Kaly Winton
Kaly Winton of Sallisaw says “It‚s been one super crazy week!”
Winton, 18, is not only graduating Friday, but as the valedictorian of her class, she will also be making a speech.
“I‚m excited and nervous at the same time,” she said laughing.
Winton, who has been attending Sallisaw High School for the past four years, said she has been home schooled all her life until she reached high school age.
“I wanted to be around other kids and I‚ve made a lot of friends since I began school her...
Kaly Winton of Sallisaw says “It‚s been one super crazy week!”
Winton, 18, is not only graduating Friday, but as the valedictorian of her class, she will also be making a speech.
“I‚m excited and nervous at the same time,” she said laughing.
Winton, who has been attending Sallisaw High School for the past four years, said she has been home schooled all her life until she reached high school age.
“I wanted to be around other kids and I‚ve made a lot of friends since I began school here. I also love music and my first year here, I joined the band and made the drum line. This year we won at state,” she said. In addition to playing the drums, Winton also plays the piano in the Jazz Band.
Winton said she has always lived in Sallisaw.
“I think the best part about Sallisaw, in addition to having a great school, is the closeness among the people from the community. Even though we live out in the country, the people who actually live in Sallisaw don‚t treat us any different. Everyone makes you feel welcome here,” she said.
Winton is the oldest of five children. Although her father works as a teacher in the Sallisaw School system, her mother, a pharmacist decided to home school Winton and her siblings.
“They all now go to school here. I have two sisters and two brothers. It‚s a lot of fun at home,” she said, smiling.
After graduation, Winton said she plans to attend NSU in Tahlequah in the fall and study to become a speech language pathologist.
“It‚s my plan but who knows, I may decide on something else once I get there,” she said.
Winton said she plans to live on campus and currently has no plans for the summer. She does have a part time job of delivering for a pharmacy in Vian.
“I may look for a second job in delivering,” she said. “For right now, I only have plans to get ready for college.
“I think NSU is close enough so if I want to come home, I can, and the university is not that small. It‚s not too big or too small so I believe it‚s just right for me,” she said.
Winton said she enjoys reading which is how she spends most of her time at home. She also enjoys playing the piano at home, she said. She attends the Sallisaw Church of Christ where she is active in the church youth group.
“We all get up and sing. We don‚t have a choir but we do sing during church song services,” she said.
Since graduation is Friday, Winton said all the seniors have been preparing for their special day.
“We will practice Friday morning and I will go over my speech.
“I‚m really looking forward to the graduation. I‚m excited because graduation means new beginnings and seeing what‚s next in my future. I feel both sad and excited because I‚ll miss my teachers and the friends I‚ve made here,” she said.
“But who knows, maybe I‚ll return to Sallisaw when I‚m done with college and work here.”
Winton said she wasn‚t sure what time the graduation will be starting.
“I‚ll have it figured out by then,” she said, laugh ing. “I‚d better.” Just Folks. Just Folks is Your TIMES way of honoring the regular people of Sequoyah County, recognizing their unique talents, personalities, jobs, abilities, etc. Your TIMES appreciates the cooperation of each Just Folks and the public‚s nominations for this feature. If you know of someone you think might be a good story, contact Roy or Lynn at 918-775-4433.
