William Smith High School

Danny Burke: Literacy

Danny Burke was born and raised in Colorado and graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2011 with a B.A. in Film Studies and a B.S. in Journalism. After working in the television industry, he discovered his passion for education and returned to school as a Boettcher Teacher Resident at William Smith High School. In 2016, he earned his Master's Degree in Education from Adams State University before beginning his teaching career at North Middle School in Aurora.

In 2019, Danny moved to Stockholm, Sweden, where he taught English Language Arts for the next eight years. Teaching internationally gave him the opportunity to work with students from diverse backgrounds, explore new languages and culture, travel, all while growing as an educator and person. Danny is excited to return to William Smith, where his journey in education first began. Outside of school, Danny enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, whether they're playing at the park, swimming, or exploring new adventures together. He is also a big film buff.

Email: [email protected]

Danny Burke

Matt D'Orio

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]

Alejandro Fuentes Mena: Literacy

Alejandro Fuentes Mena was born in Valparaiso, Chile and at age 4, he moved to San Diego, California, where he grew up. He received a B.A. in Psychology from Whitman College and his Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from High Tech High GSE. Through Teach for America, Alejandro was one of the first two “DACAmented” teachers in the entire nation. US Senator Durbin featured his story on the Senate floor to showcase the transformative impact of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Alejandro also served as the Co-Founder of Radical Arts Academy of Denver, which opened as RASA in fall 2024. Through a TEDx talk and Motus Theatre's UndocuAmerica Project, Alejandro has sought to humanize the narrative of undocumented lives. He loves movement and arts so if you’re looking for him, check your nearest dance floor or karaoke spot! He regularly performs in an a cappella group, the StoryTellers303, sang in the band the Pink Hawks, and performs improvisational theater with Motus Theater’s Playback Theater.

After teaching for a decade, Alejandro went on to work as an educational consultant for five years. He is so excited to now have the opportunity to return to the classroom at William Smith!

Email: [email protected]

Alejandro Fuentes Mena

Sarah La Due

Sarah La Due: Literacy

Sarah La Due came to education as a career-changer, having spent her first decade of adulthood working in politics and communications. In 2014, she became a Teach for America corps member and began working as an English teacher in the East Bay, California. Over the last 13 years, she has had experience teaching English, Journalism, Publications, Theatre, and Social Studies, and taught in both the East Bay and Las Vegas before finally moving to Colorado in 2024, to be closer to family here.

Sarah was born in Sacramento, California and attended the University of California, Santa Barbara for undergrad, where she majored in Political Science and minored in History. She also spent a year at the National University of Singapore, and goes back to visit friends in southeast Asia as often as she can. In addition to Singapore, California, Las Vegas, and Colorado, Sarah has also spent portions of her life living in Iowa, Washington DC, and Ohio. In 2026, she earned her Master’s Degree in Gifted Education from the University of Northern Colorado.

Sarah decided to become a solo parent in her 30s, and has two adorable little girls who attend schools in APS. If she ever has a moment of free time, her hobbies include musical theatre, scuba diving, creative writing, reading fiction books, learning new languages, and traveling to new places.
 

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]

Becca Melendez

Amanda Punt

Amanda Punt: 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]