Hello!  Bonjour!  

My name is Melissa "Missy" Szcinski and this is my third year at Blue Ridge High School.   I have taught in Florida, Illinois and now South Carolina.

I am originally from Denver, CO, but I also lived in CA, VA, IL and FL before settling back here in Greenville, SC.   I graduated from Eastside High School and attended Clemson University.  I majored in French and International Trade.  While I was at Clemson, I was given the opportunity of a lifetime to study abroad in Angers, France with the most amazing host family!   I still keep in touch with them and visit any time I get to travel back to France.  

After graduating from Clemson, I interned at the most magical place on earth, Disney World!  After my internship, I became a Sr. Recruiter/Account Manager in the Oil/Gas Industry for 5 years before transitioning to the most rewarding job I could have ever asked for as a teacher in 2012.  I lived in Orlando for 10 years and taught English and French for 4 years before moving to Illinois where I pursued and earned my Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction.  

Personally, I am married to a fellow educator.  We  have 5 children, 4 dogs, 2 cats and 1 bearded dragon which makes quite the busy household!  Our two oldest, twins, graduated from Mauldin High School in 2021.  One is at Western Carolina University in hopes of becoming a Band Teacher.  His twin is serving in the US Navy stationed in Washington State.  Our daughter graduated from Mauldin High School in 2023 and is attending the College of Charleston.   Our two youngest are 5th graders at Mauldin Elementary.

I love to travel; Paris is my favorite city in the world.  I spend two weeks with my daughter in Paris recently and am looking forward to traveling with my students in future years! The pictures to the left are ones I have taken while traveling in France.

My goal is to teach students to love to learn, whether through reading, writing or another language.  My hope is that all of my students walk out of my class knowing there is a great, big world out there waiting for them to explore.