Mr. Staten is from a rural area in southern Indiana and graduated from Paoli Jr.-Sr. High School.  Then he attended Indiana University and majored in elementary education with a concentration in science.  At Indiana University Mr. Staten was among the first group of students in a program called Quest.  The goal of Quest was to improve science education in both elementary and middle schools.  He graduated from Indiana University in 1994 and is the first male in his lineage to earn a college degree.  

Mr. Staten taught 5th grade science at Degan Elementary in Lewisville for 19 years.  He was twice honored as the campus Teacher of the Year during this time.  Furthermore, he was honored as the LISD Elementary Teacher of the Year in 2013.  He has taught 7th and 8th grade science and PAP science at Creek Valley Middle School starting with the 2013-2014 school year.

Mr. Staten married his wife, Elizabeth, in 1999.  She is a pre-K teacher in LISD, and they have one child, Montana.  The entire family enjoys movies, travelling, history, and games.  Montana and his father spend a great deal of time together in the outdoors since Mr. Staten is an avid outdoorsman.  Hunting, fishing, fossil hunting, hiking, biking, gardening, and disc golf are some of the activities that he enjoys with his son.  

Teaching life science comes naturally to Mr. Staten due to his interests in the outdoors.  He maintains a garden of Native Texas plants at Creek Valley Middle School for his students to investigate and observe.  He loves sharing his passion for life science, the outdoors, and learning with his students.