Every November, Aurora Public Schools observe Veterans Day and Military Family Appreciation Month. One local veteran highlighted is Shayla Staton, an Aurora native who served eight years in the Navy after graduating high school. While on the U.S.S. Bainbridge (DDG‑96) she participated in anti‑piracy operations near the Horn of Africa, including the 2009 Maersk Alabama incident. After deployments and raising two sons, she returned to Aurora, worked in the medical field, and shifted to education during the COVID‑19 pandemic, using her G.I. Bill to earn a teaching credential. Staton now works as a one‑on‑one paraprofessional at Edna and John W. Mosley P‑8, where more than 30 % of students come from military families. She helped launch the “Anchored 4 Life” program, contributing to Mosley’s recent Purple Heart School designation, which recognizes schools that support military‑connected children.
Source: Aurora Public Schools ↗
