about mrs. gaston

Hi there! I am so excited to be back at Darlington Middle School.

Here's a little background about me. I was born and raised in Oregon (Go Ducks! Go Beavers!). I am one of six kids, the baby girl, and fourth in line, to my awesome parents.

I am very fond of my middle school days. I played basketball and volleyball, and learned to play the flute. When I got to high school, I continued with band, learning to play the baritone as well; continued playing volleyball and was an assistant coach on the JV team my senior year; and was so excited to play high school softball.

From a very young age, my mother saw I had a natural talent for softball, and thankfully my parents supported me the whole way. I started out in Little League at four. I was recruited to play ASA at eight and continued to play in tournaments all over Oregon, Washington, Nevada, California and Idaho until I left for college at seventeen.

I continued my softball career in college for two years at College of the Siskiyous in California. There, I met the man who would become my husband. We continued our education and started a family. When I walked across the stage at South Dakota State University, I happily accepted my Bachelor of Science degree in History, and waved at my parents, my husband, and our son and daughter. Although I am unable to walk across the stage, I am looking forward to happily accepting my Master of Education in Educational Administration / Higher Education Administration from the University of Sioux Falls next year with my husband, our six girls, and our two boys at my side.

I love cooking, Dia de los Muertos, history, graphic design, watching my kids play their sports (football, soccer, and softball), binge watching Bosh.TV on YouTube, cheering for my husband's football team, playing in the rain, finally beating that level in Candy Crush that I've been stuck on FOREVER, and devouring book after book. Most importantly, I like living life uncomfortably. The more we go into the school year, the better you will know what that means.

Again, welcome to 8th Grade Social Studies -- South Carolina History. I am honored to be here!