6th Grade

Welcome to 6th Grade Language Arts! I love teaching 6th-grade English Language Arts here at Lincoln Academy! The 2024 - 2025 school year will be my 16th year of teaching and my 4th year at Lincoln Academy.  I am a teacher and a parent at Lincoln because I enjoy the community. I have lived and taught in Ohio, Georgia, Tennessee, and Colorado. 

I attended college at The Ohio State University. Go Bucks! At O.S.U., I received a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Development with a Minor in Education and a Masters in Elementary Education. I truly believe that learning is a lifelong process!  I continue to take classes and read to further my understanding of the best and current instructional practices.

I am so excited to empower your children to be recognized and advocate for their right and obligation to obtain a quality education.  This year will be filled with thought-provoking units that require students to critically read, write, think, and discuss the world around them. Our rich Core Knowledge curriculum will support me in doing this.  I look forward to getting to know the 6th graders this year.  Thank you for partnering with me this year as we learn and grow together!

My name is Maria Jelinek, and I am excited to be your child's science teacher! This is my fourth year teaching middle school science here at Lincoln. I have been teaching at Lincoln for 21 years. I began my teaching career here at Lincoln as a fourth grade teacher. I spent 7 years teaching fourth grade and 12 years teaching first grade.  I am also a coach for the middle school athletic program. I am a native of Colorado. I love sports, photography, outdoor activities, and am very active. Running and soccer are two of my favorite hobbies, along with being outside enjoying our beautiful state! I graduated from Regis University with a degree focused on education, psychology, special education, and physical education. I also have a masters in educational psychology from University of Northern Colorado. 

I love teaching science because of how hands-on students can be with the different principles and concepts we cover. My hope is that students find a love for inquiry and science. Providing a wonderful educational experience while helping each child develop a strong self-worth and reach their highest academic potential is my main goal as a teacher. I strongly believe that in order to provide your child with the best education possible, we need to work as a team. I will do my best to provide a classroom full of respect and success for every student. I am looking forward to meeting you and your child and am ready for a fantastic school year!

Welcome to 6^th grade math! This school year will be my 10^th year here at Lincoln. This will be my 2^nd year teaching 6^th grade math. I was born and raised in the mountains of Colorado. I attended Metropolitan State College of Denver and received a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in Elementary Education. I love Lincoln Academy and the community. My daughter is a freshman this year and attended Lincoln from kindergarten through 8^th grade. I also have a 6^th grade son who started here at Lincoln in preschool. We are an active Colorado family and enjoying camping, hiking, skiing and lots of basketball. Additionally, this will be my 9^th year coaching the girls' basketball team and my 3^rd year coaching the girls' volleyball team. 

I believe in the importance of a rigorous math curriculum that focuses on conceptual understanding and procedural fluency. I strive to create a classroom space where all students feel safe and cared for. I am so excited to begin another school year!

Hi, my name is Christa Westbrook and am very excited to join Lincoln Academy as a teacher. I was a student at Lincoln Academy, and actually met my husband in kindergarten at Lincoln. It is very exciting to come back as a teacher. I am a Colorado native and attended the University of Colorado. Sko buffs! I have my bachelors degree in Elementary Education with additional licenses in Secondary Social Studies and English Language Arts, and also have my masters degree in Educational Leadership with my principal license. I have taught for 7 years in a variety of grades and subjects. My husband and I just welcomed our first child, a baby boy, to the world two months ago. I enjoy spending time with my family, being outdoors, watching football, and love all things Disney. I am excited for this upcoming year!

Debbie McNutt (5th-6th Technology) received her bachelor’s degree in Business Computer Systems from New Mexico State University in 1987 and worked for IBM Corporation for 11 years.  She received her Masters in Secondary Education at the University of Denver in 1997.  Mrs. McNutt came to Lincoln with 4 years of experience teaching high school in the Thornton area teaching digital media and math.  The 2025-26 school year will be Mrs. McNutt’s Twenty-first year of teaching and her sixteenth year at Lincoln Academy.  She is excited to be teaching 5th - 6th grade technology.  Mrs. McNutt loves to spend her free time with her husband, 3 children, and 2 grandsons, as well as running, golfing, traveling, photography, scrap booking, visiting Disney, and watching movies.