NATCHEZ — On Monday Morris Stanton was employed by the Canton Public School District, but by Thursday was working for the Natchez-Adams School District.

In executive session at the school board’s June 12 meeting Stanton was approved as the district’s new assistant superintendent.

Stanton, 48, originally from Natchez, said he was looking forward to getting to work in the Natchez-Adams District.

“I want to roll up my sleeves and put in more than a day’s work,” he said.

And Stanton should not have much trouble getting adjusted to his new position as assistant superintendent.

For the past seven and a half years Stanton was the assistant superintendent of human resources in the Canton Public School District.

Before that Stanton spent more than two decades working in various education related positions across Mississippi.

District Superintendent Anthony Morris said Stanton’s diverse work experiences made him an ideal candidate to fill the district’s opening.

“He came well qualified,” Morris said.

Stanton earned a master’s degree from Alcorn State University in Guidance Education and an educational doctorate degree in Education Leadership from Mississippi State University in 2002.

While Stanton’s credentials have helped him to achieve his new position, he said his past experiences with students will help him to be a productive administrator.

In his initial employment stint with the Canton Public School District Stanton worked as the district’s student counselor and helped to develop the district’s counseling program.

Stanton said working in that capacity was very valuable and ultimately altered his decision to go into school administration.

“I could see a disconnect from administration to counselors in what students need,” he said. “That’s when I decided I wanted to go into administration.”

Stanton said he could see a benefit in working one-on-one with students as a counselor but recognized a greater opportunity to help students on a larger scale as an administrator.

And that commitment to working with the young is what Stanton said he has been called to do.

“We’re here to shape young minds,” he said. “That’s something you have to be called to do.”

Stanton said his main objective in his new role, aside from assisting Morris, is to help produce well educated, contributing citizens that can give back to their communities.

“It’s education,” he said. “When you get to the end of the day that’s what it’s about.”