Ellener Clark

St. Joseph-St. Robert School

As a young child, Ellener Clark received a lot of inspiration from her teachers, who ignited her passion for the teaching profession. As a student at St. John Bosco Parish School and Archbishop Wood High School, she had many teachers who made learning fun and exciting. Fast forward to the future, Ms. Clark has spent 34 years passing the same inspirational torch to her very own students at St. Joseph-St. Robert School in Warrington.

The excitement of meeting new students and parents every year has kept the best components about teaching alive over the past three decades for Ms. Clark. Her teaching philosophy is based upon the emphasis of teamwork. She is a firm believer that the entire school system should work as a team for every student to be successful and reach their fullest potential. It is Ms. Clark’s dedication and support to the team at St. Joseph-St. Robert School which develops the potential of all the students.

Ms. Clark carries on her fun and exciting teaching style in her 4th grade classroom with the help of her collection of stuffed monkeys. Little did Father James Sullivan (the parochial vicar at St. Joseph Church) know that he was giving birth to a long tradition when he gave Ms. Clark her first stuffed monkey as a birthday present. From then on, students just assumed that she really liked monkeys, and following suit, she began receiving them as presents. As of today, the collection has grown to more than 60 monkeys. “Monkey Field Trip Days” occur around the holidays, when the class needs a quick “pick me up,” or for acknowledgement of good student behavior. The students may select their favorite monkey on “Monkey Field Trip Day.” The monkey then stays at the student’s desk and follows the student wherever he/she goes that day like a shadowing exercise. It has become a wonderful tradition in the 4th grade that all students enjoy.

Outside the classroom, Ms. Clark enjoys spending time with her family, reading and working outdoors. She is also a huge fan of the Philadelphia Phillies and is devoted to following her favorite team.