Suzy Ahlman

Suzy Ahlman, K-12 Special Education Director

SUZY AHLMAN grew up in Downtown Provo with 6 siblings. Her passion to work with those who have disabilities came from her three younger brothers who are on the Autism Spectrum, as well as she comes from a long line of teachers. She has experience working in the Pre-K, Elementary, and Post-Secondary setting as well as in the legal area of education. She received her bachelors in Special Education with a minor in Autism Studies from Utah Valley University and her masters from University of San Diego School of Law in Legal Studies with an emphasis in Education and Disability Advocacy. She loves reading and playing card or board games. Her favorite holiday/season is Halloween/Fall. Her happy place is the beach, more specifically Southern California and the Central Coast.

Email Suzy at suzy.ahlman@waldenschool.us

Elizabeth Alderson

ELIZABETH ALDERSON is a Utah-based certified yoga instructor and birth doula. Elizabeth travels teaching yoga workshops and retreats. She moved to Utah from Colorado in 2014, but is originally from Long Branch, New Jersey. Yoga came into her life at the young age of 17. Her mother was told by her physician to embark on a yoga journey to balance her life due to a battle she would heroically move through - Cancer, a word that no-one ever wants to hear. “I watched my mom grow through her 4os using the tools she gained from the amazing world of yoga. She fought like a beautiful, graceful champ. It was through her journey that I stepped into the magical experience that I can now call home. YOGA, this word means union. To me this is union first with yourself and then with the world around you.”

Elizabeth has had the opportunity to learn from an amazing teacher of the Hatha school of yoga, Beth Spindler, a Himalayan Institute resident and Yoga International renowned author and teacher. She has cultivated her own unique way of teaching that she has developed from the schools of yoga including Iyengar (a school of yoga that uses props including blocks, straps, bolsters etc to train the muscles of the body to hold the proper alignment of the skeleton). Elizabeth found Iyengar helped to heal her body both after a car accident in her early 20s and a ski accident where she tore her Acl, Mcl and Meniscus up at Sundance Mountain Resort. She also has been influenced in Yin yoga (a school of yoga in which you ground yourself using deep poses to release unwanted tension in both the body and the mind). And lastly, Ashtanga yoga (a school of yoga that has a specific set of poses and ethical life guidelines to discipline the mind). It was through her own yoga practice that she also became interested in teaching yoga.

Elizabeth Alderson, High School Physical Education Teacher

Emily Barrington Lasso

EMILY BARRINGTON LASSO is excited to begin teaching science classes at Walden School shortly. She is originally from Utah; where she grew up and went to college. However, she lived in Panama for 7 years with her husband, Eric, and her two-year-old daughter, Kinsley. She has been teaching biology and various science classes in Panama for the last five years and she loves it. Emily graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Biological Science Education. During her time studying at BYU she had the opportunity to be involved in several research projects. In her free time she enjoys being outside, spending time with family, and learning new things. She looks forward to joining Walden School and associating with all of the students, faculty and staff.

Email Emily at emily.barrington@waldenschool.us

Emily Barrington, High School Science Teacher

Kelly Elizabeth Belt

KELLY ELIZABETH BELT earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at Utah Valley University (UVU). While at UVU she worked to preserve the endangered Astragalus holmgreniorum of Washington County, Utah and enjoyed field studies in the desert working with native reptiles. Before coming to Walden, Kelly started colts for a living, and she is still today a passionate horsewoman and enjoys spending time with her horse, Meta. Kelly's day is spent surrounded by her personal animal friends and those that come to her through rescue. Kelly has a passion for animals with complex medical histories as well as experience working with many varieties of exotics. Kelly is enthusiastic in sharing her love of the natural world and mentoring students in finding their own love for the world around them.

Email Kelly at kelly.belt@waldenschool.us

Kelly Belt, High School Life Science Teacher/After School BGC Site Coordinator

Brianna Beus

BRIANNA BEUS was born and raised in the town of Pima, Arizona. She studied at BYU and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Human Development. She enjoys getting to know students and helping them to explore different opportunities and career options. Brianna has enjoyed living in the Utah Valley and exploring all of the nearby mountains, lakes, and waterfalls. In her free time, Brianna enjoys hiking, running, swimming, cycling, making piñatas, and baking a great deal of chocolate desserts.

Email Brianna at academic.advisor@waldenschool.us

Brianna Beus, High School Academic Advisor

Sharon Beecroft

SHARON BEECROFT spent her childhood in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon and Washington) collecting seashells and climbing trees. Nearly 14 years ago she moved to Utah to study and ended up staying. Sharon has been a part of Walden since it's early beginnings. She has two sons who both attend Walden. Sharon enjoys traveling, running and reading books in the sunshine. She has taught Yearbook, Running and Sewing classes at Walden.

Sharon Beecroft has been educator for over a decade.  Her degree is in History Secondary Education, but her role at Walden for the past many years has been primarily in administration.  Sharon has filled the role of Business Manager, HR Director and more. She currently is the middle school director and serves on the board of trustees as the secretary and middle school representative. Sharon is world traveler, taking time to visit exotic and far away places on a yearly basis.  She loves yoga and spending time with her family. 

Email Sharon at sharon.beecroft@waldenschool.us

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Sharon Beecroft, Middle School Director/Human Resources Manager

Jay Brooks

JAY BROOKS was born in Chicago, and earned his B.S. in literature and philosophy from a small university in Wisconsin, followed by his M.A. in literature from Arizona State University. Jay has been an English tutor since 2010, a middle school and high school English teacher since 2017, and in the meantime published two books of poetry. Most recently, Jay lived in Manhattan and worked full-time as a poet in the City. Now Jay begins his journey at Walden after moving to Utah with his girlfriend, who attends medical school in Provo. For fun, Jay cooks, reads, and studies Spanish. As a teacher, Jay's philosophy is that the student always, always, always comes first--and that curiosity is one of the most magical things a classroom will ever see.

Email Jay at jay.brooks@waldenschool.us

Jay Brooks, High School Language Arts Teacher

Tonia Chantry

TONIA CHANTRY has been teaching Japanese 1, 2 and IB juniors and seniors since starting at Walden in 2010. She was born in Tokyo, but was raised on a beautiful sub-tropical island, Okinawa. She grew up on Okinawa until she moved to Hawaii to go to BYU-Hawaii. She graduated with a BA in TESOL with a minor in psychology and linguistics. She took a 3-year sabbatical while raising a family and furthering her education. She has also earned a Master's Degree in Academic Advising from Kansas State University and a second Bachelor's Degree in Communication Disorder's from Utah State University. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, and everything Disney. She loves spending time at Walden so much that even when she is not working, she stays on campus to spend time with her fellow educators and students.

Email Tonia at tonia.chantry@waldenschool.us

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Tonia Chantry, High School Japanese Teacher/Speech Pathologist