As students welcomed new faces here on campus during the first weeks of school, SHS has also been reunited with a former alumni who now has their very own classroom. This year, Melissa Davis is a speech therapist here on campus in room 410.
Mrs. Davis is a speech therapist and explains that all Selma Unified therapists were moved to new school sites this year. Before she was transferred over to Selma High, Mrs. Davis was previously employed at Jackson Elementary School for the past seven years. But before Selma, Mrs. Davis worked for the Kings County Office of Education. Across the street at Jackson Elementary School, Mrs. Davis was a speech therapist as well.
Arriving on a new campus goals have been set for the classroom of Mrs. Davis.
“[My goal this year is] to get to know my new students here at the high school and find new ways to support their communication skills,” said Mrs. Davis. Her classroom reflects her attitude with colorful and decorative walls in hopes to create a safe space for her students’ learning journey.
“I always knew I wanted to work in education with students but I didn’t come across this field until out of high school. I have been a speech therapist for the past 18 years,” adds Mrs. Davis.
Mrs. Davis attended local college Fresno State University, where she later earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degree.
There at Fresno State, she focused on studying communication disorders with an emphasis in speech language pathology. Speech language pathology is typically used so Mrs. Davis can ensure the success of her students and help them work on their speaking skills.
This ultimately led up to Mrs. Davis’s career in working with students’ speech skills. Aside from the classroom, Mrs. Davis explains it has been nice to work with families that she has known for a long time, due to her being raised in Selma.
Some hobbies Mrs. Davis enjoys are spending time with her family and children. Although they are very busy doing extracurricular activities, Mrs. Davis and her family enjoy the time they do spend together. Mrs. Davis does share that she has a daughter on campus, giving her the experience to watch her daughter attend her senior year of high school, while at work.
A fun fact about Mrs. Davis is that she is a part of the class of 1999 and Mr. Castle was her AP English teacher.
