Distance Faculty

Mrs. Vivian M. Adams served twelve years on the Chicago Region Public Communications Council of the Church appearing in numerous media interviews, and speaking to schools, colleges, and community groups on LDS doctrine and history. She was then called by the Church to serve as media representative in the Midwest on Controversial Issues. She has been active in state and national politics, and civic and public service organizations, and is a recipient of the Brigham Young University Alumni Community Service Award. She has been a presenter at BYU Education Week and BYU Women's Conference, and in women's conferences across the country. She has published several articles and electronic media on Church related subjects. She is currently Historian and Educational Outreach chairman for the Joseph Smith Sr./Lucy Mack Smith Foundation. She has taught Institute at Harvard, Boston College, and BYU. She and her husband, Carlos, have six children and thirty-two grandchildren, and an adorable great granddaughter.

After working in the public schools for 19 years, Mr. Doug Andersen is excited to work with American Heritage School Distance Education. Doug received a Bachelors degree in Secondary Education Social Science Teaching from Brigham Young University with minors in Geography, History, and Anthropology. He later received a Masters degree from Utah State University in Geography. He has taught World Geography, World History, US History and AP Human Geography in Wasatch and Alpine School Districts. He loves to discover the world through travel and has special interest in Asia. After serving a mission in the Philippines, he has been able to learn in Japan, Korea, India and Nepal. He currently teaches AP Human Geography at Oak Canyon Junior High and works full time in the McKay School of Education at BYU. He currently serves as the vice-president of the Utah Geographic Alliance, a non-profit organization that works to improve geographic literacy in Utah. He is excited to help students discover the world that they may be prepared in all things."

Charmaine Anderson was raised on a dairy farm near Boise, Idaho. She learned at a very early age the value of hard work. She also has a great love for sports of all kinds. This led to her participation in intercollegiate sports and a major of physical education in college. Mrs. Anderson graduated from Boise State University in physical education and coaching, with English and biology as minors. Her first two teaching jobs involved those subjects. Charmaine returned to school to get a Master of Education degree through Utah State University in computer technology and physical education. The emphasis on teaching then changed to computer technology. She taught “Introduction to Computers” at both Utah Valley University and West Texas A&M; University in Canyon, Texas. While in Texas, her teaching experience included designing and implementing curriculum for distance learning and the regular classroom technology course. After returning to Utah in 2009, she became part of the exciting new distance learning classes at American Heritage School. She and her husband have six children and seven grandchildren.

Mrs. Heidi Boden has nearly six years of elementary art teaching experience in both public and private schools. With a bachelor's degree in Art Education from Brigham Young University, Mrs. Boden has significant experience working with elementary art students of all ages and has been instrumental in the development of art curriculum for the former Ensign School and also for Odyssey Charter School (American Fork). Prior to her work as an art teacher, Mrs. Boden also taught seminary for the CES program in Abingdon, Virginia before moving to Utah. When she is not at school or at home with her family, Mrs. Boden serves as an American Fork City Arts Council Committee Member and Steel Days Chairman, a Young Women Leader for the LDS Church, and also as a Utah State Delegate.

Mrs. Julie Bouche joins the faculty of American Heritage School with a bachelor's degree in English Teaching and History Teaching from Brigham Young University and a Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Capella University. The greatest joy in her life is being with her husband of ten years (and who has been her best friend for twenty) and three amazing boys. She has a passion for traveling, particularly the British Isles where she spent a semester studying. It was while serving a mission in Santiago, Chile, that she discovered a love of the ocean and a reverence for the grandeur of God's creations. As a self-proclaimed "English nerd," she loves reading and analyzing, and has a great deal of respect for those who change the world through their words. If you ask her what her favorite book or movie is, she will ask you to pick a genre first. She is excited to be teaching at American Heritage where she can use the gospel she loves to help her students to find truth wherever it can be found. Most recently she has been working with girls suffering from eating disorders at a small private high school in Orem.

Joy Critchfield grew up exploring forests and streams along the Oregon coastline. Her mother says Joy has been curious since the day she was born. Adopting the role of teacher early, she and her big sister practiced instructing their five younger siblings. First called as a Primary teacher at age 16, her most recent Primary position was teaching a CTR class where the students spoke three different languages at the Qingdao Branch in China. Between these, she has taught every Primary course. Mrs. Critchfield and her husband are the parents of four children, and have four beautiful granddaughters. Re-enrolling in university the same day the youngest child left for the mission field, Mrs. Critchfield earned certifications in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education and Middle School Education (K-8) and Special Education (K-12). While Mrs. Critchfield completed an internship teaching second grade at an international elementary school overseas, the family was able to keep in touch online. Learning all life long, she continues to be curious about distance education as she works on a Master's Degree in Learning and Technology. She is excited to share her love of the restored gospel with students everywhere!

