William Smith High School

Literacy & Music & Tech

Kevin teaches English and Music, and has worked at William Smith since 2005. He earned a BA in Linguistics from Ohio State University in 1999, a MEd in Curriculum and Instruction from Cleveland State in 2004, and an AGS from Community College of Aurora in 2016. He is married with two lovely daughters and enjoys skiing, hiking, and playing guitar.

Email: [email protected]

Kevin Brown

Matt D'Orio

Literacy & CLDE

Matt grew up at the Kiski School, a boarding school outside of Pittsburgh, PA. His parents were both teachers and most of his extended family were educators. Despite several attempts, Matt was destined to become a teacher. After graduating from Dickinson College with a BA in English, he began his teaching career. Although he knew he loved teaching, Matt switched careers so he could work at the Keystone Policy Center in Keystone, CO. After three years of creating curriculum, he decided to get back into the classroom which is his real passion. This led Matt to William Smith High School, where he could combine his love of teaching, sports and the outdoors. Outside of work, Matt loves hiking and camping with his dogs, rafting, and advocating for wolves.

Email: [email protected]

Becca Melendez

Literacy

Becca was born and raised here in Aurora; she attended Aurora Public Schools from kindergarten through 12th grade. She graduated from Northwest Nazarene University in Idaho, moved back to Colorado, married her high school sweetheart, and started her first job teaching in APS - all in one summer. Becca recently completed her Master of Education degree in Integrated Teaching through the Arts. For years, she has worked to design curriculum and assessment, and to teach English through the arts with a focus on multicultural education and art and culture in our community. She loves to teach reading, giving students time to read what interests them, by authors from diverse backgrounds, and providing opportunities to show their new understandings through the visual arts, drama, storytelling, poetry, music, and movement. The same year she found her teaching home at William Smith, they moved outside of the city to a yellow house on a dirt road, raising two teenagers, dogs, chickens, and bees.

Email: [email protected]

Literacy

Amanda was born and raised in Colorado. She graduated from CU-Boulder in 2017 with a BA in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing. After graduation, she moved to LA to pursue different artistic ventures before deciding that CO and teaching were calling her home. She has been working at WSHS since 2023 and recently graduated with her Master's in English K-12 Education from CSU-Global. Amanda loves all things literature —reading, writing, and critiquing —and is so happy to be in a place where she can share that passion with students. When Amanda isn't teaching, she enjoys spending time with her husband, two kiddos, and three dogs, watching the newest movies/TV shows, and getting outdoors.

Email: [email protected]

Amanda Punt