Taylor Eaton earns valedictorian honors

Taylor Eaton is the valedictorian for the Class of 2016 at Naselle Grays River Valley High School.

Eaton is a three sport athlete, a sometime Knowledge Bowl member, a drummer in the pep band and an active member of the youth group at the Assembly of God.

The last year working at a child care center gave her life some direction as she found a sense of satisfaction there.

"I love working with kids," Eaton said. "I don't want to give that up."

With plans to become a school nurse in a rural community, she won't have to.

Eaton was accepted to LCC and will eventually enter their nursing program.

"I've always done well in my science classes and that has been fun to me," Eaton said. "I guess you could say school is something that I've enjoyed."

It's been fun, but Eaton has also exhibited a work ethic and drive to grow and improve, qualities that have been beneficial to her education and to her teammates on the court or in the field.

Eaton has been playing volleyball, basketball and softball for years. In softball, she was a pitcher and occasionally the short stop, two of the most difficult positions in the game.

"I love the challenge," Eaton said of softball. "I love pushing myself. I don't want to be doing the same things. I want to be able to continue to learn."

She learned two more pitches just this year.

"I never want to quit learning," Eaton said. "I never want to plateau, or finish. It's always, 'what can I do to make myself better? How far can I go?'"

This is another reason why Eaton is particularly excited about nursing.

"You have the steps," she said. "CNA, MA, LPN, RN. You continue to grow through that, and then there are the different specialties that you can get into."

"It's incredible to me," she added. "Intriguing."

Eaton's favorite teacher has been Mr. Wise.

"There is just something about his teaching style that I latch onto," she said. "It's so easy for me to learn in his classes. His classes are one of the hardest classes that you'll take here. I've managed to squeak out of his English 4 class with an A- and I'm jumping for joy because I've tried so hard to focus and learn and study. He's just awesome with all of us. He loves his job, I can tell."

With a small class, Eaton is close to several of her classmates. She is one of 10 or 11 who have been there since kindergarten.

"They aren't my classmates," Eaton said, "they are my family. It's been an incredible way to grow up. Not just with them, but with their parents and their families.Not seeing them every day is going to be hard. Leaving them is going to be one of the hardest things I'll ever do."

"Just being able to watch them all grow up," she said, "I'm super proud. I hope they can speak the same for me."

Taylor is the daughter of Lonnie and Kimberly Eaton. She has a younger brother, a freshman named Jacob. She is the grand-daughter of Tim and Martha Tienhaara and Bob and Rosalie Eaton.