Melissa Solomon is commended by the CCS community for the exceptional education she offers and the relationships she forms with her students in the classroom and on the cross-country trails. Solomon not only masters supply and demand or the branches of government, but she also aims to engage with her students beyond the concepts she teaches. Though students have gleaned insight in room s210, Solomon’s life experiences stretch far beyond the walls of her classroom.

Solomon was born on March 10, 1977, in a suburban town in Los Angeles, California. She grew up in the middle of her two older sisters and younger brother. Her mother babysat children around the local community and her father worked for the company, Lockheed, working with top-secret government airplanes. Solomon describes her high school experience and friendships by saying “I had my group of friends and did what I wanted with them.” During her four years at Hart High School, she worked at a retirement home serving in the dining hall where she became close friends with her coworkers. Though Solomon was not a part of any sports teams, she joined the spirit club to help cheer on her school’s football team, which happened to be one of the best in the state!  Her favorite subject was history, and she enjoyed her teacher, Mr. Pew. Pew became someone that Solomon admired and continues to look to for teaching strategies and inspiration.

Solomon attended California State University, Northridge located in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles. Her original major was kinesiology, but as she completed her credits, she recognized a dislike for her biology courses. She soon acknowledged her interest and excellent grades in her political science and history classes and switched her major to History, shortly after.

Solomon graduated from California State, Northridge in May of 2000. She began her teaching career in a poorer area of Los Angeles. The school was Title One with a majority of the students being minority students. Solomon accepted her first teaching job as a math and English teacher at the same school her sister was working. She was able to eventually switch subjects and teach history and English. After working at the school for five years, Solomon moved to a middle school closer to her home after having her first child in 2005. At the school, she taught eighth-grade United States History for eleven years. She transitioned to high school and taught AP macroeconomics and AP government and politics to seniors. She had to adjust to the classroom setting from eager, immature middle school students to seniors who were already filled with senioritis by the second week of school! A year and a half later, Solomon’s husband received the news that the family needed to move to Charlotte, North Carolina due to his job. In December of 2018, the family transitioned to Charlotte, and she stayed home with her children to help them adjust to the new environment. She attended a church camp and was informed by a fellow counselor that a history position recently opened up at Carmel Christian School; she applied in the summer of 2019.

Solomon has been married to her husband,  Drew, for twenty-two years. The two met in college; however, they grew up down the street from one another and had a class early in college, but they had never noticed one another! Together they have three children: Tyler is nineteen, Brandon is sixteen and Reagan is twelve. Solomon adores her two cats and a dog, Murphey. Her hobbies consist of running, flower gardening, yard work, meeting up with her girlfriends to run races, reading books by the pool and visiting her family in California.

In 2022, Solomon joined the CCS varsity cross-country team and served as a part-time coach. Mr.Mike  Quint stepped down due to the recent addition of his third child, and Mrs. Menendez needed help with the team. This past year was her first season of attending summer workouts and full practices after school. When asked what she loves most about coaching she states, “I love seeing each kid meet their goals and seeing their sense of accomplishment. I love seeing everyone working together as a team and how everyone cheers everyone on, no matter if they’re first or last in the race. When asked about her highlights from her first season, she shared that she loved spending time with the runners on the bus and the stops at Chick-fil-A after races. The memories, inside jokes and banter, are specific examples of how she connects with her students beyond the classroom.

Solomon would describe Carmel by stating “It feels like a second home.” She enjoys seeing how her students grow and transition from sophomores to seniors and witnessing their accomplishments. She shares that Alex Fox and Terry Menendez are her closest friends in the hall. Menendez describes Solomon by stating, “She is an excellent help as my assistant coach and a great friend to pray with/for. Mrs. Solomon loves well and never forgets birthdays or asks about something we’ve talked about. I believe she treats all her students with the same love and respect.”  Fox shares, “Mrs. Solomon is one of my closest friends and I am so thankful for her! One of the best things about our day-to-day is that we can see each other through our windows in our doors and communicate via facial expression. If you ever cannot find me I am most likely in Mrs. Solomon’s room, or she is in mine!” Solomon concludes that both teachers “make hard days manageable.”

Her time at CCS has consisted of many memorable moments. She leads a trip to Chattanooga, Tenn. every year for J TERM where she takes a group of girls to serve widows in the local community. Windy Gap is also an annual trip she looks forward to because it gives her the chance to see the students in a different element outside of the classroom. Overall, she adores getting repeat students. Seniors Lily Bryant and Olivia Joubert are two of many who have had Solomon for their sophomore and senior years. Joubert states, “I am so thankful I got to have Mrs. Solomon for government and now AP Huge this year. She is such an amazing teacher and never fails to challenge my ways of thinking. ” Bryant adds, “She is the gov-iest teacher to ever gov. I love you, Mrs. Solomon!”

Melissa Solomon is one of the most valued teachers to walk the halls of the CCS campus. She is loved and cherished by students in all grade levels. Solomon goes above and beyond in the classroom but also prioritizes time to invest in every one of her students.