Melton teaches new classes at a new school

Dawn Melton joined the Lewiston High School staff as a speech teacher at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year. Melton transferred here after teaching for 15 years at what are now the local middle schools.
Melton instructs LHS students in grades 9-12 in Speech and in freshman and senior success courses. Melton had aspirations to be a teacher at a young age, and remembers playing school while she grew up in Wisconsin, surrounded by her family of seven. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where she earned an undergraduate degree, and later attended Washington State University, where she received her master’s.
After graduating from WSU, Melton began her career teaching at Newport and Port Angeles school districts in Washington, where she worked for seven years. Prior to teaching, Melton worked an additional 13 years in student affairs at several public and private universities in Washington.
Before transferring to LHS, Melton worked for two years at Jenifer MS, teaching speech, research and writing classes. Earlier in her teaching career, she also taught sociology, psychology and Pacific Northwest history.
As she has made the transition here, Melton has enjoyed being a part of the 9-12 grade setting. She’s also enjoying the chance to see her past students’ growth since she last worked with them. Her goals this year have included helping students develop practical interpersonal communication skills.
“I enjoy helping students learn skills that will help them be successful, not only in my classes, but in whatever paths they choose in life,” Melton said.
She’s also looking for ways to fine-tune her course materials’ scope and sequence to fit the A/B school day format better.
Whenever free time allows, outside of school Melton enjoys outdoor activities. She and her husband have been married for 28 years and they have two boys.
“I enjoy gardening, fishing, camping, boating, snow-skiing, and reading,” Melton said. “I also really enjoy traveling. We have been blessed to visit many unique places around the world.”