April Melanson is a 13-year-old girl from Massachusetts who enjoys dancing, spending time with friends and family, and traveling. She has been dancing since age 4 and has won national competitions. She lives with her mother and brother and has an extended family that she enjoys visiting in Canada annually.

1. April Melanson
My name is April Melanson. I
am 13 years old and in 8th grade. I live in
Massachusetts and I'm in the LEAP
program at Sky View Middle School. I have
one brother, Colin. I was born in
Leominster on January 15th, 1999 at 5:55
and I was 8lbs. My name was originally
suppose to be Ally or Paige. My mom,
Marie, really wanted to name me Ally,
because it was the star of her favorite TV
show, but my dad, Robert, thought Ally in
the TV show was annoying and he didn’t
like it. So, somehow my name ended up
being April!

2. By: April Melanson

3. Dance
Dance. I don’t even know where to
begin! I started dancing when I was 4 at Sterling
Academy! When I was 5 I was asked to start
competition teams. I switched to Miss Tanya's
School Of Dance when I was six years old! My
biggest accomplishment though was being
asked to train in Germany on the United States
Dance Team! I have even won a national title at
ADA in Orlando, Florida! To this day I still love
dance! Recently I have been training with Matt
Parello in ballet jazz and technique! He was the
prince in the Boston ballets nutcracker, a
protégé at pulse on tour, recently made it on So
You Think You Can Dance and has his own
company DCW.

4. Entertainment
I don’t usually like to read but I
have read some good books. My favorite
book is The Giver by Louis Lowry. I read it
last year in ELA with Ms.Corriea. I loved it!
Every month I have a team bonding night
with my dance team and we get together
and watch movies. My favorite movies I
have watched with my team are, Footlose,
The Last House on the Left, Step up 1,2,3,
and 4 and we always find ourselves
watching The Last Song and The Time
Travelers Wife which are also good
movies .

5. Family
I have a big family! I have one favorite thing to do with my family though.
Every year on July 18th my family including my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and
cousins take a big trip to a beach in Canada. We play around in the water and make
sand sculptures. We have so many memories. We always finish our beach day by going
down to a small part of the beach that my grandmother owns, and we roast
marshmallows as a family and watch fireworks!

6. Gemma
Gemma Grace Smith is my niece. She was born July 18th, 2011. When
Gemma was born she had down syndrome. It has changed my life and my families for
the better. We have all benefited and looked at it in a positive way. Also when Gemma
was born my whole family put in an effort to learn sign language and we did. It has
definitely brought us closer together. She is always smiling and can put a smile on my
face any day! Gemma and I definitely have bonding time and our favorite things to do
are look at ourselves in the mirror, read books, and climb stairs!

7. This year I am looking June
forward to June. In June we are
going to be going to Washington
D.C and then we are getting out of
school!
In June summer starts and I
get to spend time with my friends
and family and I don’t have to get
up early! I love to go to the beach Leominster High School
with friends and my family, we
always have great memories at
Hampton Beach. In June my family
and I will be taking a vacation to
Sweden too! In June I will
probably start thinking about high
school. I am a little scared to go to
high school because I will
probably get lost. I am not so
afraid of the people but the
decisions some people make. Hampton Beach
Leominster Blue Devil Logo

8. Karlie Allen
Karlie Allen is my best friend. Karlie and I have known each other since she
was 4 and I was 6. We have been extremely close since. Today, she is on my dance
team. We always have the best times and we have so many memories together. We
always go to the beach during the summer, and whenever we go shopping we
never go without each other. I don’t know what I would do without her, she's like a
little sister to me.
Mackenzie, Karlie and I before snowboarding
Karlie and I drew this at Hampton Beach summer 2012

9. Mackenzie Batten
Mackenzie Batten is another one of my best friends. I have been friends with
Mackenzie for 6 years. I do everything with Mackenzie! I go over Mackenzie's house every
weekend, all day, and everyday. We are practically sisters. We go shopping together in Natick, we
go snowboarding together at Watchussett Mountain, we dance together at Miss Tanya's School of
Dance and Dance Company Worcester, we go on vacations together and do the craziest things
together! Over the summer Mackenzie and I went to Maine for two weeks. We had a blast! If I
was with anyone else I probably wouldn’t have been able to spend two straight weeks with them
unless it was Mackenzie. Also Mackenzie, her mom, and I are going to Fort Myers Beach, Florida
for February vacation. I cant wait to spend time in Florida with me best friend!
Mackenzie school picture 2012
Mackenzie and I summer 2012 OOB
Mackenzie and I summer 2012 Maine, at Funtown Splashtown

