STAFF

Ayodele Mellor | Program Director & Founder

Ayodele Mellor 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.

Onsite Director of Activities

Directora Noemi is originally from Oaxaca, Mexico but she grew up in Rocky Point, NC. Her parents are from Oaxaca, Mexico and she grew up in a bilingual household. She attended Heidi Trask High School and graduated from NC State University where she majored in International Studies and minored in non profits and political science. Her mother was a teacher in Mexico and she always dreamed of being a teacher and helping guide the new generation. She connects well with our students and families and very loved. In her free time she likes to travel, do art, dance and make desserts. She enjoys sharing Mexican culture with others and has helped our school with our annual Day of the Dead Festival.

Lead Teacher Pre-K 2 Class & Afternoon School Teacher

Maestra Mery is from La Habana, Cuba. She graduated from the Universita of Quimica in 2004, studying industrial pharmacy. She worked in the Tropical Medical Investigation Institute (IPK) and arrived to Miami, Florida in 2015 where she lived and worked as a medical assistant and took early childhood courses. Mery has been a dedicated teacher with our program since 2019 and also has a son who graduated from our school. She is passionate about spending time with him and working with children. In her free time she enjoys sports and reading a good book.

Assistant Pre-K 2 Class

Maestra Edith is originally from Venezuela where she studied publicity and marketing at Universidad Jesus Enrique Losada de San Cristobal in the state of Tachira. From a young age she always loved art and in 1999 she received a university certificate in pure art and sculpture. She was a resource art teacher at an elementary school in Venezuela and enjoyed inspiring her students to express themselves through the medium of art. She currently lives in Wilmington, NC with her husband and two children, including a teenage daughter. In her free time she dedicates herself to what she loves most, including her Art Club where she teachers children and adults to paint. Edith appreciates and thanks all of our families and students for their trust in her each day!

Lead Teacher Pre-K 1 Class

Maestra America is originally from Lima, Peru. She studied educación inicial (early childhood education) at Universidad Garcilazo de la Vega in Lima, Peru and later worked as a kindergarten assistant. She moved to New York City in 2005 and worked as an esthetician for 12 years. After the birth of her daughter, she and her husband wanted to move to a quiet place to raise a family and settled in Wilmington to focus on teaching and raising her daughter. When her daughter began school in Fall 2020, she very eagerly began working with WBPS. America brings much creativity and excitement to her classes and she believes that children learn best through play.

Assistant Pre-K 1 Class

Maestra Lucia (known as Lucy) is originally from Aguascalientes, Mexico. She came to the United States with her husband in 2004, first living in Houston, Texas and the moving to North Carolina the following year. She is mom to three grown children, now ages 27, 25 and 22, who graduated from Ashley and Laney high schools here in Wilmington. She has worked mostly in house cleaning and food service, including in the food service department at New Hanover Regional Medical Center. She always wanted to be a teacher, as 3 of her 5 sisters are teachers, but she never had the chance. In her free time she enjoys cooking, cleaning and going to mass and spending time with her family. She is very excited to be with our school and thoroughly enjoys getting to know all of the students!

Summer Pre-K 1 Assistant

Maestra Nakesha is originally from Southern California. She has been working with children in childcare centers since 2017, ranging from infants to school aged. She has an associates degree in early childhood and is currently studying interpreting both Spanish and American Sign Language at Cape Fear Community College. She has a very bubbly personality and enjoys helping children learn through play. In her free time likes traveling and exploring new places, going on walks, listening to music and reading.

Lead Teacher Young Pre-K Class

Maestra Suzy is originally from La Habana, Cuba. She graduated from the University of La Habana in 2002 and studied Accounting and Business. She moved to the US and first lived in Miami, Florida where she took care of infants from 6 months to 24 months old. She has been married for over 20 years and has a daughter who attends UNC-Wilmington. In her free time she enjoys reading and spending time with her family. She believes that children are a treasure and enjoys sharing the Spanish language with them. Suzy has been a part of our team since 2019 and is a very loved teacher here!

Young Pre-K Assistant Class

Maestra Wendy is originally from San Isidro del General, Costa Rica. Wendy lives in Wilmington with her husband and son, who also attended our school and now attends Gregory International School in downtown Wilmington. While in Costa Rica Wendy worked as a nanny, a babysitter and here locally at her church nursery for four years. She has been a substitute at our school since 2019. Wendy enjoys cooking, exercising, reading, going to the beach, and working with kids. She is CPR/First Aid certified and has her completed NC Childcare Background Check/Fingerprinting. She is loved for her hardworking, reliable and caring personality and we love having her as a part of our school!

