Jill Jantz
Principal's Secretary
Hello! My name is Jill, I am Principal Secretary at Arvada K-8. I have worked for Jeffco Public Schools for 14 years and have been at Arvada K-8 for 8 years. I have lived in Colorado for most of my life and am a Jeffco graduate myself!
I love spending time with my husband and four kids. We love to camp, fish, and bike as much as possible! My family also includes four sweet and feisty cats and two large, spoiled, yellow labs!
I love our Arvada K-8 community and feel grateful to be part of such a caring and hard working team and surrounded by amazing students!
Go Timberwolves!
Janet Malloy
Enrollment Secretary
My name is Janet Malloy. I have been an employee of Jeffco Schools since 1999. I have been at Arvada K8 for 9 years. I am the Enrollment/Attendance Secretary. I am a graduate of Arvada West as are both my children. I have lived in Arvada my entire life; it's the Arvada whirlpool! I have 3 dogs, one of which is a Corgi/Chow mix, very interesting! I also have one cat that talks too much. One of my favorite hobbies is gardening.
I love working at Arvada K8. We have an incredible staff and I am honored to be able to call them my friends.
Kim Celano
Health Room Aide
My husband and I have one wonderful son Tony who just got married July 25th to his lovely wife Trina. My husband and I celebrated our 27th year anniversary on July 24th. We have one lovable dog who is 18 years old and as cute as can be. I enjoy hummingbirds. I have 4 feeders and love watching them all summer long. I like walking my dog and going on hikes with my husband.
I Love Arvada K-8 because the staff is like family. They are always there for me and do whatever they can to help. I enjoy helping the kiddos feel better and putting smiles on their faces as they do for me. It makes me feel good as the kids say "Love You" as they leave the health room.
Lys Ashe
Family Liaison
HI, I’m Elysabeth. I was born in Chicago, and spent most of my adult life moving around nationally and internationally with the intent of experiencing and understanding cultural uniqueness of people living in different areas and circumstances. I heard my first John Denver song when I was five years old, and over the years became inspired by the environmental and peaceful messages of his music. I took a Greyhound bus to Denver for a weekend when I was 15 just to experience Colorado, and came back several times in my twenties to attend J.D.’s international environmental symposiums. I vowed to live here one day and many years later, here I am. I became an experiential educator through some wonderful brushes with serendipity and have designed and implemented nature education, challenge course, and storytelling programs for tens of thousands of students and a good handful of corporations. I have a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts, some solid Master’s work in Wildlife Science and will be pursuing two Master’s degrees: one in ecopsychology and the other in organizational leadership. I love the diversity of the students and families at Arvada K-8, and finding ways to connect our school community. I know we will be communicating in new and fun ways, and I look forward to the adventure this year brings.
Oliva Amaro
Bilingual Family Liaison
Kelly Lechuga
School Resource Officer
Hey there!! My name is Kelly and some know me as Officer Lechuga. I grew up in Arvada and attended Thompson Elementary, North Arvada Junior High (at the time) and graduated from Arvada High School. After graduation, I received a scholarship to play softball for Lamar Community College where I earned my Associate of Arts. From there, I was awarded an academic and an athletic scholarship to play softball at Regis University where I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice.
I wanted to be a police officer since I was in elementary school. After hard work and dedication, I was hired by the Arvada Police Department in January of 2008. I have been on patrol up until I accepted the position as an SRO (School Resource Officer) in 2019. I love my job and have enjoyed the challenge of being an SRO. I have also been the Police Explorer Advisor for eight years where I work with and mentor our youth who have an interest in law enforcement. In 2018 I was certified to teach Mental Health First Aid in the state of Colorado. I am also a CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) coach and take mental health very serious as it affects so many of us in our communities.
In my off time, I enjoy spending time with family and friends as well as going to the movies, traveling and attending concerts.
I can’t wait to get back to Arvada K-8 where I can continue to build relationships with the students and be a positive person in their lives.
Julie Montoya
Campus Security