New to Aurora Kids? Each child in your family can do their first class for free!

Miriam Little
Mrs. Miriam has been working here since November 2007. She has been dancing since she was 5 in a variety of dance styles. Some of her favorite things are photography, reading, camping, hiking, vacationing with her husband, and spending time with her family and friends. Mrs. Miriam says she remembers what a big influence her dance teachers were on her growing up and is excited that now she has the opportunity to work with kids and grow that love of dance and gymnastics herself. Her favorite thing about her job is how playing with kids always makes the day a little better.

Ashley Brinker
Miss Ashley has been working at Aurora Kids since March 2012. She is a homeschool graduate. She did Gymnastics at Aurora Kids from 3-5 yrs old. She danced with us from 5 yrs old through now, and was part of our Performance Gymnastics Team for 5 years. She was promoted to Program Director in the Fall of 2021.
She is CPR/First Aid certified and Parkour certified.
She loves working with kids because she feels kids are good role models. Most of the time they’re very happy, and they think positively, and they’re carefree.

Angel Stanley
Mrs. Angel has degrees in Business Management but would rather play with kids. She has taught at Aurora Kids and been our Office Manager since September 2012.
She is certified in CPR/First aid, & USA Gymnastics Safety & Risk Management.
When she grows up she wants to live in a motorhome on the beach. She loves to read, play games with her family, and travel. Angel’s favorite thing about teaching children: “I love to see their self confidence grow as they master their skills. Plus they are super fun to play with.”

Laura Stone
Mrs. Laura has been working at Aurora Kids since 2004. She has a degree in Elementary Education from Montana State University. She is also a health teacher for the Anchorage School District.
Miss Laura’s hobbies are cross country skiing, reading, shopping, and spending time with her family. Miss Laura has been a gymnastics coach for over 15 years. She says, “It always amazes me how eager the kids are to learn.”

Canzada Maruskie
Miss Zada has been working at Aurora Kids since 2014.
She is currently a student at UAA. She started doing gymnastics when I was 2 at Aurora Kids & started dance here when she was 4. She joined the Aurora Kids Performance Gymnastics Team in 2011 and the competitive Power Team Gym in 2014.
She plays violin in the school orchestra and is an active member of student government. She has been dog mushing since 2007. She enjoys doing tricks, poses, and workouts with hammock silks (started in 2016)
She loves hearing all the kids’ fun stories, watching them grow their skills and seeing their excitement when they get a new skill. She loves to see the kids excitement to learn something new.
Miss Zada is CPR/first aid certified and Parkour certified.

Chelsea Grisham
Miss Chelsea and husband Brodie are the proud parents of baby boy Mason, who was born in June (2019).
She is CPR/First Aid/BLS certified & certified in USA Gymnastics Safety & Risk Management.
Miss Chelsea says she loves working with kids because “Everything is fun! No matter what it is, it can be the most fun the kids have ever had.”

Anna Richardson
Miss Anna is a new instructor. She attended Trailside Elementary, Hanshew Middle School and Service High. When she “grows up” she wants to explore what the world has to offer. Miss Anna loves drawing and painting, reading and listening to stories. She has been a runner, a skier and participated in track and field. She did gymnastics at Aurora Kids from the age of 8 through 12 years old and joined her High School Gymnastics team at Service, where she was captain. Miss Anna enjoys kids and how excited they are to learn, as well as the weird things they say.
MADELYNNE THOMAS
Miss Maddy has worked at Aurora Kids since June 2016. She grew up dancing at Aurora Kids and at East High School. She is currently a student at Western Oregon University, where she received a dance scholarship to pursue a B.S. in both Dance and Exercise Science. When she’s not working, studying, or dancing she enjoys fishing and anything else outdoors; along with spending time with her Corgi, listening to Pandora, road trips, and classic movies. Her favorite thing about working with kids is the stories they tell, the energy they bring, and their excitement to learn.
Emma Burkholder
Miss Emma is a new instructor. She has been a student at Aquarian Charter school, Goldenview Middle school and South High School. She likes to go to her cabin and do fun things outside as well as play sports. Miss Emma is super sporty. She has been a swimmer for 6 years, a gymnast here, at Arctic Gymnastics and Anchorage Gymnastics Association. She’s also played flag football, runs and rock climbs. She loves that kids are energetic and fun to be around. She likes helping them and teaching them new things.
CARMEN PARSONS
Miss Carmen started working at Aurora Kids in the summer of 2014. She is currently a student at East High and would like to someday work as an author or illustrator. Miss Carmen loves to dance, write, draw, read, and hang out with her friends. She has danced at Aurora Kids for 10 years, done gymnastics for 2, and is currently on the Performance Team. She also participates in Dog Mushing. Her favorite thing about working with kids is watching them bounce around with endless energy, eager to learn and try new things. She loves seeing their bright smiles and hearing their gleeful laughter.

Gloria Reed
Miss Gloria started working at Aurora Kids in the fall of 2018. She is currently homeschooled and plans to be an elementary teacher when she grows up. Miss Gloria enjoys reading, painting, writing, archery, horseback riding, hiking, hanging out with friends and family, and photography. She started dancing at Aurora Kids in 2007 and continues to do so. She also did gymnastics, performance team, Irish dancing, and swimming. Her favorite thing about working with kids is the funny things they say and how quickly they can learn.

Logan Dawson
Mr. Logan is one of our Parkour Instructors after being Parkour certified this summer. He attends Dimond High School. He has played hockey for 6 years and enjoys biking, fishing and skiing. His favorite thing about teaching kids is watching them improve.

Taki Gyfteas
Mr. Taki is a parkour instructor at Aurora Kids. He’s grown up here taking gymnastics and parkour since he was 3 years old. He’s played baseball, flag football and soccer. He likes gaming, reading, sports and socializing. He’s been homeschooled his whole life and wants to take over his father’s restaurant, Sorrento’s, when he grows up. He loves how full of energy kids can be, and how happy they can be when they achieve something. He likes watching them grow and learn new skills.

Micah Rochin
Mr. Micah started working at Aurora Kids November 2018. He attends West High and plans to work for his uncle’s tech business some day. Mr. Micah enjoys playing video games and also plays the drums and is learning guitar. Mr. Micah attended parkour classes here at Aurora Kids. His favorite things about working with kids is seeing them develop new skills and how they get excited about learning them.

Angela Bjorn
Mrs. Angela started working at Aurora Kids in May 2018. She has taken many elementary education classes at UAA, and has an associates degree from Arizona. She loves working in schools, and currently works at Polaris K-12, and she plans on finishing her teaching certification someday. She enjoys hiking, biking, gardening, and reading. She received a 2nd degree black belt in Taekwondo when she was younger. Now she enjoys learning everything gymnastics from her daughter who is also a student here at Aurora Kids. She loves that kids have flexible thinking and love to try new things, she says, “They are natural scientists!” She also loves that their joy for learning comes from within.