Ewton, Hutton top WCHS class of ’08
When rankings were announced for the Warren County High School class of 2008, valedictorian Jackson Ewton was as surprised as anyone to see his name atop the list.
‘I thought I might be in the top 10 percent,’ said Ewton, ‘but this was pretty much a shock.’
Salutatorian Amy Hutton had similar sentiments, saying she is firmly committed to her school work but she tries to live a well-rounded life.
‘I study, but I’m not constantly in a book,’ said Hutton. ‘It depends on the class.’
The two lead a 2008 graduating class that currently has 411 members. WCHS no longer announces a top 10 list, instead opting to reveal the top 10 percent of the graduating class. The top 10 percent will be highlighted in a future edition of the Standard.
Ewton plans to attend Tennessee Tech to major in agribusiness and civil engineering. He says he would like to become a land surveyor.
Hutton plans to attend MTSU where she wants to major in accounting. She says she enjoys math, but only to a certain degree.
‘I don’t want to be an engineer where I need high, high math classes,’ said Hutton.
Both have parents in the education field, which no doubt has encouraged them to make book work a priority. Ewton’s mother is a counselor at WCHS, while Hutton’s father is a financial aid officer at MTSU.
‘My parents always told me to do my best and that was all they could ask for,’ said Hutton.
Both start the day bright and early, arriving at WCHS at 6:45 a.m. for a college English course offered through Motlow College. Ewton also takes college algebra through Motlow, while Hutton takes calculus at the high school.
When not in school, Ewton has his hands full harvesting nursery stock on a 100-acre farm in the Morrison-Vervilla area. He says he works about 20 hours a week in that capacity.
As for insight into a possible valedictorian address on graduation night, Ewton said he hasn’t thought much about it. He said he would have a certain amount of nervousness on such a grand stage.