• Accredited, Affordable Private School for Pre-K - 12th Grade

• Largest LDS Distance Education Program in the Nation

• Higher ACT Scores than Public School Counterparts

• Virtual Online Classroom with Daily Video Sessions

• Designed to Accommodate All Learning Styles

Welcome to Liahona Preparatory Academy Private School and Independent Study

About Our Teachers

 

The teachers at Liahona are some of the finest to be found in any educational system. Our teachers are passionate about including gospel truth along with their academic subjects. They are excited about learning and impart that attitude to their students. They believe that learning can be fun as well as educational, and at Liahona, it is!
 
 
Brent DeGraff:
History
Brother DeGraff teaches the Intermediate, Freshman and Senior classes.  He is passionate about history and the principles of freedom!  His credentials include: Instructor for the Church Education System, International Director of Schools for the Center for Educational Restoration, and Operations Director and Distance Learning Coordinator for the Center for Alternative Education. Brother DeGraff creates a learning atmosphere which touches a student's heart and helps them understand the importance of the role they play in our country's future.
 
 
Tracy Willburn:
English
Sister Willburn has a gift for making grammar understandable and her Freshman and Senior students leave her classes extremely well prepared for college! She is dyslexic and dysgraphic and has great empathy for those who struggle with English. Despite those challenges, she graduated with honors from BYU in English and Classic Literature. She has her MA in Comparative Literature and received her Doctorate from the University of Utah. She has taught at BYU and currently teaches at Utah Valley State College. She has published several professional articles and speaks five languages.
 
 
Maridee Swensen Killian:
Science, Business Math
Sister Killian was raised in the Air Force and traveled quite extensively when she was young, living in many parts of the US, Europe and Asia.  (She moved 13 times in 14 years!)  She studied in Israel on a scholarship through BYU in 1978.  In 1982 she served a mission in Vienna, Austria. A BYU graduate, she earned her BS in Elementary Education with a minor in Biology.  After teaching school for two years, she married and temporarily withdrew from school teaching and opted for homeschooling her six children.  Now, with three children still at home, Sister Killian and her daughters have joined the ranks of Liahona Preparatory Academy.


Heather Hall:
Science
Sister Heather Hall comes very qualified with several science degrees (Bachelors of Integrated studies, Health Education, and Bachelors of Science in Nursing) and background in chemistry, Biology, Zoology, Anatomy, physiology, and histology.  She loves science and has been waiting patiently for the opportunity and right time for her family to teach. With her youngest starting Kindergarten, things fell into place. Instead of attending medical school, she chose to be a Mother. She and her husband are the parents of 8 children ages 21-5, whom she has home-schooled at different times over 8 years.   She loves learning and looks forward to helping to instill the love of science to all the high school students at Liahona Academy.  She loves traveling, hiking, and photography.  In her free time she works as an Emergency Room Nurse.


Deborah Rowley:
Junior Teacher
Deborah Rowley graduated from BYU in English Education. She taught public school for 4 years before leaving to raise and occasionally homeschool her own 5 children. She loves to teach, read, and write and is the author of 7 books including; White Shirts, White Dresses, and Before They Turn Twelve - Teaching Our Children to Live the Lord's Standards. Liahona Academy is excited to have Sister Rowley back with us this year.

 
Tiana Deceuster: 
Carson-Smith Testing Coordinator 
Sister Deceuster graduated from BYU in elementary education.  She taught 4th grade in the Nebo School District before coming to Liahona and has tutored students in various age groups in high school and college.  Sister Deceuster has worked at several summer day and sport camps with youth. Her husband, Ethan, is also in the elementary education program at BYU.  She volunteers as a youth mentor for Utah County 4-H program, loves to read (historical fiction is favorite genre) and loves to play sports for fun. 
 
 
Annette Durfee:
Elemenatry Algebra, Algebra I
Sister Durfee has an Associates Degree in Office Management, a Bachelors Degree in Business Education with a Secondary Math Minor and her Utah Standard Certificate in Secondary Ed. Business and Math Level 3.  Sister Durfee cares deeply about her students and works hard to make sure they are solidly prepared.  She has a talent for re-enforcing gospel principles in her math lessons.
 

Sheldon Whitaker:
Advanced Math, Calculus
Brother Whitaker has both a Bachelors and Masters degree in electricl engineering from the University of Utah, and a Masters degree in Operations Research from New York University. Course work included calculus and advanced calculus, advanced engineering math, partial differential equations, statistics, micro and macroeconomics, managerial economics, and many other math and math-related courses. He was employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories, AT&T, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and has held a variety of engineering, engineering management, and technical product marketing positions. After retirement from full-time work, enjoyed teaching algebra II, advanced math and calculus at Liahona Acadmey for three years prior to recently completing a 1-year proselyting mission with Sister Whitaker. We are pleased to welcome Brother Whitaker back to Liahona Academy.
 
 
Julie Bouché:
Intermediate English
Sister Bouché has a bachelors degree in teaching English from Brigham Young University and she has a masters degree in curriculum and Instruction Emphasis from Capella University. She comes to us from Cascade Mountain High School and Pleasant Grove High School. She is looking forward to the unique atmosphere that Liahona Academy offers and we are very excited to welcome her into our ranks.
 
Michael Wilburn
Algebra II and Geometry
Brother Wilburn (yes, he is Sister Wilburn's brother) is a soldier in the Utah National Guard and served a mission in Mongolia. He is currently studying at Brigham Young University and can not wait to get started here at Liahona. We are very happy to have Brother Wilburn teaching our students and look forward to his help with some of our foreign exchange students this year. 
 
Wayne Swensen:
Geography
Brother Swensen teaches Geography for Life, An Introduction to World Regional Geography.  A graduate of Brigham Young University, he has taught geography in the Jordan School District and was also an instructor in the Church Education System.  Brother Swensen was owner of Church Furnishings, Inc., which provided wood maintenance, upholstery, and other serivces in L.D.S. chapels and temples.  With that business, he has traveled extensively, working in every state in the United States and some provinces in Canada.  He has a love of writing and has published several short stories.  Brother Swensen and his wife, Ginger, are the parents of seven married children with grandchildren numbering twenty-seven - and counting.
  
 
Administration:
Our friendly office staff is knowledgeable about education and home school issues. They are happy to assist you in any way possible.
 
 
Jim Drake:
Questions about Liahona?  Questions about report cards?  Want to visit the school? Wondering if you are on track for graduation?  Call Brother Drake.  He is also the Girls Basketball coach and coaches of the Cross Country team. 
 
Amy Hartley:
One of the friendly voices at Liahona's front desk to answer your questions. This is Sister Hartley's third year at Liahona and she is excited to get to know all of the students here not just the ones that were in her classes.
 
Patty Taylor:
Sister Taylor heads up Liahona's Finance Department.  Contact her regarding tuition payments or other financial issues.  
 
Kolleen DeGraff has a degree in Communications, has taught at Salt Lake Community College and co-authored several books including "When Together Forever Doesn't Last", "Threads of Liberty", the "Wisemen Raised Up" series, and other Liahona text books.


Liahona conducts criminal background checks on teachers and staff.
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