French Program Faculty

Christy Balay
Christy was born in La Rochelle and raised in Brittany, France.  After finishing high school in France, she earned her bachelor’s degree in international business in Fresno, Calif. When she’s not in the classroom, Christy enjoys traveling, biking and scuba diving. This is her second year at DMIS, and she has two daughters enrolled in the French program.

Emmanuel “Manu” Bidan
Emmanuel “Manu” Bidan has taught at Denver International School since 2001 at both the elementary and middle school levels. Manu is from Paris, France, where he began his teaching career in 1990. His son is a DMIS student.

Karen Finley
Karen Finley grew up in Paris, France. She has a bachelor’s degree in American History and a master’s degree in Education from the University of Paris V. Karen has been teaching children ages 3-8 for the last 13 years. She and her American husband have 3 boys, all enrolled in the French program at DMIS. Because she is raising a bilingual family herself, Karen brings that personal experience into the classroom. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and hiking and spending time with her family.

Laurette Heppell
Laurette Heppell was born in Algeria and moved to Paris as a child. She studied in Paris, then York University in Canada. Laurette spent 15 years in Pueblo, Colo., teaching elementary students and their families. She developed the Bébé Alliance program for L’Alliance Française de Denver, one of DMIS’ Community Partners. While raising her four children, Laurette actively volunteered in their elementary school classrooms.

Fabienne Lleres-Doyle
Fabienne is from the south of France, but has lived in the United States for 27 years.  She has her real estate broker’s license and has studied psychology. Fabienne began working at DMIS as a summer camp counselor, and has been a teacher’s assistant for the last three years. She has a 21 year old son, and enjoys scuba diving and cross-country skiing with her husband.

Christel Mazquiaran
Christel Mazquiaran is a native of Basque country. She studied in Strasbourg, where she earned bachelor’s degrees in English literature and foreign civilization and teaching French as a foreign language. She completed her teacher training at the Strasbourg Institute and has taught elementary students for several years. Christel is a basketball player and dancer. She also enjoys hiking, skiing, playing piano and reading.

Katy Mendes
Although born and raised in France, Katy’s heritage is Portuguese. She has a bachelor’s degree in social economics from France and a second bachelor’s degree in human performance and sport, with a focus on athletic training. Katy is also a certified massage therapist and personal trainer. When she’s not working with the DMIS students, Katy loves to travel, run mountain trails and teach fitness classes.

Bénédicte Oglivie
Bénédicte Ogilvie grew up in Paris, France, where she studied literature at Sorbonne University. She has a master’s degree in education from the University of Colorado. Bénédicte has two sons. One is a graduate of Denver International School, and the other is now a DMIS student. Bénédicte loves the mountains and all outdoor activities – especially skiing.

Edith Emilie Riedel
Edith Emilie Riedel was a teacher in southern France for eight years before moving to Colorado in 1991, when she began teaching at Denver International School. Edith has taught various elementary grade levels, ranging from Grade 1 to Grade 5. Edith spearheaded an exchange program between DMIS fifth graders and students in France.

Dominique Shortridge
Dominique, a native of Lyon, France, has taught at Denver International School for more than a decade. She studied psychology and art history at the University of Lyon and now is completing an associates degree from the Community College of Denver to become a director of Early Childhood Education. She also assists with DMIS’ After-School Workshops and Summer Camps. In her free time, Dominique enjoys acting with Alliance and Co. and playing tennis.

Christèle Turner
Christèle Turner is originally from Bayeux, France. She received her teaching degree in Normandy, France. She has served Denver International School for nearly 10 years. Before teaching the Kindergarten French class at DMIS, Christèle taught Pre-Kindergarten and 3rd and 4th grades at DIS.

Odille Vincent
Odille is from the northeartern part of France. Before coming to Denver, she lived in Minn. for 12 years. She holds an associate’s degree in computer science  and a bachelor’s degree in international trade. Odille also has a master’s degree in education with a specialty in French from St. Catherine’s College in Minn. She spent nine years at the French Academy in Minn. teaching children ages 3-8. In her free time, Odille enjoys hiking, playing the keyboard, and traveling to Latin America.

Veronique Weiss
Veronique is a native of Bayonne, France, and lived in Bordeaux for 10 years. While at university, she studied English and Russian. Veronique served as a teacher for Denver International School’s French kindergarten in 2001-02 and is delighted to return to Denver Montclair International School’s faculty. Veronique has two daughters enrolled in DMIS’ French program.

Deborah Wolf
Deborah is from Nice, France, and holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in education. She has one daughter enrolled at DMIS. In her free time, Deborah enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, baking and taking her four dogs to the park.

Amélie Yellen
A native of Le Mans, France, Amélie graduated from l’Université de Poitiers with degrees in teaching French as a foreign language and English literature and civilization. Amélie has taught at Denver International School since 1998. In her spare time, she likes to read, dance ballet, hike and visit her family in France. She has one son, Bejamin, who is now enrolled in the Denver Montclair International School’s French program.