Conservatory of the Arts
Staff & Instructors
Jane Turner - Head of School
Jane and her husband, Josh, are the founders of Heritage Academy. Jane graduated from Flathead High School in 1999 and from Covenant College in 2003 with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in chemistry. While attending college, she worked with a homeschool supplement group in Chattanooga, TN. For several years, Jane tutored math and science and has now taught elementary and middle school lab science classes at Heritage for 11 years. She is a homeschool mom of nine children who loves all kinds of curriculum and research, hiking, camping, reading aloud, spending time with family, traveling, and a clean house. Most of all, Jane loves to see students and families grow to love God, love others, and love learning so that they can use their God-given gifts to shape culture.
Conservatory Administration
Lisa Thiessen - Conservatory Director
Lisa has been serving the Heritage Community for the last several years. She is married to Aaron, the love of her life. They have four children: Wesley, Annabelle, Colette, and Lincoln, and they are thankful to call Kalispell, Montana, their home - truly the "Last Best Place!"
She was in education for over twenty years in California, working in public, homeschool, charter, and private Christian schools. She left public education and felt the calling to homeschool. Seeing a need for community, she started Freedom Christian Homeschooling 501(c) (3). While working with homeschooling families, she was asked to join a homeschooling charter school as an Administrator/Coordinator, facilitating homeschool classes and supporting and supervising teachers in their K-12 academic program.
In 2018, the board of trustees for King's Corner Ministries asked her to develop a private missional Christian school for a large citrus grower in Central Valley, CA; the vision was, and still is, to bring a Christian education opportunity to the over 800 employee's children through the non-profit. In the fall of 2020 (during the pandemic in California, which is a mighty God story), the school doors were opened on a temporary school site/church campus, and Lisa continued to work as the School Developer and Head of School. By June 2022, the school was accredited through WASC and ACSI, and in the Fall of 2023, the school moved into its beautiful brand-new school site and began to develop its High School program.
Lisa currently has the privilege of consulting and supporting newly developing Christian schools and homeschooling cooperatives all over the U.S., working alongside the Herzog Foundation. She is honored to be a part of God's kingdom-building through education.
Melanie Fritsch - Conservatory Program Director
Melanie moved to Montana six years ago to be closer to family, and she feels incredibly blessed to be surrounded by loved ones and the beauty of the valley. She and her husband, Adam, a physical therapist and college professor, have been married for 15 years and are raising two wonderful children, Connor (8th grade) and Olivia (1st grade). Melanie holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Arizona State University and a master’s degree in Elementary Education from Concordia University. This is her 18th year in education and her 7th year as a homeschooling mama. Before homeschooling, Melanie taught 1st–3rd grade in a public school in Chicago. Outside of school, you can find Melanie and her family hiking in Glacier, enjoying the lake, or cozied up at home. Her family recently completed the building of their new home in Bigfork—a multi-year labor of love that they are excited to call home.
Sandra Gardiner - Office Manager
Sandra, a homeschool mom for 26 years, has embraced various roles throughout her life. She has experience in nursing, foster care, homeschooling, ski patrol, and entrepreneurship with her cleaning business. Currently, she is an administrative assistant at Heritage. Sandra finds joy in serving others and prefers to work behind the scenes. She is a proud mother to five daughters and grandmother to eight grandchildren. Her passion lies in ranching on a former Christmas tree farm, where she tends to cows, pigs, chickens, dogs, and cats. For the last decade, she has been active in 4H. Sandra's hobbies include skiing, hiking, horseback riding, and relaxing on the beach.
Conservatory Instructors
Sonja Applebaker - Classroom Assistant
Sonja was born and raised in southern Oregon, she grew up in a large, joyful family, cherishing summer road trips packed into a family car with a trailer in tow. She met her husband, Joe, in Oregon, and together they’ve embraced a life of adventure, living in Oregon, Washington, Montana, Wyoming, and now Alaska. Eagle River, Alaska, is their current home, where Joe works, and she travels to Montana during the school year to homeschool a granddaughter and teach preschoolers. Amid the natural beauty of Alaska, she finds peace and inspiration, especially in the southeast coast and mountains. A lover of crafting, gardening, scripture art, and spending time in nature, she treasures moments of camping, beach walks, and lattes. She and Joe are proud parents of three children—Ryan, Annika, and Tamara—and four cherished granddaughters, two of whom now reside in their heavenly home with Jesus.
