9th-12th Grade Food Studies CTE Teacher in Wilmington, DE
Odyssey Charter School
Melissa is a National Board-Certified social studies educator in Wilmington, Delaware, at Odyssey Charter School, an innovative and diverse dual language Greek school. She has been an educator for 18 years. Her students have a hydroponic learning lab in their classroom as well as traditional raised garden beds and have donated over 5,000 pounds of fresh produce to individuals in need. Melissa is a teacher adviser for Girls Grow Greens and the FFA, and is also the KN-12th grade garden coordinator and co-leader of the Odyssey Green Team.
Under her leadership, Odyssey earned an Eco-Schools Green Flag and a National Green Ribbon. Prior to teaching in Delaware, Melissa taught in India, Poland, and Thailand. Melissa earned a B.A. in history from Tulane University, an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction (social studies) from the University of Delaware, and an M.A. in United States history at Villanova University as a James Madison Memorial Foundation Fellow. Melissa is a 2021 recipient of a Delaware STEM award, a 2020 NEA Global Learning Fellow, a 2019 Gilder-Lehrman Teacher History Teacher of the Year (DE), and the 2021 Delaware Charter School Teacher of the Year. A 2019 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow, Melissa participated in an expedition to the Galapagos. She is currently pursuing a B.S. in Sustainable Food and Farming from U. Mass-Amherst.
In 2023, Melissa was a Top Ten Finalist for the prestigious Global Teacher Prize. A proud Delaware educator, Melissa is highly passionate about food justice, global studies, and student voice.
A favorite Food Education memory:
I loved hosting a chef in my classroom. He made wild mushroom tacos with pineapple salsa.
Favorite Food Education Standard:
Standard 1 – Food connects us to each other. Food is definitely the great connector in the classroom.
How Pilot Light changed my teaching:
In June, I took some of my high school students on a “Culture and Cuisine Tour of Italy.” A highlight was making homemade pasta and tiramisu in Rome.