The Rockbridge NAACP this spring is honoring two new recipients of the Irma Thompson Educators of Color Award as they complete their first years i n ar ea school systems. Daniel Shelton is serving as a counselor in the guidance department of Rockbridge County High School, and Triniti Stores is a behavior interventionist in the Buena Vista public school system.
Shelton comes to Rockbridge County from the Washington, D.C., area, where he completed his education with a B.A. in psychology from George Mason University and an M.A. from Marymount University in school counseling, while Stores is a native of Glasgow, starting his career as a graduate of RCHS and Southern Virginia University, with a degree in family and human development.
The Irma Thompson Program award supports the recruitment, retention, and flourishing of educators of color in the local public school systems of Lexington, Buena Vista and Rockbridge County. Established in 2020 as a Rockbridge NAACP Initiative, the program makes awards to assist new teachers of color in the area with housing, relocation, and job-related expenses.
Shelton said he started his career as an educator in middle schools in the Alexandria area, where he and his wife, Tessa, enjoyed the urban amenities of the D.C. area. But, he said, they had second thoughts after the birth of their daughter, now 2 years old, and started looking for quieter surroundings. Tessa Shelton is a native of Fairfield, and Shelton said it didn’t take more than about one look as they explored the county to convince him that this was their future home.
An added bonus might have been that Tessa also graduated from the school where her husband would be starting his first job working with high school students. Still, he said, the new job involved “a lot of learning the ropes, not only counseling the students, but learning and working with the community that surrounds them.”
Sitting in his office with next year’s calendar already up on his computer, Shelton said he is excited about the year ahead. The biggest challenge in the job, he said, is also a plus: “In education, change is a constant. You learn to be flexible.”
He added that to date, schools nationwide are still dealing with the educational fallout from COVID-19. “I am seeing students every day who were in the sixth grade when Covid hit. That created so much nonconventional instruction. There’s a lot of residual effect.”
The best moment of the year for him, he said, was “getting to see the kids walk across that stage. I thought, Oh, yeah. We did it. We succeeded.” The hardest part, he added, is “working with kids who come from tough situations.”
The Sheltons have settled in the Fairfield area, he said, where family members are helping them restore “a very old house,” and he has “traded bike shorts for hiking boots,” and is loving it.
In a recent interview, Stores explained how his position in the Buena Vista schools came about. After graduating from SVU in 2024, he started as a truancy officer. “It was mostly dealing with absenteeism,” he said, “but as I was working with the situation and the kids who were chronically missing school, the school system came up with the idea of this job for me as behavior interventionist in the elementary schools.”
His daily work now includes responding to trouble spots in the classroom or anywhere in either of the city’s two elementary schools, Kling and Enderly, where he can be reached by radio and respond to a call from a principal or teacher.
For him this year, the best reward was “the kids. Seeing their behavior change, sometimes so much, from the beginning of the year to the end, as they figure out how to do things differently. And for us, the teachers and administration and staff, seeing so much improvement.”
Asked what a typical day looks like, he laughed quietly – no two are the same, he said, but he’ll be in and out of classrooms, on the playground, throughout the two school buildings. “Sometimes it helps just to take a child out of class, take a little walk, get them to sit down and color a picture. They might open up a bit, they will calm down. Over time, things can get better.”
Both Shelton and Stores expressed appreciation for the Irma Thompson program.
Co-chairs Ellen Mayock and Tinni Sen spoke of the importance of the ongoing grant program in promoting diversity in the local school systems. “On behalf of the Rockbridge NAACP’s Irma Thompson Program,” said Mayock, “we are absolutely delighted that these two dedicated and accomplished educators have joined our schools’ staffs.”
Sen added, “Experiencing educators of color as leaders and mentors in the classroom benefits all of our children. It breaks negative stereotypes, and it has been shown to strengthen critical thinking, problemsolving skills, and social and emotional development for students from all backgrounds.”
Rockbridge NAACP chapter President Rev. Reginald A. Early noted that the award is named for the late Irma Thompson, the respected educator and longtime Buena Vista community leader. Early, who also serves on the program’s board, added that the Irma Thompson Initiative has been dedicated, since its inception, to working in partnership with the local educational community to advance NAACP goals.
He said, “As the Rockbridge NAACP continues its collaboration with school districts in the hiring of educators of color, we are very pleased to see these two fine counselors joining our school systems. We know that all students are benefiting from the guidance they are providing, as their work with individual students and their involvement with the whole school community continues.”
Also serving on the Irma Thompson program board are community leaders and educators including Charlotte Alexander, Marylin Alexander, Laurent Boetsch, Patrick Bradley, Roger Crockett, and Stephanie Wilkinson.
For donations, applications, or more information, visit the chapter’s website at https://rockbridgenaacp. com/ or the program’s dedicated website at www.irmathompsonprogram. com.
STORES
SHELTON
