By Tess Morrow

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Meet Ms. Melissa Yapo! It is her very first year working on the Agua Fria campus , and she is the assistant principal. She has previously worked in the district for 11 years. She received her bachelor’s degree at ASU and her master’s from NAU.  

She has worked at Estrella High School as a special ed teacher, and also worked at Atkins Middle School as well as Desert Edge. She also worked at the district office for 5 years.

Ms.Yapo also has an adventurous side. She loves to travel and has even been to Europe and Africa! She has coached many sports in her day including soccer, diving, basketball and volleyball at the various schools she has worked at.

Some of the day-to-day things that Ms.Yapo does at Agua Fria is observe classes, deal with specific disciplinary issues, conduct teacher evaluations and parent meetings and oversee instruction and curriculum. Her main priorities are helping students  make sure that they get involved in their school as much as possible, such as by joining a sport, club, or even just joining in on school events. She also hopes to help improve on the great things we already have at Agua Fria.

Ms. Yapo is extremely grateful to have the opportunity to work here because she loves the staff and the feeling of family and tradition here.

“There is never a dull moment here,” Ms. Yapo said. When asked what she thinks it mean to be an Owl, she said, “To have honor and respect for yourself, your school, and your community.”

This is going to be her first year being a school administrator on campus, so be sure to give her a warm welcome as our new fellow Owl!