By Staff
Kim West
Franklin County Times
Rachel Mitchell has three very different career paths in her sights.
But Mitchell, an eighth-grader at Russellville Middle School, has plenty of time to decide which profession she wants to study for in college.
"I've thought about becoming a pharmacist, lawyer or teacher," Mitchell said. "I haven't really thought about which college I want to attend. If I had to choose one right now, I would pick Alabama because I'm a big fan."
Even though Mitchell, 14, hasn't picked a major, she said the subject she enjoys studing the most is history.
"I like history the most because I like to study the events of things and watch movies made up of old events, like 'The Diary of Anne Frank,'" said Mitchell, who named RMS seventh-grade teacher Michael McCandless as her favorite teacher. "Mr. Mac teaches science and makes it a lot of fun, and we do a lot of projects in his class."
Academically, Mitchell is one of the leading students at RMS, a school with 600-plus students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades. She was ranked No. 1 in her class with a 99.6 average headed into this fall, and received straight A's for the first nine weeks of school this fall.
"We have a lot of electives to choose from, and we have a lot of group work," said Mitchell, who belongs to the RMS Ambassadors and Student Council. "It's just a big and small school because everyone knows each other, but we have a lot of students."
In addition to extracurricular activities, Mitchell plays on the middle-school softball and basketball teams.
"She is awesome academically – it's hard to find anyone with a better academic record, and she is also a good athlete," said Charlotte Dollar, who has coached Mitchell in basketball the past two years and also taught her in the sixth grade. "She is one of our really good basketball players, and plays the three position, which is small forward. She just has a good attitude and is an exceptional young lady."
In her spare time, Mitchell said she enjoys outdoor and church activities and spending time with friends.
"I like to be outdoors – I'm adventurous. I like playing with friends and I also like to do activities with my church," said Mitchell, who attends North Highland Baptist Church in Russellville.
She said a variety of things make her laugh, including her teammates and her favorite movies.
"On the softball team, Abby Avery makes me laugh, and on the basketball team, Laken Robinson is really outspoken and does what she wants – not in an obnoxious way but in a funny way," Mitchell said. "I laugh at just about anything, and I think Steve Martin movies are pretty funny."
Even though she hasn't attended a concert, Mitchell knows which band she would like to see.
"I think I would like to see Guns 'n Roses – my favorite song is 'Paradise City,'" said Mitchell, who likes listening to '80s and country music.
Mitchell is the daughter of Jerry Mitchell and Donna McKinney. She has two siblings, including twin sister Rebecca and older sister LaShae Wellington.