10. New York City
New York City is my favorite place on earth. Of all the places I've been, New
York is still my favorite place. I love driving into the city and seeing all the sights. I go to
New York City very often because my uncle is a dentist in New York. He is a huge
dentist and does all the movie stars teeth. He also has a TV show that is filmed in New
York. My family and I are huge New York Islanders, and Rangers fans, mostly because
my uncle is there dentist, and we love to go to their games. My favorite things to do in
New York are go shopping on Fifth Ave. go to Jeckel and Hyde's Restaurant, go to
Radio City, go to Broadway shows and most of all just walk around in the big city of
New York.
NY Islanders logo
Time Square
NY rangers logo Jeckyll and Hyde’s

11. Pets
I have one pet. I have a dog named Kayko. She is 8 months old and she is a
Shipoo, a mix of a shitzu and a poodle. I got her over the summer on July 4th. I love to
play with her and take her for walks. She's so soft and cute and I love to cuddle with
her.
Kayko and I in the car
Kayko laying on my bedroom floor
Kayko laying on my living room floor

12. Quote
My two favorite quotes are “ I dance because there’s no greater feeling in
the world than moving to a piece of music and letting the rest of the world
disappear” and “People dance because dance can change things. One move can
bring people together. One move can make you believe like there's something
more. One move can set a whole generation free.” I like these quotes because
they express who I am. I love going to the dance studio on a Saturday, playing
music, and just dancing with no one watching, the whole world really does
disappear. Dance makes you strive to be better and makes you believe there's
something more. Dance can change the world.

13. St. Anna's Catholic School
St. Anna's Catholic School was my first school. I only went there for pre-k
and kindergarten. At St. Anna’s I had a ton of friends. My two best friends
were Amelia Leblanc, and Nicole Kowesky. St. Anna’s was even where I met
Joe Sanborn. Being in a uniform all day I can remember aggravated me. My
favorite part of St. Anna's was getting to school early in the morning and
having morning recess.
First day of preschool 2004
Kindergarten 2005 show and tell

14. Uncle Tom
I have a very special uncle in my life. My Uncle Tom has been there for me
from the beginning. When I was 7 my dad left my family and moved to Canada. When
he left I had to move with my aunt and my uncle. Therefore my uncle is pretty much
my father. He treats me like one of his own kids and even calls me a “Connelly”. I love
when my uncle takes my cousins and I on gator rides around the neighborhood. My
Uncle and I occasionally have dance battles too, those are my favorite! My uncle has
been away a lot lately though. He's a cosmetic dentist for movie stars in New York and
has his own TV show, so he's rarely home but I still love to bond with my Uncle Tom as
much as I can. He’s a great role model and the best father figure in my life.
Uncle Tom photo-shoot 2012 My uncle Tom playing hockey 2011

15. Vacation
Vacation! These are my all time favorite times of the year. I love to go on
vacations. My favorite place to go is Florida. I have been to Orlando, Stewart,
Palm Beach, and Fort Myers Beach. My favorite Florida Vacation though was my
family vacation to Palm Beach. I went there February vacation 2011. We stayed at
a resort on the beach and had a blast! My cousin and I got our nails done and
hair done, we spent a ton of time on the beach and at the pool, we went
shopping, went to a carnival downtown, and ate a lot of Mexican food! Vacations
are a great time to take a break and spend time with your friends and family and
that’s why I love them.
Beach in Fort Myers, Florida
My Family and I in Orlando Florida

16. Year
One year that was very important to me was 2012. This year was important
to me because it was the year my nephew Tobin Smith was born. Tobin was born April
6, 2012. He was 6lbs. 5oz. Tobin has had a huge impact on my life. Tobin is most
definitely the happiest baby I’ve ever met, and his laugh is so funny it makes me laugh
and tear up. My favorite thing to do with Tobin is watch blues clues and eat Oreos. I
love Tobin to death and he means so much to me!
Tobin walking on my chest, 7 months Tobin 6 months
Tobin 6 months