Lead Teacher – Toddler Class

Maestra Miry is originally from Ocotlan, Jalisco, Mexico. She graduated with a degree in business administration and moved here in 2015 when her husband was transferred from his job. She began working as a babysitter and later as a preschool assistant in Hampstead. She loves to work with children, especially with toddlers and she is so excited to teach her first language to our younger preschool students. Above all Miry enjoys being a mommy, playing with and cooking for her three children. Her pleasant voice and friendly personality has made her well-loved by our 1 & 2 year old students since 2017!

Assistant- Toddler Class

Maestra Silvania is originally from the Dominican Republic where she studied at Colegio Ana Delia Jorge and was owner of a clothing store. She now lives in Wilmington and is married and loves being a mom to her twin boys, who are eleven years old. In her free time she enjoys cooking and cleaning and she has a talent for keeping our toddler room spic and span. She has been with our school since 2021 and she is very loved for being such a patient, energetic and dedicated teacher who takes care of and loves on our toddler students!

Assistant- Toddler Class

Maestra Yasmin is originally from Merida, Venezuela. She studied criminology at the University of Los Andes in Venezuela and worked as a social worker there with children and youth. She came to the United States and worked as a babysitter for two years and also in an assisted living facility for adults. She is the mother of a 5 year old son and loves teaching and having fun with children. In her free time she enjoys reading, cooking and listening to music. She believes it is an honor to watch children grow and learn and especially loves working with the toddlers as they begin their scholastic journeys. She is a pleasure to be around as she shows much initiative and has a positive attitude always!

Floating Teacher/Staff Support

Maestra Lizbeth was born in Rocky Point, NC where she graduated from Heidi Trask High School. She grew up in a bilingual household as her parents are from Oaxaca, Mexico. She currently attends UNCW as a sophomore. She is majoring in social work and minoring in psychology. She would like to have a career in social work when she graduates. Her bubbly and positive personality make her a favorite among our support staff!

Summer Floating Teacher/Staff Support

Maestra Odalys was born in Mexico and came to the United States when she was in elementary school. She learned English as a second language and is now bilingual, speaking both English and Spanish fluently. She is currently a rising 11th grader at Topsail High School and has been babysitting and helping in the summers at WBPS alongside her mother (Maestra Miry) since elementary school. She loves taking care of children and teaching them and wants to study education as a career. In her free time she enjoys reading, cooking, physical activity and spending time with her friends and family. She is a high achiever with much initiative and all of our staff love having her on the team!

Substitute Teacher/Staff Support

Maestra Lina has worked with both of our schools since March of 2023. She is originally from Charlotte, NC. She is currently a senior at UNCW majoring in International Affairs and minoring in Spanish. Her mother was a daycare director and she has worked with children since she was about 8 years old. When she was 15 she went on a mission trip to Nicaragua and that sparked her interest in Spanish language and culture. In her free time enjoys spending time with her dog and cat, going on hikes and trying to cook new foods. Her super energetic and enthusiastic personality make her a natural with our students!

Summer Volunteer

Mollie M. is a rising 6th grader and has attended WBPS since she was 4 years old. She is an honor student at Blair Elementary, a member of student council and safety patrol and she loves helping at her school and also helping at WBPS. In her free time she enjoys doing art, jumping on her trampoline and helping take care of her little brother (and sometimes her big brothers!)

Summer Volunteer

Zoe M. is a rising 10th grader at Laney High School and sister to 4 siblings. She has been learning Spanish since she was 4 years old. She plays the viola in the orchestra and is an honor student at Laney High School. In her free time she enjoys playing with her two cats, Midnight and Luna. She wants to be a pediatric dentist when she grows up. This is her fourth year helping in the toddler room this summer and she is looking forward to helping!

Summer Volunteer

Hello my name is Charlie Nicklas and I am 9 years old. I am a former graduate of Wilmington bilingual preschool and it is an amazing school for Spanish! I love kids, books and speaking Spanish! I’m very excited to volunteer and work with you le kids. I speak fluent Spanish and have helped with a WBPS event aka Día de los Muertos. Last year, I went to Costa Rica Pura Vida CPI school. CPI is also a great school. In my free time, I like to read, listen to music, cook, bake and go roller skating. Thank you for letting me volunteer!

Charles Mellor | Van Driver and Maintenance

Charles Mellor (a.k.a. Señor Charles) 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.