear. As a member of the TPCA Board of Directors, I have been a part of a team of other parents and community members that are dedicated to seeing TPCA continue to grow, and to thrive. Our role as a Board is to provide a clear direction and guidelines for the pursuit of our Mission and Vision - then to ensure that the best person to carry out the mission has the ability and freedom to do so. I hope to continue to serve our parents and keep TPCA on the path for growth and success.