At the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year, Del Val alumna Ellis Stanton started her new position at Del Val as a paraprofessional. She has been helping students in different areas of the school including the E101 classroom and study halls.
Stanton was a substitute for two years prior to becoming a paraprofessional. She was inspired to come back to Del Val to make a similar impact to what she experienced during her four years as a student.
“I love being able to bring a smile to everyone’s face and being a positive presence to everyone,” Stanton said.
In addition to her work here at Del Val, Stanton is also a part time freelancer for NBC Sports where she covers large sporting events. Although she enjoys her time engaged in sports, her full time passion lies with teaching
“I hope to go back to school, I really want to use this as a stepping stone,” Stanton said, “ I think I’m looking forward to just learning as much as possible. I’m trying to be a sponge and learn from all of my teachers.”
As a paraprofessional, Stanton covers different classes and helps out in many areas. Her current schedule consists of two study halls, two supervised study halls, an English class and a unified dance class. Stanton is also in the E101 classroom for a math class and living and social skills class.
Stanton expresses the love for her new position as she is building closer relationship with students, something that was harder when she was a substitute. As a paraprofessional, she is able to make connections with the students in all her classes.
“I enjoyed subbing and being around all the kids. I loved it so much that I wanted more of a full-time position,” Stanton said. “The paraprofessional position opened up, and I applied. I’m very excited to get to be at Del Val every day.”
Stanton is looking forward to the remainder of her year at Del Val and hopes to be a supportive and encouraging staff member to all students. She also hopes to learn as much as possible from the teachers around her.
“I think of the paras as swiss army knives. We get put all over the place and move around, so you have to be extremely adaptable in the position,” Stanton said. “But it’s been a lot of fun so far.”
