Melissa Paynter grew up in Redmond, Washington where she participated in soccer, dance, and cheerleading through high school. Following high school, Melissa moved to Utah to attend Utah Valley University where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Behavioral Science with an emphasis in Social Work.
Upon graduation, Melissa worked in several different capacities, including as a loan officer and human resource manager. Melissa discovered her passion for education after volunteering in her oldest son’s class at Ray Elementary in Chicago, Illinois while her husband attended law school at the University of Chicago. Following her husband’s graduation from law school, Melissa and her family moved back to Sandy, Utah where she implemented a neighborhood Joy School.
Melissa began her formal teaching career at Challenger School in 2017 as the PreK 4 teacher before joining the Waterford faculty in 2021. She enjoys the liberal arts focus and expertise that is shared by each of her colleagues in their respective areas. Melissa is passionate about creating positive experiences at the PreK level to help her students discover a lifelong joy of learning! Specifically, Melissa feels strongly that early literacy is critical to such discovery.
Melissa shares the Waterford experience with her son, Hudson, who currently attends Class II. When not in the classroom, Melissa enjoys spending time with her four children, husband, and golden retriever as they explore the outdoors and enjoy all the beauty Utah has to offer. You can also find them watching college football and cheering for their favorite team, Notre Dame!