Adie Mitchell poses for her Waterford golf photo taken by MoniKeri Imaging in September. (Photo Provided)

WATERFORD — Adilynn “Adie” Mitchell, 17, is preparing to graduate from the Sports Medicine & Exercise Science program at the Washington County Career Center.

She said her family moved from Churchtown to Waterford when she was 7 and she doesn’t have any plans to move.

“I absolutely love Waterford and the people in it,” said Mitchell. “I want to stay here my whole entire life and raise my own family.”

Pursuing a future career in physical therapy assistance includes enrolling in programs at the career center and taking College Credit courses through Washington State College of Ohio.

“I knew that I’ve always wanted to do something with helping people whether that be physically, mentally, or emotionally,” said Mitchell. “I knew that in sports medicine, that program branched off into a lot of different opportunities.”

Adie Mitchell won Market Class Winner for her show hog at the Waterford Community Fair in August 2024. (Photo Provided)

She said she’s taking an online class about human health and disease through the fitness program along with statistics at WSCO. At the career center, she’s taking a physical fitness course along with her internship.

Mitchell said the human disease class is very interesting and so far they’ve learned about hereditary cancers and how to prevent diseases.

“I did receive my physical therapy technician certification last semester so that’s going to play a big role in my education,” said Mitchell.

She said she hopes to get into the physical therapy program at WSCO to continue her education upon graduation this spring.

She has also begun an internship at Marietta Health and Wellness Chiropractics where she assists patients with physical therapy.

Adie Mitchell showing her market hog at the Waterford Community Fair in August 2025. (Photo Provided)

“I do that everyday from 7:30-10:30 a.m. Monday through Friday,” she said. “I started about three weeks ago now and I do enjoy it because I’ve learned so much and it’s definitely guided me in the career path that I want.”

Mitchell was voted in as the student council president at the career center her senior year and joined as a member the year before. She said she enjoys it because she has the opportunity to raise money for school events and different fundraisers throughout the year.

“During Thanksgiving we sold little thank you notes and we’d go around and if anyone wanted to write a note to somebody they could tell them how thankful they were for them,” she said.

Mitchell has also thrown shot-put and discus for the track and field team at Waterford for the past six years. She said it’s one of her favorite sports.

“I’ve been on the golf team for two years now and it’s been awesome,” said Mitchell. “I was able to get in a good year of learning and was able to teach others what I’ve learned.”

Adie Mitchell smiling for a photo during her sports medicine and exercise science class in January. (Photo Provided)

She said she would consider continuing golf after graduation.

Mitchell has been participating in 4-H since she was in third grade and has been the president of her 4-H group for the past three years.

“I show pigs and I hope to show cows this year as well,” she said. “We do raise the cows ourselves … We have about 12 cows.”

She said her dad loves raising the animals and waking up early to take care of them and she helps him with the process.

Mitchell is also involved in a girls Catholic weekend retreat during the spring and fall and said they get together at St. John Central School to learn about God and have conversations about the Bible.

Adie Mitchell, top right, posing with the Washington County Career Center student council in 2025. (Photo Provided)

She said time management is essential for her when it comes to planning everything she’s involved in and making sure she doesn’t miss any deadlines.

“I try to make sure my days are pretty compact and I try to make sure I have everything in line so I don’t miss a deadline or something due,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell said her parents are a huge help as well.

She said she babysits sometimes and also works at RiverBend Family Dining in Beverly.

Mitchell said for fun she enjoys hanging out with her friends and camping and boating during the summer with her family.

“We usually boat on the Muskingum River, although last year we did go on the Ohio River a lot and enjoyed it,” she said.

Mitchell said she’s had a great senior year so far and she’s made a lot of friends. She said she’s excited for what’s yet to come.

Amber Phipps can be reached at aphipps@newsandsentinel.com

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