Melissa Sawyer

181 Grand Avenue Akron, Ohio 44302

440.864.8409 msawyer4@kent.edu
www.melissasawyer.weebly.com

OBJ ECTIVE
To obtain a teaching position in a secondary English Language Arts classroom. Passed all portions of the Ohio
Assessment for Educators. Highly Qualified. Willing to coach and advise clubs. Willing to relocate.

EDUCATION
Master of Arts in Education: May 2014 Associate of Arts: August 2008
Licensure: 7-12 Integrated Language Arts Lorain County Community College: Elyria, Ohio
Kent State University: Kent, Ohio GPA: 3.7
GPA: 4.0
Honors Diploma: J une 2008
Bachelor of Science in Education: December 2013 Wellington High School: Wellington, Ohio
Kent State University: Kent, Ohio GPA: 3.9
Major: Educational Studies
Minor: English Manufacturing Engineering Certificate: J une 2008
GPA: 4.0 Lorain County J oint Vocational School: Oberlin, Ohio
GPA: 4.0
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Student Teaching
Nordonia High School: Macedonia, Ohio January 2014-April 2014
Taught three college preparatory eleventh grade English classes with class sizes ranging from 19 to 27 and
a Science Fiction elective with 11 students for 12 weeks. Differentiated instruction for 12 students on IEPs
and 504 plans. Conducted action research focusing on improving student writing on summative
evaluations. Planned and taught lessons in units pertaining to junior English like Transcendentalism, Civil
Disobedience, Dark Romanticism and J ohn Steinbecks Of Mice and Men as well as Science Fiction units
that focused on major themes of the genre like time travel, robotics, medical advances, extraterrestrials and
space travel. Maintained ProgressBook gradebook online. Updated guardians about student performance
and behavior, both positive and negative through phone calls, emails and at parent-teacher conferences.
Attended professional development meetings for school, grade level and department. Attended Building
Safety and Improvement Committee meetings. Assisted in proctoring 9
th
Grade OGT Practice Test.
Chaperoned field trip.

Field Experience
Nordonia High School: Macedonia, Ohio October 2013-December 2013
Observed various classrooms in different content areas and high school grade levels for 150+hours.
Attended board meetings, department meetings, sporting events and club meetings. Taught 10-day unit to
Science Fiction & Fantasy English elective class of 12 sophomores, juniors and seniors. Based unit around
book review writing and digital representations of texts. Every student completed the culminating project
with a grade of C or higher. 11 of 12 students were able to analyze the impact of at least two choices the
author made regarding aspects of the story in their final reviews, satisfying the Common Core State
Standard 5 in Reading Literature.









Melissa Sawyer Page 2 of 2

RELATED WORK EXPERIENCE
Youth Development Specialist
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Western Reserve: Akron, Ohio May 2014-present
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Western Reserve: Barberton, Ohio February 2012-May 2013
Plan, prepare, and run programs in health, life skills, character & leadership, art, fitness, and education &
career development. Supervise 10-25 Club members, ages 13-18 at Teen club and supervised 12-40 Club
members ages 6-14 at the Barberton outreach site. Increased average daily attendance at the Barberton
outreach site from approximately 14 Club members per day to 28 Club members per day. Complete weekly
activity reports. Test Club members in academic programs at beginning and end of Club sessions to track
growth. Created and maintain spreadsheet to track Club member testing. Chaperone and transport students
on field trips. Prepare meals and snacks. Maintain contact with parents about Club members behavior
through phone calls and conferences.
Marketing and Resource Development Assistant
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Western Reserve: Akron, Ohio August 2012-February 2013
Researched grants and wrote proposals. Assisted in obtaining over $50,000 in grants. Audited records and
created invoices for pledges. Wrote thank you letters to donors. Wrote press releases and newsletters.
Updated social media sites. Designed informative flyers, handouts and event invitations. Created
spreadsheets and documents to improve efficiency. Maintained eTapestry databases of contacts and
donations. Started as intern and then hired into interim position until position filled.

OTHER WORK EXPERIENCE
Business Management Consultant
Sawyer LLC: Wellington, Ohio October 2008-August 2011
Recovered over $150,000 in unpaid invoices for quality control consulting company. Made contact with
companies to collect overdue payments. Created invoices for specific jobs. Designed systems and
procedures to improve efficiency and track invoices, payments, daily quality control information and
workers hours.

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Western Reserve: Akron, Ohio
Barberton Outreach Site July 2013-May 2014
Volunteered one night per week with 15-30 Club members ages 6-14. Tutored and helped with homework.
Mentored Club members. Chaperoned field trips. Prepared snacks.
Special Events August 2012-December 2013
Assisted organizing holiday coat and gift giveaway. Prepared mailings with invitations for fundraising
events.
Teen Club October 2011-February 2012
Volunteered two nights per week with 12-20 Club members until hired as a Youth Development Specialist.
Tutored and helped with homework. Mentored Club members. Organized spelling bee. Prepared meals.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
CPR and First Aid certified (2013) American Educational Research Association Affiliate
Child Health & Safety Training (2013) National Council of Teachers of English Member
A.L.i.C.E. Crisis Incident Training (2013)

ACTIVITIES AND AWARDS
College High School
Special Olympics Volunteer (2009) Varsity Softball (4 years) National Honor Society (2 years)
Presidents List for 4.0 GPA (2011-2014) Ski Club (1 year) Ohio Reads Volunteer (2 years)
Golden Key International Key Club (2 years) Soup Kitchen Volunteer (2 years)
Honour Society (2012) J O Volleyball (2 years) Scholar Athlete Award (4 years)