My name is Melissa Gardner and I'm a Colorado Springs native. My passion for working with students with characteristics of dyslexia was fueled by years of trying to help struggling readers in the general ed classroom. My training as a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT) opened my eyes to how to teach ALL students to read. After teaching for 22 years in a local district, I jumped at the chance to work at ALLIES. I have the privilege of finishing the last year of Take Flight with ALLIES graduates who are in sixth grade at Skyview Middle School. It's amazing to see them carry the growth mindset and curiosity that they developed at ALLIES into the big world of middle school.