When Elisa Murphy, vice president of a local Truist Bank branch, was invited to speak for the second time in the classroom of high school English teacher Michael Soliven, she knew she was working with a special person. Mr. Soliven is not your average teacher. He instills students at Melbourne High School with knowledge above and beyond his classroom curriculum. Soliven invited Murphy and her colleague to come into his classroom and teach his students important financial knowledge about banking, credit, and more, but it doesn’t stop there.
Soliven, a former basketball coach at Mel High, is known for making sure his students learn life skills they might not have the opportunity to learn elsewhere. Remember the panic of getting your first flat tire? There will be none of that for Mr. Soliven’s students! On a mini fieldtrip to the school parking lot, he teaches them how to change a tire. What’s more, Mr. Soliven also teaches his students lessons about topics like cooking, grocery shopping, and taking care of a home.
Mr. Soliven’s work has been recognized by members of the community outside of Brevard Public Schools, and that alone says so much about the incredible job he is doing in the classroom. Thank you, Mr. Soliven, from the Heart of Brevard!
