Stillwater School senior embraces leadership

As an incoming highschool freshman at Stillwater Christian School in 2020, Taylor Mitchell had to overcome not only the challenges of being the “new kid,” as her family had just relocated from the Spokane, Washington, area, but also the unprecedented Covid pandemic that forced students to attend classes virtually.

Mitchell didn’t let the obstacles stop her, however, and when students were allowed back on campus, she signed up for new challenges, joining the volleyball team and the concert choir and excelling in each.

She’s a member of the select chamber choir, and will be playing NCAA Division I volleyball next year at Regent University, a Christian college in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

She will graduate Friday with the school’s Class of 2023.

As a leader of the school’s cutthroat house, named for the trout variety, she mentors younger students and plans day trips and bonding events.

And as captain of one of six school-wide houses, she has put on trivia competitions and relay races. She’s also a part of the committee to select next year’s leaders. She said that the house system was a blessing for her as a new student trying to make friends.

“It was nice especially for me as a new student to meet people on an intimate level and have a mini-family,” she said. “It’s also nice to get a break from the classroom.”

“I’ve given the younger girls my phone number and told them I’m only a phone call away. People are able to see that you can fit in even if you don’t have the same background.”

Beyond school, she’s also a shift leader at Sable Coffee, where she works part-time.

She’s excited to take part in clubs and student organizations at college, such as mock trial club, and perhaps work at the campus coffee shop as well. She sees lots of opportunities for leadership in student organizations.

In college, she’s planning on majoring in criminal justice, with the hopes of continuing her education by attending the university’s law school.

Last summer she was selected for and attended the Girls State program organized by the American Legion Auxiliary, in which she participated in a mock trial, giving her practical experience and solidifying her interest in law.

Eventually, she’d like to open a law firm with her sister, who is currently getting her degree.

Mitchell’s a favorite among her teachers, and has received praise for her diligence and curiosity. Her favorite subjects include history and the Advanced Placement Literature and Language courses. She’s also taken an anatomy class for college credit, which she hopes to transfer toward her undergraduate degree.

Thesis advisor Micah Tinkham called Mitchell “an engaged and thoughtful student who has an obvious desire to learn.”

For her senior thesis, Mitchell wrote and defended a claim about using nonviolent civil disobedience in the name of Christian values when a higher duty to obey God is concerned, according to Tinkham.

Mitchell believes her natural leadership is God-given, but that she must develop and learn how to use those skills.

For younger students, Mitchell advises joining clubs and trying new things.

“You never know who you might be friends with,” she said.

The commencement ceremony for the Class of 2023 for Stillwater Christian School is Friday, June 2. Stillwater’s ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m. in the school gym. The school is located at 255 FFA Dr., Kalispell. Eighteen students are set to graduate.

Reporter Adrian Knowler can be reached 758-4407 or aknowler@dailyinterlake.com.