Administrative Team

Ari Goldberg - Principal

Welcome all, I am very excited to be joining Grand River Academy as the next Principal.  I have served 26 years in public education.  I started my career as a Speech and Language Pathologist for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing serving students K-12.  Prior to joining D51 in 2015, I worked in Jefferson County Public Schools with 11 years of administrative experience serving as a middle school principal, elementary principal, and assistant principal and athletic director at a high school.  My family and I moved to Grand Junction in 2015 when I served as the principal of Grand Junction High School.  Most recently, I served eight years as a Site Director for our D51 secondary schools.

I am excited to be a part of Grand River Academy as it has continually grown and adapted to the on-line and digital world of education.  Grand River Academy offers multiple pathways of digital learning that allows for a student to be flexible, have choices in their educational journey and allows for a student to learn and grow the self-responsibility of taking learning into their own control.

At Grand River Academy, we will support, nurture, and guide all of our students in a non-traditional, self-directed learning environment.

We look forward to you joining us,

Ari Goldberg

Alicia Wuster - Assistant Principal

My name is Alicia Wuster and I am so pleased to be the new assistant principal at Grand River Academy. This will be my 21st year in education. Prior to becoming an administrator I was a Spanish teacher. I have a BA/E in Spanish and Education and I have a MA in Educational Leadership. I love to spend my free time camping and hiking. I also love to read, crochet, grow plants, and spend time with my husband, our dogs, and our combined 5 children whenever we can. My favorite part of being an educator is helping students grow in their academics as well as supporting them and their families to become productive, contributing members of our community. It's so fun to watch our students mature and reach their potential.

Grand River is a unique place to learn and grow for students. We are designed to meet students where they are in their academic and social and emotional needs. Our different options for learning give students and their families flexibility to prioritize school along with the other demands of life. While most of the students’ learning takes place at home utilizing our online curriculum; we are proud to offer both blended and virtual options. These options consist of a well-rounded experience including highly qualified teacher taught classes, access to a wide array of services and supports, opportunities to participate in hands-on activities, field trips, and events.

At Grand River Academy we emphasize the importance of relationships as an essential component to a student's success. Our staff wants our students to have a sense of belonging and connection--especially because so many of our students report feeling disconnected in a traditional school setting. We specifically set goals for students' feelings of emotional safety and a sense of belonging within our learning community. We consistently receive feedback from students and their families that our efforts are successful. Grand River Academy is a great choice for families seeking an alternative option for educating their children - we hope you’ll consider joining our amazing school!