Mr. Gordon Eckersley

Foundations Mentor

For over four decades Gordon has had an enthusiastic interest in the development of our youth, spending the last 36 years as a Seminary teacher where he has worked with and influenced thousands of young lives. He is able to relate to many personalities, talents and interests, because his parents gave him a very broad and varied wealth of experiences. Gordon was very involved in athletics while growing up and played high school football, basketball, and ran track, earning all-state honors as a running back in football at Layton High. He also played baseball, soccer, still plays golf and has coached gymnastics. He is currently an avid runner and hiker. Besides being very active, Gordon also developed his musical talents, learning to play the piano at an early age he still enjoys playing religious hymns. He also sings bass and was in the Layton High performing group called the Laytones. Gordon's father helped him to develop a love of classic literature and how we can learn true principles from the pages of those great books. Gordon has had a love of learning for years and has spent countless hours reading from a wide variety of great literature but has spent the greatest amount of time in the scriptures and religious literature.

Gordon also brings a great deal of leadership experience to our school. His natural ability was noticed early in his life as his grade school teachers always counted on him to organize the students at recess to play games. This trend continued in secondary school as he was elected to offices such as 8th grade President, and Student Body President at Layton High. Gordon has served in ecclesiastical leadership positions, as well as an advisor to youth groups in his church.

He is married to the beautiful and loving Debbie Eckersley and together they have raised 6 wonderful children and are up to 13 of the cutest grandchildren in the world.

Mrs. Jennie Earl

Math Mentor

Mrs. Brooke Mueller

Science Mentor

Brooke Mueller graduated from Weber State University with a Secondary Education/Biological Composite degree. She taught Biology at Davis High School until her oldest son was born. She met her husband in Ogden, where they lived for nine years until moving to Mountain Green in 2012. They have two sons and two daughters. Brooke loves playing with her family, skiing, mountain biking and anything outdoors. She is a Biology nerd at heart and has a passion for learning. She is so excited to share something she loves with the students at Ascend!

Ms. Natalie Peacock

Spanish Mentor

Natalie Peacock is half Bolivian and has grown up hearing Spanish her whole life. With dual citizenshp, she has learned to embrace both the American and Latin cultures. Not only did she grow up in a Latin family, she served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Washington State. There, she surrounded herself with an extensive amount of cultures, including people from almost every Latin country and providence. Natalie has a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with Marketing emphasis from Weber State University. She enjoys business, but has a special place in her heart for the Spanish language and teaching. Natalie studied Spanish grammar in her undergrad program and became proficient in reading, writing, and speaking. She has a passion for helping others in every way she can.

Mr. Garrett Smith

Liber Mentor

<coming soon>

Mrs. Katie DeGroot

Math Mentor

“As with with any journey...who you travel with may be more important than the destination”

Katie Jensen DeGroot grew up in Kaysville, UT attended Davis High School then the University of Utah, then graduated at Weber State University in Psychology and English. She dated her husband for 2 years and while in college, got married to Eric DeGroot. Upon graduating, she worked for the State of Utah, working with the Attorney General’s office for over 10 years. Katie has a strong background in mathematics, and has tutored math and writing for years. She is also currently a teacher at Integrated Learning Strategies, focusing on math and writing tutoring, as well as writing articles for the website.

Katie and Eric have 3 children. Ethan, who is 12, is the life of the party. He is a phenomenal soccer and basketball player and would rather play sports than do anything else in the world. London, who is their 8 year old daughter, is a creative beauty. London loves design in all forms and states she will be a clothing designer when she grows up. Finally, their last child is 3 years old. Abigail is a fiesty, loveable and brilliant ball of blonde curls.

Katie loves traveling everywhere with her family. Planning a trip and looking forward to it is one of the best things in the world for her. Katie is a passionate hiker and lover of the earth. She loves finding a new trail and checking off another hike in our amazing State of Utah. Katie loves running, cooking and baking, reading, experiencing the arts, and spending quality time with friends and family. Katie has not found many things in life that she doesn’t relish trying or doing. The quote that describes her most is “Eat Well and Travel Often” which she does and plans on carrying out for the rest of her life with her sweetheart.

Ms. Elizabeth Bond

Chinese Mentor

Elizabeth Bond was born and raised in Roy, UT. She attended Utah State University, graduating with a BS in Exercise Science and a BA in Asian Studies with a minor in Mandarin Chinese. Elizabeth began studying Chinese through the Starktalk Chinese program, returning multiple times as a counselor after serving a full-time LDS mission to Taipei, Taiwan. Elizabeth studied abroad and interned at Xi’an Jiaotong University located in Xi’an China, home of the Terra Cotta warriors. After graduating, she taught Chinese for Granite School District. Elizabeth is excited to share her passion for the Chinese language and culture with the students of Ascend.