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Photo by unknown via Courtney Johnson Courtney Johnson named principal of Eagle Mountain's new high school April 18, 2017, 6:08 amThere have been many questions surrounding the new high school. There are a lot of unknowns when it comes to the new high school and how it will affect the community. But one of these unknowns is not who the principal will be and who she really is. Johnson is a wife, mother, grandmother and a soon-to-be principal that "loves kids." She does a lot of crazy things in her spare time, which will be less and less abundant as the high school construction starts. She can be found flying airplanes and writing books into the late hours of night. "I especially love making cookies for my students where they can taste of the love in every bite," she said. Not only does she have the drive and desire to help the students of the new high school, but she also has the formal background to be a great principal. Johnson has been involved in education for more than 20 years and has taught fourth- through 12th-grade students. She transferred to Alpine School District in 2011 and worked as principal at Sego Lily Elementary School. Before that, she was an assistant administrator at Springville Junior High School. She also co-founded an aviation-based residential treatment center for at-risk secondary students and was responsible for the educational component. Johnson's blend of academia and aviation interest began in high school when she received her private pilot's license and enrolled in commercial flight school as a senior. She continued flying while attending Brigham Young University and joined The Ninety-Nines, a women's flight organization. She competed in density altitude competitions and enjoyed flying around the state. Another interest Johnson pursued was fitness. She taught aerobics at BYU and was on the syndicated television workout program "Hooked on Aerobics" show that has been airing on television screens all over the world since its release in 1986. She also loved skiing and was a ski instructor at Snowbird for eight years. Johnson earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education from BYU and a master's degree in curriculum at Southern Utah University. After teaching for several years, Johnson obtained her administration endorsement at the University of Phoenix. Johnson loves to write and has authored and co-authored more than a dozen books. "My Troll Patrol" is her most recent project and had her writing several books in a children's book series that teaches pro-social skills. Johnson has several preliminary goals for the Eagle Mountain school. She admits that these goals are subject to change as she collaborates with the staff to create the high school's mission, vision and value platform. But for now, she has identified several preliminary goals: 1: Design learning environments to mirror some of the leading student-centered classrooms in the country. The classrooms must use techniques such as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and project based learning as methods for learning the curriculum. 2: Prepare students to be collaborative, creative, problem solvers, inventive, resourceful, curious and persistent. 3: Social/emotional support must also be a focus. She want all students to matter. The school needs to have the kind of culture where students are accepting of one another so they can focus on learning and be happy. 4: Take a look at student achievement data and make academic goals to ensure high levels of learning and growth for all students. 5: Build a student-centered culture where students can explore endless possibilities. "I'm very concerned with the social/emotional well-being of kids as well," Johnson said. "We need to track every single student and provide them with the support they need during these fundamental and trying years. We will need to have the entire community mentoring kids. I would love to begin the school with 'Life Coaches' where we have caring adults within the Eagle Mountain community connect with our students. Teachers, parents, custodians, city council members, grandparents in the community, administrators, lunch ladies, everyone must get involved. I'm not sure what that will look like, or if anyone has ever done this before in a high school setting, but we simply must have caring adults check in with kids weekly and tracking them during their years at the high school." Johnson sees that education needs to be more than just educating children; giving them life skills that will carry them into adulthood. "We need to provide a plethora of opportunities for kids. Clubs are a nice way to explore interest and become well-rounded individuals. In high school I attended Orem High where I joined the aviation club my senior year. That is where I realized I wanted to go attend commercial flight school. We simply must provide a wide-range of clubs for kids," she said. The public can contact Johnson to discuss their concerns, ideas and vision of Eagle Mountain and the role its new high school will have by email at courtneyjohnson@alpinedistrict.org. The community news source for Eagle Mountain Utah, Saratoga Springs Utah, Lehi Utah, American Fork Utah, Highland Utah, Alpine Utah, and The Cedar Valley, including Cedar Fort Utah and Fairfield Utah. Copyright 2024 The Crossroads Journal LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Photo by: unknown via Courtney Johnson ©
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