Written by Marie Kane |

The Morgan School has a new staff member and Paraprofessional Justin Sylvia!

Mr. Sylvia graduated from North Branford Highschool in 2004. He attended CCSU (Central Connecticut State University) in 2009.

Mr. Sylvia described his typical day here at Morgan:”My typical day is in two art classes, math, and science, work world, which teaches life skills, two structured studies, and I’m always moving from room to room,”

“Paraprofessionals,” Mr. Sylvia explains, “have many different jobs, such as working with special needs kids, helping in large classes, and assisting the teacher with tasks.”

I asked him if he attends any Morgan games, and he responded, “Not yet. I’m planning to, once baseball starts.”

Mr. Sylvia worked as an art teacher at Grove School, a boarding school in Madison. All students and teachers lived there. He liked to do fun activities with the students such as ice skating, shopping, taking them to art museums, and on trips. Before that, he had worked as a paraprofessional in Branford Elementary School.

Mr. Sylvia’s  favorite part of his job is  “going to different rooms each period and seeing different faces, meeting with different students and teachers.”

He decided to come to The Morgan School because he saw an opening for the job online, had known Clinton is a great district to  work in, and because the school is interesting.

Mr. Sylvia has a busy day at Morgan. “The busiest part  of my day is passing period because I sometimes have to get supplies from one room, bring it to another, and still be on time.” He is in five different rooms and is with Ms.Trusty twice a day.

“Three words I’d use to describe the school are, ‘appreciative, involved, and cricketville,'” he tells me.

“The difference between a teacher and a para is that the teacher is the ultimate leader in the classroom, the one who creates the lessons and teaches the class as a whole. The para follows the guidance of the teacher and is able to devote more one-on-one time with the students that need extra help.”

Remember to say “hi” when you see him in the halls and classrooms!