Ms. Melrose decided to teach art specifically while she was in high school studying art as a student herself. She began taking classes at Watchung Hills Regional in New Jersey. At this school, the art program thrived and students were motivated to work hard to achieve their artistic goals. There were no boundaries, and students took art seriously; not just for an “easy A”.

At Watchung Hills, Ms. Melrose went on to take each art class offered, as well as the advanced placement course. Ms. Melrose gained a background in photography through Saturday photography courses offered by the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan, New York, a quick 20 minute trip from her hometown. Ms. Melrose’s own high school experience in art is the inspiration for her decision to become an art teacher at the high school level. She believes that high school students are capable of much more than they realize when it comes to visual expression.

Compared to traditional art teachers, Ms. Melrose believes she does things “backwards”. She first gives students the tools to create, and later gives them the art vocabulary they need in order to take that drawing skill from simply copying pictures to encompassing their own creative ideas. At this point, students have the knowledge they need to find resources and piece together a work of art from their original idea. Ms. Melrose is also a practicing artist, but most of all, she loves her job at Skyview. The unique creativity of the students, the friendly staff, and comfortable atmosphere make her happy to come to work each morning.

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