Tara Bailey - 7th/8th Writing (IEW)
Tara grew up in Southern California and graduated from Westmont College in Santa Barbara with a B.A. in elementary education. After teaching for a year she married her husband, Matt, and continued teaching 4th and 5th grade until the birth of their first of five children. They moved to Montana in 2002 right out of residency and Matt began his practice as an orthopedic surgeon in Whitefish. Tara homeschooled until her oldest reached high school, learned of Heritage, and enrolled her into its amazing program. Tara has three children in college and two still at Heritage. She enjoys skiing, hiking, mountain biking, running, and reading as well as spending time with and taking care of her family.
Alaina Bobadilla - Kindergarten Program
Alaina has been married to my husband Derek for 24 years and has 3 kids, 14, 19 and 20. My son got married last year at 19, so she has the added joy of a beautiful daughter in law. She taught Pre kindergarten off and on throughout the years and has also homeschooled her own children for 15 years! It has been a beautiful journey and she wouldn't change it for anything. Now that her kids are grown up and her baby is in high school, she gets the privilege of teaching your little ones. She is so blessed to be teaching Kindergarten for her 2nd at Heritage Conservatory.
Anke Brooks - 6th-8th Grade Art
Anke and her husband are active artists in the Flathead Valley with their first gallery show in February of
2026. They are members of Oil Painters of America. Anke's background is in Design. German born, she attended a Gymnasium, the equivalent of Classical Education. She chose the trades, the servile arts, for her continued education and received a diploma in Germany for Design and Communication. In 1990, she married into a family in California and came to the US. Though I was confirmed into the EFK, evangelical church of Germany, at 14 years old, she came to the Lord at the age of 41. She has been an art teacher and professional portrait and landscape artist since 2004 and moved to Kalispell in 2021.
Aleesha Cowan - First Grade Program
Aleesha has been a Kalispell native my whole life. Upon graduating high school, She moved to Dillon where she attended the University of Montana-Western and received a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education (Pre-K-Third Grade). After graduating college she moved back to Kalispell where she completed her student teaching experience at the elementary school she attended as a child. She was fortunate enough to get my first teaching job in this district, and was happily employed for four years with experience in Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade. During this time, she met my husband Matthew. We later welcomed our first child, Leeland, into the world November 2025. After having our son, she realized that she wanted to prioritize being a mom. She is thoroughly excited that she get to continue her passion for teaching at Heritage, while still getting to spend quality time with her family. Out of the classroom she enjoys reading, writing, going on hikes, skiing, paddleboarding, camping, and just spending time in the great outdoors!
Cora Crumley - 6-8 Choir
Cora joined the Heritage Academy team in 2022 and is now in her second, nonconsecutive year of teaching Geometry and Pre-Algebra. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Music, along with a master's in teaching, and brings eight years of diverse educational experience to the classroom. Her journey has included teaching overseas, leading math and music programs in Christian schools, instructing pre-algebra in a traditional public middle school, and guiding students in Earth Science and Algebra at an alternative high school.
Cora met her husband, Travis, while singing in a touring college choir, and together they’ve built a joyful life rooted in faith, friendship, family, and a shared love of learning. Their home is filled with the laughter and energy of three young children who keep life lively and full.
Outside the classroom, Cora enjoys traveling, snowboarding, knitting, cooking, and soaking up sunshine at the beach—whether it’s lakeside or oceanfront. She finds deep fulfillment in helping students uncover the logic and beauty within mathematics, revealing how its structure reflects the order and consistency of God’s creation.
Emma Cunningham - 1st through 4th Grade Science
Emma grew up in the mission field moving around for most of her childhood. She has lived in Montana for the last 6 years and it is where she feels most at home! This is her first year as a teacher and she is very excited to be teaching with Conservatory.
Emma is an artist in her free time, and attended Grand Canyon University for two years to study Graphic Design and Advertising before deciding to take a break to reevaluate what she wants to do.
Other things she loves include coffee, lake days, and her cat!
