STAFF

Ayodele Mellor | Program Director & Founder

Ayodele Mellor is originally from Oxford, North Carolina and has been teaching Spanish in the Wilmington area since 2003. She attended Universidad Tec de Monterrey, Campus Cuernavaca in Morelia, Mexico and in 1999 was accepted into the NC Teaching fellows elite teacher prep program at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. There, she earned a Bachelors Degree in Spanish along with her K-12 teaching license. In 2008 she earned a NC Early Childhood Credential to work with preschool-aged children and in 2023 earned her level 2 Administrator’s Credential from NC Division of Child Development.

She served as department chair of Spanish 1 and also taught Spanish 2 at Laney High School from 2003 – 2006. After the birth of her son, she began working exclusively with preschool aged children. She founded the popular Best Amigos Preschool Spanish Program, which educated over 400 children since 2007. She is passionate about language immersion programs & enjoys immersion curriculum development and creating unique learning experiences.

She resides in Wilmington with her husband and five children, ages 7-17, and in her rare free time enjoys riding her Elliptigo bike, reading about historic America and traveling.

Toddler Lead Teacher

Maestra Willvelys is originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico. She was a dedicated staff member of Forest Hills Elementary School since November of 2014. She began taking Early Childhood Classes at Brunswick Community College and started working with Wilmington Bilingual Preschool in the summer of 2021. She has two teenage children and her patient, sweet demeanor makes her perfect for working with our 1 & 2 year old students.

Young Pre-K Lead Teacher

Maestra Betina is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has a bachelor degree in law and journalism studies from the Catholic University of Buenos Ares.

Betina loves languages and enjoys teaching them. Her native language is Spanish but she also speaks fluent French and English. She enjoys sharing knowledge with children, especially with her nieces and with her son who is bilingual and graduated from Wilmington Bilingual Preschool. She has been a part of our school since 2021, first as a volunteer, then as an assistant and in summer of 2023 as substitute lead teacher of Pre-K 1. Betina believes that bilingual education can only benefit a child’s development and she is excited about being a part of our team!

Older Young Pre-K Lead Teacher

Maestra Keila is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She came to the United States as an Au Pair, working to care for children and families in the Wilmington area for 2.5 years. She is creative, caring and always shows initiative and enthusiasm when working with young children. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband, trying out new restaurants and walking her dog. We are happy to have her on our team!

PK1 Lead Teacher

Maestra Azucena is originally from Cajamarca, Peru. She studied Early Childhood Education in Peru and has taught preschool age children in both Peru and Stamford, Connecticut. She began working with Wilmington Bilingual Preschool in June of 2021 and is an expert at creating unique games and educational activities for our students! In Spring of 2022 she earned her NC Early Childhood Credential from Haywood Community College. We are happy to have her as a part of our team!

PK2 Lead Teacher

Maestra Viviana is originally from Colombia, South America where she studied preschool education and graduated from the University de San Buenaventura in Cali, Colombia in 2009. In Spring of 2022 she earned her NC Early Childhood Credential from Haywood Community College. She currently resides in Wilmington with her husband and two sons. She has a passion for her profession and brings much patience and experience to the classroom. We are excited to work with her at our full time school!

Toddler Assistant

Maestra Rosy is originally from Guatemala where she was a physical education teacher. She began working with WBPS in January of 2022 and has been a loved team member ever since! She is known for her upbeat, energetic personality and positive attitude with our students. Rosy is caring and reliable and our students and staff love having her there for them!

Young Pre-K Assistant

Mary C. is originally from Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. She grew up an only child but completed her volunteer requirements working with children at a daycare. She studied Business Administration but always wanted to be a teacher. In her free time she enjoys reading and listening to podcasts. We are excited to have her on our teach this year!

Older Young Pre-K Assistant

Carolina C. is originally from Bogota, the capital of Colombia. She studied early childhood education and psychology and moved to the United States with her husband. Prior to joining our school she was a daycare teacher in Raleigh for over a year. She enjoys the process of watching a child develop and appreciate a love for learning. In her free time she enjoys listening to music, traveling and spending time with her family.

Pre-K 1 Assistant

Maestra Gaby is originally from Honduras where she studied education and worked as a teacher. She is patient, energetic and loves teaching our 3-4 year old students since the summer of 2022. She currently resides in Wilmington and has two children who are in elementary school.

PK2 Assistant

Michael C. is originally from Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela. He graduated from La Universidad Nueva Esparta with a degree in Business Administration and specialized in International Finances. In Venezuela he taught English class to first graders and he is proud to teach the students skills that will help serve them in the future. 

Student/Staff Support

Maestra Alessandra Y. is originally from El Salvador. She came to the United States as a child and had to learn English, so she understands the process of learning a second language as a child. She currently resides in Wilmington with her son who also attends our preschool. She began working at WBPS in the summer of 2022 and everyone loves her calm nature and patience with our students!

Floating Teacher & Student/Staff Support

Maria M. is originally from Quito, the capital of Ecuador, where she studied Marketing. She has worked in customer service most of her life and enjoys helping the students, staff and families of our school. She has one adult son and is very upbeat and cheerful, always willing to lend a hand. You will see her around our school helping in all areas and we are happy to have her on our team!

Floating Teacher/School Age Teacher

Antonella P. is originally from Quito, Ecuador where she grew up with her parents and two siblings. In Ecuador she studied at La Universidad Catolica Pontifica and later went to Madrid, Spain, to complete her studies. She earned her Master’s Degree and is a certified clinical psychologist. She has worked with children and families at clinics and hospitals in Quito, Ecuador. She enjoys working with children to help them develop a sense of who they are. She currently resides in Wilmington with her husband and in her free time she likes to paint and draw, do sports and cook. 

Afternoon Floating Teacher

Viviana R. is originally from Bogota, the capital of Colombia where she was an industrial engineer and studied at the University of Santander UDES in Colombia. Locally she has taught evening classes at Brunswick Community College and enjoys helping others learn new skills. She has dedicated herself as a mother to her 3 year old son and takes much pride in teaching him. She is excited to work with our students this year!

Charles Mellor | Van Driver and Maintenance

Charles Mellor (a.k.a. Señor Charles) is originally from Southport, NC. He is the father of 5 awesome kids and co-owner of Wilmington Bilingual Preschool. He drives the summer camp van for our school age students and helps keep our students safe on their field trips. You may see him from time to time delivering water or on the weekends doing maintenance at our school.