Marshall Elementary teacher vying for state teacher of the year

As a teacher, Stacey DiIenno’s favorite moments are when one of her kindergarten students at Marshall Elementary makes a discovery or grasps a new concept.

“When I get to see those light bulbs go off, and they’re so proud of themselves that they learned something, I mean that’s just amazing,” DiIenno said. “There’s no better feeling than when a kid who couldn’t do something figures it out and they’re so proud of themselves.”

DiIenno has been helping create those moments for more than two decades as a teacher at several schools in the Christina School District.

In the spring, she was named the district’s teacher of the year. Next week, she will be one of 20 teachers honored at a dinner in Dover, and one will be announced as the state teacher of the year.

“There’s so many amazing teachers in the Christina district,” DiIenno said. “I see every day all the wonderful teachers, and for them to pick me, I was blown away for sure.”

A native Newarker, DiIenno attended Holy Angels School and Saint Mark’s and then earned her teaching degree at the University of Delaware.

She was inspired to go into education by her third-grade teacher.

“I’ve always known I wanted to be a teacher,” she said, noting that she grew up babysitting and working as a camp counselor. “I’ve always known that was the profession for me.”

DiIenno started her career at the Delaware Autism Program and later did stints at Elbert-Palmer Elementary and Oberle Elementary. She has been at Marshall for more than a decade.

She has taught several elementary grades but particularly enjoys working with the kindergarteners she now teaches.

“I just love the little ones because they are so open and they love to learn and they’re so excited to be there every day,” she said. “I just really enjoy helping them find that enjoyment in learning, and their excitement I think is just fabulous.”

She appreciates the rich diversity at Marshall, as well as the school’s strong tradition of family involvement.

“There’s so many different cultures that are being brought to the classroom,” she said. “It just is so special that the kids can share so many unique things about themselves and that we’re introducing this to the other children.”

At Marshall, the teachers, administrators, counselors, therapists and other support staff all work well together, she added.

“Everybody is working together to support the students. Nobody has to feel like an island,” she said. “It’s just a really amazing school.”

As Christina’s teacher of the year, DiIenno hopes to use her platform to advocate for providing students with social-emotional support.

“While academics are extremely important, the social, emotional and mental aspect of our students is just as important,” she said. “And I want to make sure that all of our students, no matter their background, whether that includes trauma or other parts of their world that might not be where they need to be, that we’re supporting them throughout the year.”