Melissa Armenta grew up just outside of Washington, DC (Go Redskins!) and graduated with honors from Hood College in Maryland with a degree in Early Childhood Education in 2006. After a couple years of student teaching, her career started at S. Christa McAulliffe Elementary where she taught kindergarten for two years. In the process, Melissa got married and followed her husband to Utah where he was in the midst of finishing his graduate school education. Melissa’s first teaching job in Utah was at the Waterford School and she taught PreK-4 in 2008. After acquiring an ELL certification for the state of Utah, her career path led her to help open a charter school in Park City, where she taught for 6 years. She helped develop and implement the second grade curriculum. Melissa was also the team lead for first and second grade teachers as well as the ELL Director at Weilenmann. For her efforts, Melissa was awarded 2014 Teacher of the Year for the Weilenmann School of Discovery. In 2015, she jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the Waterford School community again. Melissa taught full day Kindergarten at the Waterford School until 2019, sharing her passion for elementary education with students. Outside the classroom, Melissa enjoys shopping, skiing, running, relaxing on the beach and spending time with her family. She and her husband have one boy and a dog named Abby. Melissa feels that every child is an individual of great value, and she has high expectations for each student.