Amalia Adiv

Amalia Adiv is a writer, performer, and educator from Denver. She holds a Master’s from NYU in Educational Theatre and loves helping children unlock their creative spirit! Amalia uses drama, movement, and imaginative play to foster social and emotional growth in very young children. She has a passion for children's books and using storytelling to help children develop empathy and compassion. Amalia has four years of preschool teaching experience as well as over ten years of experience in a variety of informal education settings. As an actor and writer, Amalia is an active member of the Denver theatre community and beyond. She is thrilled to help bring creative opportunities to the Beanstalk community. 

Faith Goins-Simmons

Faith is classically trained in musical theater and was the first person of color to graduate from DU's "Lamont School of Music." Over the past 13 years she has combined her love for teaching and gymnastics as a Junior Olympic gymnastics coach, choreographer, teacher at CU Anshutz medical campus (SP clinical education), and being a wife and mother ♡.

Josh Kirk

Joshua Kirk has been a theatre skills instructor since 1996 and has taught in the Denver area since 2002. He has facilitated improv coast to coast in the US and internationally via his training company, Improv LEAP. Joshua is an award-winning youth theater director and is presently directing his 25th musical! He gained a Masters in Theater Education from UNC in 2018, was accepted into the Second City conservatory in Chicago, and taught at the Bovine Metropolis for years. His infectious excitement and passion is evident in his dynamic facilitation. 

Soleil Kohl

Soleil has worked with students of all ages in a variety of subjects, but loves STEM for its ability to show students that they are already scientists and engineers in their day-to-day. Her classes use hands-on experiments to learn how to ask and answer questions about ourselves and the world around us. Soleil believes that STEM should make us more curious rather than less, and encourages students to keep exploring. Her mission is to foster thoughtful, creative minds that are ready to challenge and investigate the objects and happenings in our world.

David Ladon

David Ladon is a Denver-based multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, and educator.  He has taught in school and community settings since 2007, focusing on activity-based arts education. David's original children's music project, Animal Farm, has earned Parents' Choice, Mom's Choice, and National Parenting Product Awards, as well a Kids First endorsement by the Coalition for Quality Children's Media.

In addition to teaching at Beanstalk, David is the Podcast Manager at Youth On Record, one of Colorado's premier music education organizations. David has a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Rochester (2007) and an M.A. in Social and Cultural Foundations in Education from DePaul University (2018).  In his free time, David loves gardening, cooking, and playing with his cat named Angus.

Jennie Pitts

Jennie always seemed to have a deep desire to connect with nature, the animals and the world outside. She would just sit and listen to life in the trees and in the quiet, stroking the velvety nose of my horse from a swing. 

To this day, the little girl inside me still finds rest in horses and listens to the whisper in the trees. Every time I pick up a paintbrush, it seems I get to connect with that little girl - she hears and sees the present moment and colorfully translates it onto a canvas through a little brush and some paint.

Kelsey Shields

Kelsey received her degree in Art Education from Penn State and taught elementary art for five years. The immense creativity and joy that kids display in the art room was the true highlight of her teaching career. Pursuing her own art is what eventually led her away from the classroom. Kelsey now focuses on large paintings of wildlife and landscapes in bold color. Having the opportunity to continue to share the joy of art with Beanstalk’s creative kids brings it all full circle. Kelsey focuses on the control each artist has in his or her own work, how to correctly and creatively use materials, and how to use art as a source of expression in a calming space.