The Johnson Family

Liz Johnson (12) and Kate Johnson (12) have attended Manitou Springs Public Schools since kindergarten.

Student Body President Kate Johnson (12) is a three sport athlete and is very involved in the school. She plays football, soccer and basketball. She is a part of NHS, Key Club, a CHSSA state representative, and is the president of FCA. 

Because of Johnson’s involvement as Student Body President and her many other roles, she feels she has gotten a lot out of it. She says that the respect from peers and the administration that she has gained through her involvement “can really go a long way.”

“What you put into it is what you’re going to get out of it,” Johnson said.

She has been in the student council for four years and is currently the student body president. She says being involved in the school has given her many opportunities.

“People don’t realize how much of an impact it can truly have being involved,” Johnson said.

Johnson first got involved in student council when her mom encouraged her to join for her freshman year. She was very hesitant about it at first, but ended up loving it and found people that she can rely on for anything.

“I couldn’t ask for a better second family,” Johnson said.

Johnson ran for student body president after being student body vice president her junior year. She campaigned that she would “amplify student voice and be a leader”.

“It was a really challenging time, but we got through it. I’m very happy to say that I was elected,” Johnson said.

As student body president, Johnson has many responsibilities. Her biggest role is representing the student body to the best of her ability whether that’s communicating with just peers within the student body or admin teachers. She also makes sure to have a lot of communication and runs official meetings within the student council.

“My biggest role is just being the best leader I can and representing what it means to be a nominated leader within the school,”Johnson said.

With her new responsibilities, Johnson is often looked up to as a leader and feels that it’s really fulfilling to have that role.

“I’m very grateful to be looked upon the way that I am,” Johnson said.

For the rest of the 2023-2024 school year, Johnson’s biggest goals as student body president are to help plan events for the school and to create more opportunities for students to reach out about their mental health.

“I would love to have a lot of focus within our student and staff mental health,” Johnson said.

She also wants to focus on how she can support staff and “stay within our message of amplifying student voice ,connecting everyone, and keeping a safe environment.” 

“This year we really focused on what we can do to help staff,” Johnson said.

Student Council co-adviser Ingrid Perez says that in student council she often looks for somebody who has “initiative, responsibility, and cares about the school and students.” She feels that Johnson is a great example of a leader.

“When I look at Kate, I see the example of a leader student. She’s compassionate, she’s on top of things and she’s responsible. Most importantly, she always wants to do things right,” Perez said.

Perez said that Johnson is always trying to make everybody involved with every activity.

 “It is very important to have inclusivity so that everybody feels welcome. And she is always trying to look for the best way of doing that,” Perez said.

Perez also talks about how she has seen Johnson grow over the two years they have known each other and how that can be powerful.

“Seeing her grow as a leader has been very powerful because she takes it very seriously. It’s not something that is a game for her. It is something that is really important and something that really matters to her,” Perez said.

Member of the student council and Johnson’s sister, Liz Johnson (12), believes that in order to be a successful student body president you need to be committed and a great leader. 

“You have to not only be a representative of student voices, but you also need to carry yourself as a leader,” Liz Johnson said.

Liz Johnson said that her sister works to create a good and safe environment for everybody and is very committed and involved. She also believes that Johnson is a good student and “raises the bar on what a Manitou student can do.”

“She definitely pushes everyone around her to be better,” Liz Johnson said.

Liz Johnson also mentions her sister’s  involvement within school events. She says that if there is any school event, Johnson usually is involved in some part of it.

“If there’s a big event or really even a small event happening in the student council, she’s always somewhere involved,” said Liz Johnson.

Johnson would recommend joining the student council because it is a great way to get involved, it teaches leadership qualities, how to run events, and how to  balance everything with being a student.

“I could not recommend getting involved more and I think Student Council is a great first step for a lot of people,” Johnson said.