August 2020
To Whom it May Concern,
It is my pleasure to write this letter of recommendation for Melody Brinkley. In my role as upper school principal for nearly 20 years, Melody Brinkley worked for me first as an English teacher and then as dean of students. My experience with Melody has provided me with a broad base of insight to verify that she is an excellent educator, that she is passionate about the field of education, and that she is successful in working with kids.
I first worked with Melody about 13 years ago when she was hired as a middle and high school teacher at my school. Melody’s area of expertise was in English Language Arts, and she provided outstanding instruction to students in all of her classes, even in social studies classes that were not specifically in her content area. Melody made the material relevant and interesting, and she challenged students to apply their learning to their own lives. Melody’s greatest success was in teaching Advanced Placement Literature and Composition and Advanced Placement Language and Composition. These classes were required to be taught at a college level and demanded a high level of rigor and discipline for students to achieve success. By the time students completed her classes, Mrs. Brinkley was a respected favorite. She was tough, but they loved her for it.
After about four years of teaching, Melody left the school to pursue some other areas of work and to teach at the college level. We were thrilled when she returned to the school in 2013 to assume the role of dean of students for the upper school, which included students in Grades 6-12.
Melody was incredibly effective as dean of students. Her role included the planning of all student events and the management of student behavior. Melody was responsible to coordinate all aspects of a weekly chapel service for 350 students, including the strategic design for themes and messages, the scheduling of guest speakers, and the coordination with the music director for music selection and service order. Chapel services under the direction of Melody were meaningful and enjoyable. Further, Melody was in charge of the high school student council and therefore every high school social event, each requiring high levels of planning and coordination. In fact, Melody’s high school student council was named a Gold Level Council of Excellence by the National Association of Student Councils. This was an achievement that did not come easily and required her council to fulfill requirements in more than 25 benchmarks.
Leadership was a significant aspect of Melody’s role as dean of students, both in her ability to lead and her ability to inspire and train others in leadership positions. She used her own leadership skills daily to promote and maintain a positive school climate of mutual respect and productive behavior. Melody’s leadership also extended to the teaching staff, as she provided continual guidance in classroom management through both instruction and example. Teachers looked to Melody as an example of how to manage difficult students in any situation. Melody also created numerous opportunities at the school for students to step into leadership roles. Her philosophy was that the more students can be in productive and positive leadership roles, the less attention needs to be placed on student management and discipline. Melody effectively brought dozens of students into positions of positive leadership in the school.
I offer my highest recommendation for Melody Brinkley to work in any capacity in the field of education, especially for school board in Osseo-Maple Grove District 279.
Sincerely,
Timothy Ford Former Upper School Principal