Mr. William Duncan brings to his teaching about the United States Constitution experience in constitutional cases related to marriage, parents and the family. He has served as the acting director of the Marriage Law Project at the Catholic University of America, visiting professor at the J. Reuben Clark Jr. Law School at Brigham Young University, and is currently the director of the Marriage Law Foundation. He also teaches family law classes to undergraduate students at BYU as an adjunct professor. He has published numerous articles in law journals, as well as other academic and popular publication on family and constitutional law issues. Recently, he was invited to write two essays on specific numbers of the Federalist Papers for the Constituting America project. He and his wife, Catherine, are the parents of four daughters and three sons whom they home school.

Mr. Gentile (pronounced “Jen-teel”) has absolutely loved helping his students discover modern world history from a Restoration perspective at American Heritage School, where he has received the Rosalie J. Slater Award for instructional excellence. Prior to accepting a job to teach 10th Grade History and English at American Heritage, he taught History and English at The Fenn School in Concord, Massachusetts, where his publication Puzzle Pieces: An Introductory Primary Source Reader for Ancient China was adopted for course use. Prior to teaching in independent schools, Mr. Gentile earned a 4.00 GPA and a Master of Arts (MA) degree in American History at Brandeis University, where he was a Crown Fellow in the doctoral program and was mentored by the Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of Washington’s Crossing, Dr. David Hackett Fischer. He earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in History from Brigham Young University, where he graduated summa cum laude as the valedictorian of the History Department, the recipient of the Outstanding Undergraduate in History award, and an Edwin S. Hinckley Scholar. He has taught classes about history and historiography at the college level at both Brandeis and BYU. He has also published several articles in scholarly journals, with his most recent publication coming in the May 2010 issue of We Proceeded On: The Official Publication of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation. He served a mission in South Korea, where he taught the gospel in both Korean and Korean Sign Language. He has also taught Korean at the Missionary Training Center in Provo and early morning seminary in Massachusetts. He and his wife Christina were sealed in the Provo Temple and currently have a daughter and a son. They live in Eagle Mountain, where they enjoy playing as a family, serving in their stake, reading books, hiking and camping, playing and watching soccer, and trying to grow a garden.

This is Mr. Goff's second year teaching math at American Heritage. He loves working with the students and helping them understand the ins and outs of mathematics. He will be teaching French and P.E. this year on campus. His wife Marie and their three children love the school.

Mr. Goff came to American Heritage School from Encampment K-12 School in Wyoming where he taught Science 6, Science 8, Pre-algebra, Consumer Math (11, 12), High School Algebra, Physics 11, and Calculus 12. Among many involvements at the school, he personally built and maintained a class website for all his classes where the students and their parents could stay up-to-date with the class and assignments. He has additional middle school teaching experience in Uintah School District, where he taught middle school math (6-8) at West Middle School.

Prior to his teaching experience, David studied physics at both Utah Valley State College and Utah State University. He obtained a bachelor's of science degree in Physics with a minor in Mathematics from USU, where his research focused on nanotechnology and fabrication for the optics industry. David has been able to infuse his physics expertise into his teaching of Math. He and his wife, Marie, are the parents of one son and two daughters.

Mrs. Denise Gorrell teaches second grade at American Heritage School. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a B.S. in Family Science. Denise also earned a Master's of Education from Lesley University with an emphasis on integrating the arts in teaching all subjects. Denise has taught pre-school level Montessori classes since 1990 and incorporated the Noah Plan curriculum into her lesson plans. She has served on the Highland City Library Board. Denise and her husband, Jerry, are the parents of four children.

Mr. David Hancock graduated from BYU in 1991 with a degree in English. He then went back to school and received his Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from BYU in 1994. After graduation, Mr. Hancock and his family moved to Southern California where he practiced law for 14 years. In 2008, Mr. Hancock returned to Utah in order to begin a career in teaching. He has taught high school and middle school in Eagle Mountain, Utah, providing instruction in 7th through 10th grade English, Debate, Creative Writing, and Chess. Mr. Hancock currently lives in Eagle Mountain with his wife and four children. His oldest daughter is married and lives with her husband in Southern California.

Mr. Jeremy Leatham grew up in Carson City, Nevada, and served a mission in the Mexico-Mexico City East Mission. He graduated magna cum laude from Brigham Young University with a B.A. in English Teaching. After teaching English at Springville High School, he returned to BYU to pursue his M.A. in English, emphasizing in American literature. As a graduate student he received the first-place award in a writing contest for composition instructors with his article "Revising Revision." He has also had work published in Steinbeck Review. Mr. Leatham loves teaching in virtually any setting, and his greatest satisfaction comes when students recognize connections between classroom content and eternal truths. He has taught at BYU and Utah Valley University, and is excited to now be teaching at American Heritage School. He and his wife April have four children - Talmage, Tennyson, London, and Emerson. Considering his wife's distaste for reading, he considers the names of his children one of his greatest accomplishments.