Phil Cunningham- Physical Education K - 5th grade
Phil Cunningham is the husband of Amy and father of three beautiful daughters, a dog, two cats and way too many chickens. He has been a follower of Jesus for 40 years and a full time missionary with Youth With A Mission and Steps of Justice for many of those. He is passionate about Justice, specifically about bringing awareness of the poor and oppressed and advocating for them. Phil
is a lover of coffee and 80’s rock music. He has been privileged to travel and work in 23 different countries, including N. Ireland where he was born. Phil was raised in Canada and now lives with his family in Kalispell.
Joyce Davies - 5th & 6th Science, Earth Science
Joyce was born in Hawaii and lived all across the nation with her multitude of animals, thanks to her adventurous parents. This love of adventure continued throughout her life. She received her BS in Environmental Science and Wildlife Biology from Ohio State University and completed her master’s work at Idaho State. Her first professional career was as a wildlife biologist in S.E. Alaska, and for 20 years she worked in various states and countries completing wildlife habitat restoration, evaluations and wildlife species research. After having her son, Soren and daughter Tove’, Joyce hung up her biology work to homeschool her children and share adventures with them. Joyce has worked as a science and math teacher at various facilities and loves to encourage students’ enthusiasm for all things Created!
Trina Karow - Kindergarten-3rd Grade Art
Trina has been immersed in art for her whole life. She began painting in adult oil classes at age 10 and went to work at an art gallery at age 13. There she learned matting, framing, and art restoration. In high school, she studied under nationally recognized NWS/AWS watercolor artist Judy Morris, was art editor of the Student Literary Magazine, first place winner of the Harry & David Bear Crk Corp card design/scholarship, and her artwork was featured in the Best of the Best art shows at the Rogue Gallery. Trina went to college to become an art teacher at the University of Oregon and Southern Oregon State University and graduated from Blimes School of Art in 1993. She taught art before having children and has spent the last several years as full time, homeschool mom of three boys: Caleb, Nate, and Elijah. She has continued to use her talents for the Lord through some mural work at schools, churches and private homes, VBS stage and classroom designs, and occasional art workshops for home school students in both Wyoming and Montana. Trina has been in the classroom at Heritage for many years, and her talent speaks for itself.
Jessica Milligan - K - 3 Choir
Jessica was born and raised in the PNW where she met her husband and had two children. She has been homeschooling her daughter and son from the beginning of their education and has enjoyed being a part of their journey. God also put it on her heart to help point little children to Jesus and has responded to that call by serving with babies and toddlers for many years at her church. She has been blessed to respond to that call even further by serving in the preschool and nursery program at Heritage Academy. Jessica is passionate about her relationship with Jesus, her family, living in community with others, music, and finding joy in the everyday moments.
Amy Peterson - 4th/5th Writing (IEW)
Amy, a Nebraska native, holds a degree in Elementary Education from Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, after attending the University of Nebraska for a year. She has experience teaching 3rd to 5th grades in private Christian schools across Arizona and California. Additionally, Amy homeschooled her three daughters until high school graduation and instructed writing at their homeschool academy in California. Once her youngest daughter graduated, she resumed classroom teaching. Married to a pastor for 33 years, Amy has dedicated 15 years to youth ministry and 18 years to a church plant, leading both children's and women's ministries. Her family, originally from Coeur d'Alene, relocated to Kalispell to be near her daughter and grandson, enjoying a return to the Pacific Northwest. Amy's passions include reading, fellowship, e-biking, church activities, and above all, family time.
Teri Ramsay - 4th/5th Grade Art
Teri was born in Germany and was exposed to different cultures at a very young age. This quickly led to her love for traveling and adventure. Teri grew up in Tennessee where she received her BS in Visual Arts K-12 from the University of Memphis. She taught art and yearbook in the Memphis area for six years covering grades K-12. With her love for adventure, Teri also took a two year stint teaching Elementary Art in Guadalajara, Mexico where she also received her Masters in International Teaching from Framingham State University. For the last eleven years, she has been raising and homeschooling her two wonderful daughters. Her family lived in Germany for five years before moving to Montana. Presently, her time is spent serving her family and church. She is very excited to get this opportunity to learn and grow with you this year!