Llano Independent School District paraprofessional Shelly Yelvington in front of a small window mural at Llano Elementary School. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
This May, Llano Elementary School paraprofessional Shelly Yelvington will watch the first class of children she ever taught graduate from high school. Twelve years ago, she took the job to get out of the house after her own children reached high school age. She found the work challenging yet rewarding, and this year, she was rewarded for it.
Yelvington was voted Favorite School Paraprofessional for the Kingsland/Llano area by The Picayune Magazine readers and KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune listeners in the 2025 Locals Love Us contest.
“Being a paraprofessional, it can be hard, it can be stressful, but I don’t think people really realize how much we impact these kids,” she said. “I love it, and I see the impact and it makes you proud.”
In her job, Yelvington assists second- through fifth-grade students at Llano Elementary School who have difficulty learning in a typical classroom setting. She was drawn to work with children who needed extra help partially because of her experience growing up with her sister, who has Down syndrome.
Yelvington is originally from Riesel, just outside of Waco, but has lived in Kingsland since 2001. Her son and daughter both graduated from Llano High School, where the first group of children she taught as a paraprofessional are about to don their own caps and gowns.
“Some of (the kids) rely on us a lot, and when they leave, it’s heart-wrenching because they want me to follow them as far as I can go with them,” she said. “The group that is graduating this year, the 12th-graders, I was with them all the way from first grade through fifth.”
Yelvington expressed gratitude to the community for making her a Locals Love Us favorite.
“I’m very proud that they thought of me,” she said. “I love these kids, and I’d do anything for these kids. They win your heart.”
