Devotion.

Darla Gaskill has devoted herself to education through volunteering, even after retirement.

Gaskill has been a member of the Hawk family for many years. After she retired from teaching English and coaching speech, she found that she still wanted to work with students but didn’t want to put in as many hours as she had been.

“Volunteering seemed like the perfect solution,” Gaskill said.

However, students refusing to want or accept help when they need it is one of the hardest parts of volunteering according to Gaskill. “I’m okay with them not always wanting it from me,” Gaskill said. “But I just want them to ‘want’ to succeed.”

The best part about her volunteer work is seeing a student want to succeed and being proud when they do so. “It could be something like a good grade on a quiz, but when they hold it up to me, so proud of themselves of what ‘they’ did,” Gaskill said, “that’s my favorite part.”  

“I’m a great nagger,” Gaskill said. That’s her greatest strength in her opinion. “I nag at them to make sure they aren’t slacking and letting themselves fall behind and making sure they aren’t stopping themselves from being their best selves.”

“She helped me study for my French test and was determined to help me believe I could pass it,” said Illiana Rolf-McGraw (10). “I actually felt pretty confident about the test after I took it, thanks to her help.”