Administration Members

ahorning@northstarcharter.org

I am so excited to start my 20th year in education with the great people of North Star. I look forward to working closely with each and every one of you as we continue to strive for high levels of performance while creating lifelong experiences that our students will remember for years to come.

I’m a small town guy, born and raised by two educators in Emmett, ID. After high school, I went up to THE University of Idaho. While in school, I was able to experience studying abroad in Brighton, England. What an amazing opportunity. The U of I treated me so well, I have now earned all three of my degrees from them.

As a native Idahoan, I enjoy all that this great state has to offer. Hunting, fishing, mountain
biking, golfing, rafting, and camping are just a few of the things I love to do outside of the office.
My main love is spending time with my wonderful family. My wife Mandi and two kids Kyler and Kinley keep me busy with sports, vacationing, and laughing all the time.
As I mentioned, I was raised by two educators, so education seemed like the path for me. I’ve
had an amazing career so far. I was a science teacher at both the middle and high school
levels.

Science was a natural fit for me as I love learning by doing. The last 14 years, I have
been working as an administrator. Again, I’ve worked at both the middle and high school levels as both a principal and assistant principal. I have also had the pleasure of working with
elementary schools as I had an opportunity to work at the district level as well. Each of these
experiences have provided me with a great deal of experience and exposure to how different
educational systems work. I look forward to learning and leading the great people of North Star as we strive to identify ourselves and truly show people what an amazing institution we have.

jodonnell@northstarcharter.org

Joanna was raised in Boise, Idaho. She attended Westmont College, in Santa Barbara, California and received her degree in Business and Economics. After college, she returned to Boise to work in sales and marketing for a software company. In 2001, she moved to Boston, Massachusetts to fulfill her dream of living on the east coast. During her time in Boston, Joanna helped to create partnerships between the private sector and Boston Public Schools, worked in corporate relations for a large insurance company, and as the Director of Development for a private school in the heart of downtown Boston. She counts herself lucky not only to have witnessed the “Reverse of the Curse” of the Boston Redsox (still cheering), but that she met and married her husband, Dan during her ten years in Beantown.

In 2011, Joanna and her husband decided to move back to Boise to be near family. Joanna worked for Mission Aviation Fellowship in Nampa, Idaho as the Manager of the Major/Middle Market and Capital Campaigns prior to joining North Star as the Director of Development in May, 2015. In 2020 Joanna transitioned to Director of Human Resources and Communications. She looks forward to serving and supporting our staff, teachers and parents in this new role.

Joanna and her husband Dan live with their son, Jack in Eagle.

smanuel@northstarcharter.org

jdurflinger@northstarcharter.org

I am so excited to become a part of North Star Charter this year and join this community! I quickly fell in love with the school throughout my interview process and have enjoyed every minute I have been fortunate enough to spend on campus so far. I am looking forward to hitting the ground running this upcoming year and immersing myself in the school’s culture.

I have spent the previous 8 years teaching math and student leadership at Mountain View High School in Meridian. After graduating from Boise State University (Go Broncos!) in 2015, my wife and I moved to Central Oregon to work at a youth camp. We spent one year working in Oregon, my home state, but realized that my calling was still in Education. We moved back to Meridian where I began working for Mountain View, the same school that I had also completed my student teaching at in college. After 4 years of teaching math, I quickly realized that my true interest was in serving the school outside of just my classroom. I then began to pursue my master’s degree through Grand Canyon University before graduating in December of 2020. During this time, I also took over as the student leadership advisor which gave me a lot of experience as a leader of staff and students throughout the school. Through my various leadership positions that I have held I have realized my strengths lie within serving others by supporting and empowering them to become the best versions of themselves.

Outside of school, my joy comes from time spent outdoors with my wife and four kids (Rowen, Maggie, Ollie Jane and Griffin) all under 8 years old. We love spending our family time camping, hiking, bike riding and kayaking. We love the state of Idaho and all that is has to offer and explore.

Thank you all for helping welcome me into the North Star family, I am eager to get to work and serve the great community that makes this school what it is. It is an honor to be a part of this community and I cannot wait to see what the future holds!

lleatherman@northstarcharter.org

Laiena Leatherman is excited to begin another rewarding chapter at North Star in her new role as the K-8 Instructional Specialist. After teaching third grade at North Star since 2009 and serving as the elementary vice principal beginning in 2020, she now looks forward to supporting K–8 staff and students while continuing to contribute to the incredible North Star community.

