Cunningham, Melissa
Mrs. Melissa Cunningham
Phone: 623-445-3126
Degrees and Certifications:
Degree from Grand Canyon University: BS in Secondary Education with an emphasis in English, BA in Theatre - Technical Emphasis and a Minor in Humanities
Certifications: 6-12 English with History, Drama, and SEI endorsements
About the Teacher:
I am entering my 12th year of teaching and my first at Barry Goldwater High School. I will be teaching 11th grade American History and 10th grade World History. I have previously taught 7th and 8th grade English, 6th and 7th grade Social Studies, World History, and 11th and 12th grade English (including College Prep). I have been a Student Council sponsor and Yearbook Advisor at the middle school levels and the Community Education Theatre program here in Deer Valley USD at Hillcrest Middle School when I first started teaching.
I have earned a degree in Theatre with a Technical emphasis (I like to be backstage helping the actors) and Secondary Education with an English emphasis, both from Grand Canyon University. I have extensive Special Education experience, having started my journey in teaching as a paraprofessional in a self-contained Cross-Categorical Behavior classroom. I also have significant experience with English Language Learners and have been the school-level EL Coordinator in a previous district.
I am more of a history person than I thought I was in high school and college, love learning about languages, and I'm also a fan of Star Trek, Star Wars, Marvel, our hometown pro teams (Go Cardinals!). I have traveled to the UK, Greece, Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal, all thanks to my high school World History teacher who taught me that 1066 was the year William conquered England and was the last successful foreign invasion of England.