Carrie Underwood EXCLUSIVE: Childhood friends reveal how music teacher told future star she’d never make it… before she triumphed on American Idol

The small town of Checotah, Oklahoma couldn’t be prouder of it’s most famous former resident – country star Carrie Underwood.

But while the bubbly blonde is today one of the most recognizable faces in showbusiness, she was once told by her music teacher that she’d never make it.

Her former Scout leader Kari Coleman, whose daughter Jade Taylor was close friends with the star, said not everyone recognised Carrie’s talent.

‘Her music teacher didn’t think she was talented, she dropped out of choir one year and started taking aerobics,’ Kari said.

‘She’d tell Carrie, “Stop yelling!” because she was screaming when she was singing, but others really believed in her and her mom took her to everything.’

But while other smay have doubted her, Carrie always believed she could make it, says her school friend Kara Sezate.

‘Carrie would always say, “I’m going to be famous!” everyone was like, “yeah okay, you’re really good but…” and then it happened,’ Kara said.

‘When everyone else sang at school they did it for fun, Carrie took it very seriously and would be in full costume.

‘In second grade she played Mother Nature in a play and when she sang people couldn’t believe it, even when she was small she was very good.’

In Carrie’s hometown of Checotah, Oklahoma, which has a population of just 3,335, residents are in awe of what the star has achieved since winning American Idol in 2005.

Growing up with dreams of becoming a singer, Carrie performed at the local Free Will Baptist Church, sang the national anthem at local football games, appeared at festivals and took part in parades.

Exclusive photos obtained by DailyMail.com show Carrie as a shy child with curly hair and bangs, while others from her school yearbooks feature her as a confident young woman at her 2001 graduation.

The 35-year-old star is close to her sisters Shanna and Stephanie and was raised by her mom Carole, a teacher, and dad Stephen, who stayed at home running the family farm and working in a local paper mill.

‘Carrie was kind of a mistake, her parents weren’t going to have anymore children, she came along and they were very protective of her,’ Kari revealed.

‘One of her older sisters got pregnant when she was pretty young so Carrie wasn’t really allowed boyfriends, I don’t think any of them were good enough for her anyway.

‘She didn’t have a desire to party, she stuck with the very straight-laced kids, it was her choice as well, she had morals.’

An animal lover her entire life, Carrie once worked at a local veterinary clinic and has since opened the Happy Paws Animal Shelter in Checotah where her mom works two days a week.

‘I know when we had girl scout meetings, if someone tried to step on a spider she’d be like, ‘No, no, don’t do that!’ She was even protective over little bugs,’ Kari recalled.

Carolyn Hutcherson, fine arts instructor at her old school, added: ‘She was raised on chicken fried steaks, mashed potatoes and gravy, she lost a lot of weight when she gave up meat.

‘She’s been a long-time advocate of vegetarianism, but it’s very different here in Oklahoma.’

Carrie studied mass communications and journalism at Northeastern State University and moved to Nashville, Tennessee after competing on American Idol, but teachers say she regularly visits family and friends back home and is hands-on when it comes to helping the community with projects.

‘Checotah is a much better place because of her,’ Carolyn continued. ‘I’ve been working on a list of everything she’s done, it’s overwhelming.

‘I get giddy when I think about her, I don’t think we could ever thank her enough, she’s amazing.

‘This is a very poor town, a lot of people are unemployed and this is a poverty school. She donated computers, risers [for the choir], stage curtains, you dream and she makes it happen.

‘She also donated the playground at the elementary school and came to help put it in, she’s hands-on and wants to see where her money is going.’

Carolyn explained her emotional ballads have also helped pupils find their place in the world, as many struggle with personal issues.

‘We are learning three of her pieces that have been arranged for the choir, co-written by her, and the message is just so good,’ she said.

‘One is called ‘There’s A Place For Us’ and we have kids here who are not sure of their sexuality and are picked on, we’re looking at her message, she’s been a real example.’

One person who remembers Carrie fondly is her prom date, Jason Ramsey, who praised the star for staying grounded and making her hometown proud.

Jason accompanied her to her prom in 2001 and can be seen beaming next to the young star in their yearbook photograph.

He said: ‘Carrie was always a sweet girl. She was very opinionated but kind.

‘She really was the small town American girl with big dreams and a lot of God given talent.

‘Even as kids growing up I knew Carrie would be successful because she had the drive in her. We are all so proud of her.’

Jason, who is now married with children and works at his family’s insurance company in Oklahoma, keeps his memories of Carrie in a box at home.

He said: ‘I was yearbook editor at school and kept a lot of pictures for us to look at during school reunions and such, it’s always great to meet up and chat about family life.’

Carrie attended her 10-year high school reunion back in 2011 and regularly keeps in touch with her old buddies, some of whom were guests at her wedding to Mike Fisher.

‘I thought, “Why not go?,”‘ she said in a video interview at the time. ‘There are some people I literally have not seen since the day we graduated, and I was curious to see how people turned out, what they’re doing, who they married, how many kids they have. It was really good. I had a good time.’