Your Teachers

Mrs. Martine Anderson  Mrs. Anderson grew up in Northern California and graduated from high school in three years, with honors. She came to BYU on scholarship where she studied Elementary Education. She graduated in three years, again, and left BYU with her B.S. degree and husband in hand.  She and her husband moved to Arizona where she was a Title 1 math instructor for grades 4-6.  After they moved back to California she continued as a math instructor for both the struggling and top students in grades 7-8. Once her own children came along she tutored and assisted in their classrooms. She was elected to be on the School Site Councils for their elementary, junior high and high schools. In addition, she served as the Chairman for their high school’s School Site Council for two years. Since her children entered college she’s been substituting in the nearby elementary, junior high and high schools. She has two daughters and two grandsons. She enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, being outdoors and traveling to visit her grandchildren who, unfortunately, live in Germany. Her favorite part about teaching is the students. Her greatest hope is that she can make a difference for good.

Mrs. Paula Berven  Mrs. Berven has taught fifth grade for 11 years and is looking forward to teaching sixth grade.  She graduated from Snow College, Utah State University, and has a Master's Degree from Southern Utah University in Education Administration.  She loves her students and watching them learn.  Mrs. Berven loves to travel and spend time with her family and friends.

Mrs. Jennifer Boehme  Mrs. Boehme grew up in Sandy, Utah and was an honor student at Hillcrest High School. She graduated from BYU,  and after teaching several years, she earned her Master's in Business Administration from the University of Utah. Mrs. Boehme loves music and is an accomplished pianist and organist. She loves teaching music, and every year looks forward to having her students perform in a musical production that celebrates the cultural differences of many countries.  She has been married for 17 years and has enjoyed traveling with her husband.  Mrs. Boehme has taught sixth grade for 21 years in Riverton, West Jordan, and South Jordan. She loves to teach sixth graders and was recognized as West Jordan's Teacher of the Year.  Mrs. Boehme is a natural-born leader and has served in many education and community leadership positions because of her diplomatic and organizational talents. She is serving as the Jordan Education Association (JEA) President and is currently in her second term.

Mrs. Laura Packard  Mrs. Packard grew up in Provo and Ephraim, Utah. She is married and has three children. She graduated from Rick's College (now called BYU-Idaho), and then graduated from Utah State University with a BA in Elementary Education. She has taught 4th and 6th grades in Idaho, California, and Utah. Mrs. Packard was an accomplished dancer and continues to love dance and music. Every year she attends the UMEA Conference for music teachers and brings her learning and expertise to the sixth grade. Mrs. Packard enjoys spending time with her family, attending plays and musicals, traveling, music, reading, and collecting (Christmas books, Boyd's Bears, key chains, and magnets to name a few). She is an excellent writer herself, and she loves to teach young people how to be better communicators by improving their writing and speaking skills. She has been teaching for 22 years. She was also a teacher for the Sylvan Learning Centers for 6 years.  In 2011, Mrs. Packard was named as the Jordan Education Foundation's Outstanding Educator of the Year.

Mr. Andrew Ridge   Mr. Ridge is a proud Delawarean by birth, but has deep roots in Utah. His father is from Provo, and his mother is from Magna.  When he and his wife emigrated here in 2010 when she was offered a position as a professor at BYU, it was a kind of homecoming. Mr. Ridge has a BA in psychology from the University of Delaware and was a  founding member of the UD Ballroom Dance Team. After graduation he served a number of years in the retail and banking industries as a manager, coach, and educator. Seeking a career that offered both spiritual and professional growth, he left those industries. This pursuit lead to a tenure as a ballroom dance instructor at the Academy Ballroom of Wilmington and a volunteer at Reading Assist, a tutoring program that helps hundreds of students overcome learning deficits in reading every year. Through these experiences Mr. Ridge discovered a passion for education that continues to burgeon. Taking a position as a substitute teacher, Mr. Ridge was soon teaching students of all backgrounds and grades all throughout northern Delaware while pursuing his Master's Degree at Wilmington University. Upon his arrival in Utah he resumed his service as a substitute and was called upon to fulfill many challenging and wonderful positions in the Provo, Nebo, Alpine, and Jordan School Districts. He continued to fulfill this role on a more limited basis while enjoying the privilege of being his newborn son's primary caregiver this past year. Mr. Ridge is delighted to bring both his wide body of experience and passion and join with the fantastic team of educators at Elk Meadows.

Mrs. Melanie Thomas   Mrs. Thomas grew up in Southern California near the UCLA campus.  She attended Saint Monica's Catholic High School and graduated with honors.  She then attended Brigham Young University in Provo where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education with an emphasis in the social sciences.  She taught 8th and 9th grade History/Geography at Payson Junior High school before starting her family.  She has been married for 22 years and was blessed with one daughter and two sons, all who have attended Elk Meadows Elementary.  Mrs. Thomas returned to the classroom as a substitute teacher and then as a job share partner with Mrs. Berven beginning in 2009.  She received her Elementary Education Endorsement to go along with her BS in Secondary Education and is currently working on her ESL (English as a Second Language) Endorsement. Mrs. Thomas has taught 5th grade at Elk Meadows Elementary for the past four years and has loved every minute of it.  She is looking forward to this new challenge in 6th grade and the great experiences that are sure to come.  Mrs Thomas loves reading, quilting, skiing, camping, movies and traveling.  She has traveled to Europe, the Caribbean and Mexico as well as many of our 50 states.  Learning the history and culture of other countries and regions has always been a love of Mrs. Thomas and she looks forward to sharing that passion with her 6th grade students.  Spending time with her family is time well spent and so "family fun time" is a must.  She enjoys laughing at the Desert Star Playhouse, attending all sporting events for her very active boys and just roasting s'mores and playing games with her family late into the night. She is a true blue BYU fan and attends all of the cougar football home games - Go Cougars!