SCHS District Leadership Team
The district leadership team is always here to help and serve you. If you have a question, please feel free to contact us at anytime.
Meet Our District Team
Rachelle Morris
Vice President of Operations
Biography
About Rachelle Morris
Rachelle Morris, M.Ed., currently serves as the vice president of operations for Student Choice High School. Serving in this position has afforded Rachelle the opportunity to lead her district to positively impact young adults in Arizona needing a champion while offering a flexible pathway to their high school diploma. Rachelle is a second-generation Arizona native having grown up on the west side of Phoenix in Peoria. After graduating from Arizona State University with a bachelor of arts in education, Rachelle began her teaching career in the Peoria and Dysart school districts but ultimately grew roots in the Litchfield Elementary School District. It was there she was mentored into school leadership which led to her pursuing a master of arts in education in administration and supervision. She cut her teeth as an assistant principal in the Creighton and Madison districts serving at Title 1 schools. While at Rose Lane Elementary, she helped to achieve their distinction as the 2009 National Distinguished Title 1 School for Arizona and while at Papago Elementary she authored and was awarded the 21st Century Community Learning Center grant bringing $500,000 to her district over five years. Rachelle then went back to Litchfield to become the principal for Scott L. Libby Elementary School to fill the big shoes of two previous national distinguished principals. During her seven years of leadership, she led the school to increase their school ranking to become the 12th highest performing k–8 school in the state for 2018. Other distinctions earned during this time included A+ School of Excellence for 2016, NCEA Higher Performing School in 2013 and 2014, and the ADE Achievement in Action Award in 2014. Most recently, Rachelle earned the distinction of being a national certified principal mentor through NAESP. Having been an educator for 25 years, Rachelle is proud to continue serving the underprivileged communities in her state!
Kimberly Franz
Chief Officer of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
Biography
About Kimberly Franz
Ms. Franz is a leader with a diverse background in teaching and administration. The first fourteen years of her career were spent in elementary teaching where she led a multitude of diverse professional development trainings. In 2005, she received the district’s Teacher of the Year award. Over the past 13 years, she served as an administrator. As a principal, she increased her school’s rating to an “A” and maintained that rating throughout her years of service. Ms. Franz led her school to receive the A+ School of Excellence Award in 2012 and in 2013 earned a Golden Bell Award. In addition to her success in teaching and administration, Ms. Franz has in-depth experience in new school openings and designing effective curriculum to drive student achievement. She is a leader who cares deeply for a collaborative and resilient culture.
Ms. Franz leadership experience is an important key to the continued success of SCHS and the student’s achievement. She is dedicated to excellence in education and is driving SCHS forward in becoming a leading and excelling district. She graduated from Tolleson High School, received her bachelor of science in education and master of arts in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University.
Lauren Diesner
Administrator for SPED
Biography
About Lauren Diesner
Lauren Diesner – Director of Special Education at Student Choice High School
Lauren Diesner enters her second full year with Student
Choice High School and just completed her first full school year as the director of special education. Since taking over the director of special education role, Diesner has accomplished the establishment of special ed
policies and procedures, created a tracking system for incoming students, established
compliance of all IEPs, evaluations, and 504 plans, increased the members of
the special education department, ensured specially designed instruction for
all students, and individualized each learning experience by providing students
with the accommodations and modifications necessary for their success.
Lauren also currently works weekends as an inpatient therapist at Copper Springs Behavioral Health Hospital in Avondale.
Prior to her arrival with Student Choice High School,
Diesner has spent over a decade working in both public schools and mental
health.
In the spring of 2018, Diesner graduated from Grand Canyon
University with a double master’s in psychology and professional counseling.
Prior to that, she graduated from Arizona State University
in 2012 with a bachelor of arts in a dual program of general and special education.
Diesner currently resides in Litchfield Park with her
husband Derek and their four adorable fur-babies: Pippen (German Shepherd),
Admiral (Golden Retriever), and their two cats Milly and Oliver.
Lisa Kemper-Martin
Instructional Specialist
Biography
About Lisa Kemper-Martin
Lisa Kemper-Martin joined the Student Choice family in 2019 as a district instructional specialist. She is a graduate of Arizona State University and continued her graduate-level education through Grand Canyon University and Northern Arizona University. After graduation, she accepted a teaching position in the Peoria Unified School District. After seven years in PUSD, she accepted a teaching position closer to home in the Litchfield Elementary School District and remained in the Litchfield District until joining Student Choice. Lisa’s 27 years of service in education include teaching 8th grade ELA, serving as the Litchfield Elementary middle school writing instructional coach and Verrado Heritage Elementary 5–8 site instructional coach, and currently, leading as the SCHS district instructional specialist. She has contributed her talents towards developing and leading professional development to district leaders, parents, community, and staff. Among Lisa’s greatest achievements are co-authoring Western Sky Middle School’s A+ School of Excellence, which was awarded to Western Sky; authoring and facilitating multiple district-level professional development training; and earning the Westside Impact Teacher of the Year award in 2009. Mrs. Kemper-Martin has a passion for students and is dedicated to excellence in education.
Tonya Bridges-Brown
Community Liaison Kroc Campus
Biography
About Tonya Bridges-Brown
I have been in education for over 26 years
I was a Captain in the U.S. Army-4.5 years in U.S.Army (Reserves)
and ten years in the U.S. Army (Active Duty)
I graduated with a B.A. in Literature, Science, & Arts (English Literature) from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) and a Masters of Arts in Guidance & Counseling (School of Education) from Eastern Michigan University (Ypsilanti, MI)
As a Principal and School Guidance Counselor, it has always been my calling to build a meaningful relationship with ALL of my students which would help them flourish into successful, young, and amazing adults. I have an old adage, “Give me the children that no one else believes in and we’ll show you what can truly happen when given the necessary tools to help our students succeed”.
I have been married for 30 wonderful years to my wonderful husband (Larry) and we have three beautiful children (Jeffrey, Jamaica, and Jovi)
...THIS IS US!
About Amy Freeman
Amy's educational philosophy is based on her uncompromising belief that all students can learn given a positive learning environment, strong and knowledgeable leadership, and a committed, student-focused educational team. Amy Freeman joined Student Choice High School as the principal of the Glendale Campus in 2019 following 20 years of experiences in classroom teaching, curriculum writing, and alignment for school districts and state organizations, and national publishers, instructional coaching, and school administration. In addition to her work at Student Choice, she is an adjunct faculty member at Rio Salado College in the Teacher Certification Department supporting post-baccalaureate adult learners in their quest to become impactful, certified teachers. She has been the recipient of awards in many areas including the National Great Books, Great Teacher award by The Great Books Foundation, Elementary Teacher Honoree by the Arizona Diamondbacks, and several All-Star recognitions for her work at Rio Salado College.
Amy received her bachelor’s degree in education from the State University of New York College at Cortland. Over the years, she has earned additional state credentials including reading and gifted education endorsements as well as her Master's degree from Northern Arizona University with a specialization in educational counseling and an Arizona K-12 Principal Certificate.
Her educational experiences have provided her with opportunities to collaborate with diverse groups of people and to increase student achievement and well-being. She is thrilled to bring her experiences to Student Choice High School where supporting students in powering through challenges, removing obstacles, and celebrating success is her passion.
