Mrs. Trafton is originally from Woodland Hills, California. She is the oldest daughter of William and Constance Holmes. Her parents were consistent advocates for education. Her father, William, was a high school teacher, counselor, and college professor continuing to follow his passion for teaching well into his eighties. Bill, as he was called by all who knew and admired him, was a linguist who was forever intrigued by the written word. His love of wordplay, spelling, grammar, syntax, and all languages and their derivation was unprecedented. He wrote books about spelling, played spelling games, and especially loved teaching others how to spell. Mrs. Trafton has an older brother and two younger sisters all of whom earned their teaching credentials, as well. The Holmeses are from a long-line of educators dating back five generations. Since moving to the Pacific Northwest in 1990, Mrs. Trafton has continuously pursued her love of the arts. She was in a production with the Everett Opera, sang in the Arlington Community production of Handel's Messiah for many years, was choreographer and stage production manager for Jazzmine for 6 years, was a member of the Worship Team at her church, and has written numerous grants to support The Art Docent Program at Pioneer, a program she began in her classroom and later promoted to include all Pioneer students. Her passion for educating the whole child is at the core of her teaching. Mrs. Trafton received her bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from California State University, Northridge, and later earned her Master's Degree in Literacy from Lesley University. She taught first grade in Arlington on the old President's campus, but when Kent Prairie was built, she transferred and team-taught Continuous Progress grades 1, 2, and 3 with Colleen Turk for 8 years. Mrs. Trafton lives on Camano Island with her husband Rob. Her son, Blake lives in Bellingham with his wife Brianne. Her son Duncan and his wife Carlie live in Montana with Mrs. Trafton's three adorable granddaughters Claire (8), Anna (6), and Erika (3). Gardening, having Girl Power sleepovers with her granddaughters, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends are some of the many activities Mrs. Trafton enjoys.
