Junior High Teacher Melissa Buntin Honored as Outstanding Educator

We are pleased to announce that St. Agnes Academy-St. Dominic School Junior High teacher Melissa Buntin is the 2023 recipient of the Albertus Magnus Award. The award, presented annually by the Board of Trustees, recognizes an outstanding educator who demonstrates the Four Pillars of the Dominican charism - Study, Prayer, Community and Service. Ms. Buntin was honored today at a ceremony following the All School Mass. 

A Junior High math teacher at SAA-SDS since 2001, Melissa Buntin is a passionate educator, committed to her students and to her craft. Her students know they are loved and cared for all while receiving excellent preparation for graduation and beyond.

"During my time working with her as Dean, Melissa Buntin has quickly earned my trust as an educator based on her integrity, her demonstrated concern for students and parents, and her wisdom garnered from many years of experience at SAA-SDS.  She is a leader and positive influence in the Junior High," said Adam Woods, Dean of St. Dominic School.

Ms. Buntin clearly embodies the Dominican Pillars. She is loved by her students and alumni, appreciated by parents, and respected by her colleagues. Teaching Junior High presents a special set of challenges, but she creates a classroom environment where it is okay not to know the answer and to ask questions. Former students often reach out to her for assistance and guidance in high school and college. 

“I love teaching Junior High,” Ms. Buntin said. “The students are caught between childhood and adulthood. I enjoy helping them maneuver through this awkward time in their lives. Junior High students are surprisingly funny, too.  I laugh a lot!  I find that this age is the time when the students will either learn to love math or give up on it. My goal is to give them confidence in their mathematical ability, so they won't give up on math. I love the "ah-ha" moments when I can tell something clicked or when a student discovers a relationship between two topics in math.”

Her teaching colleague Casey Goff describes Ms. Buntin as an educator who exhibits both warmth and strength. “Melissa is warm in the sense that many of the students consider her a safe, calming, and nurturing adult. She is strong in the sense that she expects the best from them, whether that is in an academic sense or in a personal way. Her warmth offers grace to those who are struggling, and her strength speaks to those who need a high view and standard of themselves. She is a teacher who calls students up to their potential and expects them to succeed. This invitation comes with an extended hand to them get there.”

Throughout her 22-year teaching career at SAA-SDS Ms. Buntin has worn many hats from SAIS committee chair to SGA co-sponsor to Lower School yearbook coordinator. In 2017 she earned a Master of Arts in Mathematics Education from Ball State University. Her daughter Sarah is a 2012 graduate of St. Agnes Academy. She has one granddaughter, Poppy, and her second grandchild is due in late April. Congratulations to Ms. Buntin for this well-deserved honor!