Marilynn L. Rapp Buxton currently teaches the 4th-6th grade talented and gifted program at Waverly-Shell Rock Community Schools in Waverly and Shell Rock, IA. She also teaches a self-designed curriculum of creative and critical thinking skills in classrooms, is editor of two elementary yearbooks, and coaches Future Problem Solving teams. She received a bachelor's degree from Iowa State University and has taken numerous graduate courses through Drake University, University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa, Marycrest College, and Viterbo University toward her K-12 gifted endorsement and educational certifications. Buxton received the prestigious Distinguished Service Award at the Iowa Talented and Gifted conference in Fall 2008 for outstanding achievement and service to gifted students in Iowa. Her curriculum ideas and student projects have been published as a "Teacher Feature" in Iowa Talented and Gifted Magazine. She authored Math Logic Mysteries and More Math Logic Mysteries, published by Prufrock Press. She is currently writing several other activity books for publication. She also authored Itsy Bitsies, four leaflets of counted cross-stitch designs and was featured in Cross Stitcher Magazine. She has presented at the Iowa Talented and Gifted Conference, Wisconsin Talented and Gifted Conference, Midwest Regional Middle Level Conference, area gifted and talented forums, and local staff in-services. She enjoys spending time with family, swimming, singing in Sweet Adelines International, Harmony Rox a cappella quartet and church choir, doing Sudoku and matrix logic puzzles, going for walks, and playing 500.