Mrs. Karen Logan comes to American Heritage School having spent nearly 10 years teaching physical and life sciences to students of all ages ranging from elementary to high school. With a Bachelors Degree in Zoology (emphasis in Marine Biology) from Brigham Young University, and professional teaching credentials in science/life science and language/academic development from both University of San Diego and California State University, Mrs. Logan was a science teacher and science department head at Mitchell Middle School, Folsom-Cordova California Unified School District, from 1998 to 2005. Prior to that, Mrs. Logan taught for three years as a substitute teacher for all grade levels in the San Juan and Folsom-Cordova School Districts and also as a dive instructor. With her husband's job transfer, Mrs. Logan moved to Lehi, Utah in 2007, just before the birth of their second child and hoped for an opportunity to teach science at a faith-based school like American Heritage School, which came sooner than she expected! Mrs. Logan loves SCUBA diving (she is a certified instructor and divemaster with the Professional Association of Dive Instructors), art, music, reading, camping, hiking, and sports of all kinds. Mrs. Logan and her husband Wayne are the parents of two children, Jeffrey and Benjamin. The Logans live in Lehi.

Mrs. Monica Orcutt is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Mrs. Orcutt moved to the United States after her High School graduation to attend BYU-Provo and has live here since. Monica holds a Master's degree in Spanish from BYU-Provo and has completed post-graduate studies at the University of Utah and at the University of Texas-Austin in Latin American Literature, Jewish Studies, and Comparative Cultural Studies. She enjoys Theater and Poetry, Humanities and Medieval Literature. Mrs. Orcutt also has an Endorsement in English as a Second Language and Mediation. Monica has spent many years teaching all levels of Spanish in different teaching environments: MTC, college, high school, concurrent enrollment, AP, military refresher courses, private tutoring and online. She has also been engaged in research and publications that include a book and many scholarly articles. Additionally, she has worked in the business world as an International Marketing /Cultural Consultant and as an Employment and Career Counselor. Monica loves to travel. Her trips include Europe, Puerto Rico and the West Indies, Mexico, South America, Canada and all over the US. She also enjoys reading and writing, foreign films, walking, hiking, cooking, gardening, art museums, cultural events and learning foreign languages. She served a full time mission in Argentina-Cordoba, a Stake mission in Utah Valley and a Welfare Mission at the American Fork Employment Center. She is the mother of five wonderful accomplished children.

Miriam Robertson graduated from BYU with a B.S in Sociology and a minor in English. She distinguished herself as a scholar by accepting the honor of Valedictorian of the Sociology Department. She continued her education by earning a M.A. from Grand Canyon University. She has worked for 12 years in public education working in several high schools in Utah County. She has also taught at Neumont University in the General Education Department. During her career, she has been College Dean, Department Chair, and part of the PLC in each school she has worked at. She has presented at professional conferences on various topics. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Pleasant Grove, Utah where she is actively involved in the Young Women organization in her ward. Additionally, her love of family history and journaling has led her to be an Independent Consultant for Heritage Makers; a company that celebrates families and provides ways for people to record their own stories. Miriam enjoys outdoor recreational activities with her family including hiking, four-wheel riding, and gardening.

Mrs. Linda Strong began teaching at American Heritage School in 1994. Having graduated froBm BYU, she has a composite bachelor's degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. A longtime resident of Utah, she has traveled as far as Korea nd New Zealand but has always called Utah County home. After teaching Kindergarten for three years in the public school system, Mrs. Strong retired for several years to raise seven children. During this time, she also conducted a preschool out of her home. Her family is unique in that it is multi-cultural. Of her seven children, four are adopted - two from Korea and two from India. She and her husband Mark are now the grandparents of seven and they have enjoyed the experience of blending different backgrounds in their family. ""Words cannot express my gratitude for the blessings that I have received from being at American Heritage School"" Linda says. "I love teaching and cherish my association with the children, patrons, and faculty of this wonderful school."

Mrs. Tolman has been a truly outstanding math specialist and core teacher at American Heritage School since 2005. She was awarded a full-tuition scholarship to BYU, graduated with University Honors (Communications,1990), and was valedictorian of her high school. The daughter of a military officer, Cindy has lived in more than a dozen states and cities (and one foreign country). Before her children arrived, she worked in accounting, government, law, and education. Cindy is a natural with teaching, both at school and in the home. When her children were young, she taught a home-school group, and she has taught nearly every level of Saxon math. She also has a gift for the "tutorial method" and connects with individual students in an extraordinary way; as a math teacher, she explains concepts simply and clearly and is dedicated to helping her students succeed. (Her students frequently report that even though math isn’t their favorite subject, it is their favorite class!) Cindy is active in the AHS community, including the master teacher program, curriculum committee, entrance examination design and administration, and Distance Education. Cindy and her husband David are the parents of two daughters, Aja and Hannah, both of whom have attended American Heritage School. Cindy is a trained accompanist and organist, and she loves old movies, classic literature, beautiful music, animals and nature, her family and friends, and everything that is "virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy."

Mr. Patrick Wright's love for the faith-based teaching approach and lessons on self government are what brought him to American Heritage. As a business professional, Patrick brings a unique perspective to the school. Currently the Vice President of Sales and Business Development for a health and wellness company, Patrick serves part time as an independent study professor. Patrick received his bachelors from BYU in marketing and is currently finishing his Masters in Business Administration from the University of Dallas. Patrick is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, and resides in Utah County with his lovely wife and their three beautiful children.