Biography: Krista Barbour grew up on the East Coast, lived in the Midwest, and has found a permanent home on the best coast in Seattle. Krista brings her whimsical and passionate nature to SAAS's middle school English program with a mission to make middle school NOT the worst place ever. She graduated with a degree in Sociology from Rollins College and a Master's in Education from Portland State University and finds joy in empowering students to see their power and potential in our world. A middle school English teacher since 2009, Krista has pushed her students to write 10,000+ word novels in 30 days, ventured to retirement communities so students could interview residents and write narrative nonfiction, and incorporated literary food trucks into a rigorous analysis of text. In her free time, she enjoys reading all the YA lit, road tripping in her VW van, and coming up with outfits for each of her 100 pairs of shoes.