Laiena’s journey in education began shortly after high school as a paraprofessional in a special education classroom, an experience that sparked her deep passion for helping children. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Science in Education with a dual major in Elementary and Special Education in 1997. She spent several years teaching K–3 special education before pursuing leadership opportunities to expand her impact on students and families. In 2001, she earned her first Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Azusa Pacific University and became one of the youngest vice principals in her district. A couple years later, she continued her second Master’s Degree in Educational Administration at CSUSB.

In 2004, Laiena and her husband, Greg, moved to Eagle, where she chose to stay home and fully embrace time with their growing family. Their first son, Hunter, was born in 2003, followed by their second son, Ty, three years later. She is incredibly proud of the young men they have become. Both sons live locally, attending college at BSU and CWI while also working.  

After five years at home with her boys, Laiena returned to education in 2009 to help open North Star, where she team taught third grade. Since then, North Star has remained home for Laiena. She feels incredibly fortunate to work alongside such a dedicated, caring, and exceptional staff. She is proud to be part of a school community that values students, families, and one another so deeply, and she looks forward to another wonderful year with the amazing North Star family.

jhickey@northstarcharter.org

Josh Hickey grew up in rural Pennsylvania where he developed a love for the natural world through exploration of the rivers, mountains, and woods surrounding his childhood home. His love for the natural world inspired him to pursue a degree in Fisheries Biology so he could develop a better understanding of the creatures and natural environments that fascinated him as a child. His love for the natural world also drove him to seek out opportunities to be and play outside as often as he could. Consequently, at the age of 16, he began ski instructing at a local ski area near his childhood home. Through his experiences ski instructing, he became fascinated by the way people learn and began to develop a passion for teaching. As time went on, he realized that his love for the natural world and his passion for teaching drove him to share his understanding of natural environments, and creatures that inhabit them, with anyone that would listen. This realization led him to pursue a career in education so that he could be better equipped to pass on his knowledge of the natural world with the future (i.e., kids!). Josh believes that by helping future generations better understand how the world works at a biological level can help to preserve it for generations to come.

When Josh is not in school, he likes to spend as much time outdoors as possible. This could be mountain biking and camping with his wife, fly fishing a remote river, hiking a mountain peak to photograph the landscape, or tending to his garden with his yellow lab and chickens.

Josh has joined the administration team as the Dean of Students at the High School. Josh has a great vision for building the culture of our new site and has a strong and positive connection with our students.  We are excited to see what he can do with this new opportunity.  Josh will continue to work with students in the classroom as he will also be teaching Biology to our 9th graders and an Outdoor Living class as an elective and highly requested option from our students.

nhagiperos@northstarcharter.org

Nick was raised near the South Bay Area in Morgan Hill, California. He lettered in both football and baseball during high school and went on to play junior college football at Gavilan College. Immediately after his playing career ended, he returned to his high school alma mater to begin his football coaching career in 2011.

While coaching, Nick attended and graduated from California State University Monterey Bay with his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology. In 2017, Nick began his teaching career as an Anatomy and Physiology teacher in Watsonville, California, where he would also serve as the varsity football team’s defensive coordinator. In 2020 Nick returned to his hometown to coach football and teach special education. He spent 5 years at Live Oak High School where he was the offensive coordinator, strength coach and special education department chair. He also piloted a youth flag football league that included 450 participants in grades K–7.

In July of 2025, Nick, his wife Katherine and son Arthur moved to Boise to plant their roots and positively contribute to their new community. In Nick’s free time he enjoys walking and biking the greenbelt, golfing, fishing and all things football. Nick has a proven track record of success and infuses his teams and classes with an energy unknown to mankind.

mnilsson@northstarcharter.org

Monica Nilsson was born in Fairfield, CA but moved to St. Maries, ID when she was four. After graduating from St. Maries High School she attended U of I and WSU earning her BSN in nursing. She worked all of the units for a year before settling on the medical/oncology unit. She was also a Utilization Review Nurse for Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

Monica and her husband Randy have 2 children, Mikena and Ryker. They lived in Montana, Northern Idaho, Oregon, California, and Hawaii before returning to Idaho in 2014. They love being back in Idaho and are enjoying the seasons again!

Monica joined the North Star family in 2016 as a 4th grade para. Since then she has been a para for 2nd-4th grade and part time office staff. This year she switched to working full time in the office. Monica loves working with the kids and is looking forward to a great year!

mfriday@northstarcharter.org

secondarysecretary@northstarcharter.org

ahamlin@northstarcharter.org

bkearney@northstarcharter.org