Congratulations to Melvin Burch-Bynum, B.S. '04 Elementary Education, on being named Outstanding Secondary New Teacher for Fairfax County Schools in Virginia.
The Outstanding Secondary New Teacher Award recognizes a high school teacher who has demonstrated outstanding performance and superior instructional skills within their first three years of teaching.
Burch-Bynum served in the Marine Corps for 27 years, retiring in 2021. He is currently a Senior Marine Instructor, a retired Marine officer teaching position at Mount Vernon High School in Falls Church, VA. "I always planned to retire from the military someday to take an equally important and impactful job in the classroom," Burch-Bynum says, "but I never imagined that I would get the opportunity to continue to wear my uniform while doing it."
"Since day one in the classroom, I have been very excited about the opportunity to use my degree in education from UIUC and my military experience to help our youth become successful and responsible citizens," he says. "It is my core belief that our youth are the nation's best hope for the future, and I am excited to help shape that future by shaping them."
