HCA’s After Care Attendant is Kaleen Thetford. Kaleena graduated with an Associate of Arts degree with a music concentration from Front Range Community College in May 2022. She also received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education in May 2024 and is scheduled to graduate in May 2026 with a master’s degree in curriculum design and instruction from Colorado Christian University. She has worked as a substitute teacher for Heritage Christian Academy and as a K-4 elementary tutor at Huntington Learning Center since August 2024. Kaleena has an older brother and sister, and she loves spending quality family time with them and her parents. She enjoys playing video games with her brother, learning how to paint, and studying astronomy. Her favorite things about Heritage are the opportunities to spread the love of God to children and to see their wonder and joy at learning about His amazing creation.

2 Timothy 4:8 – “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Kara Johnson is one of HCA’s Elementary Paraprofessionals. Kara graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in Sport & Exercise Science with K-12 teacher licensure.  After college, she and her husband moved to Washington state for several years, where she worked on gaining more teaching experience by substitute teaching full-time in a variety of schools and with various age groups.  After moving back to Colorado in 2016, she and her husband started their family, and she took a break from teaching.  She operated a home childcare business while her kids were little so that she could stay home with them.  In the fall of 2023, God led her back to subbing, which then led to a position at DCA teaching elementary STEM.  God opened doors for her family that led them to Heritage, and she is excited to become part of the Heritage family- her Kindergartener and 2nd grader will start this year! Kara lives in Loveland with her husband and four children, 2 cats, and 4 chickens. She loves sunshine, gardening, and spending time with her family!

Paraprofessional.

Jason Swiers is HCA’s Communications Director. Jason Swiers was a part-time paraprofessional at Heritage for 3 years. He worked with the elementary grades, pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. He has an associates degree in Air and Space Operations Technology. He grew up in northern Minnesota and moved to Colorado in 1997. He retired in 2011 from a military career, serving with both the Army National Guard in North Dakota and the Air National Guard in Colorado. He worked for PSD as a part-time and substitute paraprofessional for several years. He loves the opportunities at Heritage to use and share his faith while serving the students, families, teachers, and staff.  He desires to grow closer to Christ and His church in all areas of his life. In his free time he enjoys serving at Wellington Community Church, working on his property, fishing, and spending time with his church, school, and family.

Cindy Ridge works as the receptionist for HCA. She has been working in education since 2015. Her favorite part of the job is meeting and interacting with our students and parents.

Stephanie Belmarez is HCA’s Registrar. Mrs. Belmarez has been working at Heritage since 2005. Before working as the Registrar, she was a Substitute Teacher for two years and the Administrative Assistant for nine. Mrs. Belmarez loves to spend time with her family, knit, crochet, craft, and read.

Joe Packard is HCA’s Athletic Director and one of HCA’s Bible teachers. He has been a coach and teacher since 2005. He started as the Athletic Director in 2022. He and his wife both teach at Heritage, and they have 3 boys that attend here. Joe has a degree in English Literature as well as a minor in Spanish from Western State College. He also competed in collegiate cross country and track and field. He was previously a full-time pastor at a local church for 15 years. He stepped away from this role predominantly as part of God moving him towards full-time investment at HCA. Joe coaches high school cross country, girls basketball, and track and field.

He teaches just like he coaches, with deep passion and encouragement grounded on the Truth of Jesus Christ. He insists upon excellence, evidence in growth, self sacrifice, discipline, teamwork, and unity. His classroom will be a place of peace, joy, interaction, dialogue, fun, and influence. Our bible classes will be poised to dig deep into the truths and power of Scripture but also environments of spontaneous and Spirit-led focus on how to navigate the unprecedented season of life we’ve all found ourselves in – at school, at home, in the church, and in the world.

His heart is to see our young men and women at HCA push out of the ordinary in everything they do and into the extraordinary that is everything that Jesus Christ epitomized in His life and death. Joe is committed to instruction and learning that is normal, required, expected, and necessary for furthering careers and spurring academic growth. He teaches and coaches because he hopes that in the midst of that growth and development, that an even greater, unexpected, and frankly miraculous work of God might take place in our students. His prayer is that as an outcome of their time in his classes and our school, that they might become a fragrance and being unlike anything the world has known or seen, for the glory and purposes of Our Father God.

Joe is very humbled and honored to be able to serve in the roles God has set before him. He is more aware than ever of his dependency upon Jesus and his total inability to accomplish anything apart from Him. He is so grateful to be here, to have his family here with yours, and for us to journey together in being more and more like Jesus as we strive to together obey and live out the callings of God by the very power, indwelling, and guidance of the Holy Spirit! He’s so ready to work harder than ever, to have more fun than ever, and to witness, share, and celebrate the goodness of Our Father together – every year at HCA! “Let’s BLEED GREEN, and launch wholeheartedly into every relationship and activity expecting nothing less than to marvel at what He can do!”