BY JAIME COLOSIMO
Staff Writer

SWAT team member. Prison guard. Restaurateur. Football coach. Musical director. English teacher.

Baldwin substitute teacher Tony Melillo has led a very busy life. After living in various parts of the country, Melillo has settled in Pittsburgh.

Before he got his start in education, Melillo was a member of the SWAT team. His time in law enforcement came to an end after an accident.

“I was performing a high- to low-point entry… kind of like a zip line, but no harness or safety line,” Melillo said.

After a strap hold failed, he fell three stories to concrete. Although he was able to walk away from the accident, further tests showed he had a clinically broken back and neck.

“I feel lucky to be able to tell the story,” Melillo said.

The accident was the cause of Melillo’s retirement from law enforcement.

Before beginning his career as a teacher, Melillo also worked as a prison guard. He joked that due to these jobs, there are very few classroom situations he can’t handle.

He then spent his years in Bozeman, Montana, working different jobs and owning a restaurant.

Along with being a football coach, Melillo also taught English and was the operations manager of the Ellen Theatre, a live performance theater in Bozeman.

Although he had an established life in Bozeman, Melillo and his wife moved to Pittsburgh to be closer to their daughter and her family. He wanted to continue teaching and coaching, so he got in contact with Coach Pete Wagner.

After obtaining his Pennsylvania teaching certifications, he got hired as a district sub, and not long after was asked about interviewing for the position of musical director.

This past football season, Melillo coached the varsity tight ends and helped with the defensive line.

Varsity football player Sean Gerst was one of the players who worked with Melillo.

“The first time I ever met him, I thought he was really committed, hardworking, and willing to take on any task,” Gerst said.

This year, Melillo will continue with his work in musical theater as the director of this year’s musical, Shrek.

The president of the drama club, senior George Kelly, described Melillo as nice, fun, and charismatic.

“He seems very excited about the prospect of it. It should be a lot of fun under his direction this year,” Kelly said.

Although Melillo misses Bozeman, and the fishing, camping, and hunting that he did there, he says the people in Pittsburgh have always been good, even back when he used to live here.

Melillo says his favorite thing about Baldwin is the kids. He also praises the faculty, saying they “all demonstrate a passion for making things better here, for the kids too.”