Four years ago, Amy Wooten chose to attend Trinity Lutheran High School.
Although her older brother and sister had gone to Trinity, the decision was left up to her where she wanted to go.
At the time, the family lived near Austin but moved to Seymour last summer, Wooten said.
“My parents let me decide,” Wooten said. “It was between Trinity and being in the band at Scottsburg (High School). They have a really good band program there.”
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But now, as she prepares to leave Trinity and face her future, she knows she made the best choice for her.
Wooten is one of 36 seniors graduating from the school Saturday. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. in the gymnasium.
“It feels weird,” Wooten said of knowing she will be leaving Trinity for the last time. “I’m not ready to go to college yet, but I think when it’s closer to going, I will be ready.”
She is planning to attend Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion this fall.
But instead of taking the summer off, Wooten will be working an internship at Cummins Inc. in Seymour, where she will be responsible for processing company documents.
It may not sound like it has anything to do with her future plans of becoming an English teacher, but Wooten said she thinks the experience will help with her language skills.
“They told us we would be editing documents, so I thought that would be good,” she said.
Wooten credits her English teacher, Rebecca Helmer, for inspiring her to go into the same field. Helmer also served as adviser for the yearbook staff.
“I’ve been in yearbook all three years that you’re eligible, and she’s just really fun,” Wooten said of Helmer.
Helping put the yearbook together is a lot of work but highly rewarding, added Wooten, who was an editor this year.
“Creating the yearbook and then having them done and giving them to the students, you feel so accomplished,” she said.
Besides yearbook, Wooten also was on the school’s dance committee for four years, student government for three years — serving as secretary her junior and senior year — student ambassadors, handbell choir, band, Academic Super Bowl and National Honor Society.
During the school’s honors night May 11, Wooten received the David Sandhage Christian Service Award. It’s an honor she was chosen for not by her teachers, but by her peers, which made it even more special, she said.
Her sister, Whitney, received the same award two years ago when she graduated.
“I got a standing ovation, and when they all stood up for me, I thought I was going to cry,” Amy said.
The worst part of leaving Trinity is having to say goodbye to her friends, she added.
Being such a small school, Wooten said she grew close to her classmates and teachers.
“When you have a small class, you get closer with the other students, and you have one-on-one interaction with teachers,” she said.
Also, Trinity has provided her with a solid Christian education, which she values and knows will be put to good use in her life, she said.
Although she’s not Lutheran, the lessons she learned at Trinity are taught for all Christians, she said.
“That’s why you come to Trinity, for the Christian education, and being here has strengthened my faith even more and has prepared me for when I go to college and when I am faced with different ideas and beliefs,” she said.
After four years of high school, Wooten has some advice for the Class of 2017.
“Don’t wait to the last minute to do stuff,” she said. “That sounds like stereotypical advice, but I never listened to it, and I wish I had.”
She also said all students should respect their elders, including their teachers.
“They’re here because of you, and they want you to do your best and to flourish, and this is when you can do it,” she said. “So just respect them, and when they give you a lot of work, just do it.”
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Name: Whitney Wooten
Age: 18
Hometown: Seymour
School: Trinity Lutheran High School
High school accomplishments: Recipient of the David Sandhage Christian Service Award, yearbook staff and editor, dance committee for four years, student government for three years — serving as secretary her junior and senior year, student ambassadors, handbell choir, band, Academic Super Bowl and National Honor Society
Plans: Attend Indiana Wesleyan University in Indianapolis and study English education in order to be a teacher
Family: Parents, Mark and Pam Wooten; brother, Seth; sister, Whitney
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What: Trinity Lutheran High School graduation
When: 10 a.m. Saturday
Where: Bollinger Athletic Complex
Who: 36 seniors will graduate
Valedictorians: Hayley Carter, Ethan Neawedde, Luke Onken and Jacob Schult
Salutatorian: Maddie Lucas
Speakers: Pastor Andrew Currao and Pastor Jimmy Rodriguez
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