Natalie Johnson, Public Relations Coordinator 2020-2021
The Initial Letter
Going into my sophomore year, I was really excited because I wasn’t going to be in the youngest grade anymore. I also already had a year of high school under my belt, which was a really great first year if I’m being honest. So if I’m saying anything, I’m saying that I had really high expectations for this year. Even when we got quarantined in the spring, I still had hope that we would go back so I could get a sophomore year experience too. Especially being in leadership, this is probably one of the worst years to be in leadership because events are extremely limited. I’ve always seen how much fun my brother had in the program which is really what got me wanting to be in leadership. Then Covid hit and things got disappointing with no events, no interaction, and no connections, or so I thought. But at least everyone in the program is new to all of these things we’re doing which means I’m not alone in this. One thing I was really sad about was not being able to get a Core Camp experience because I’ve always seen it posted on social media and I think to myself how much fun that would be. But this just gives me hope for this year that we will be able to create a new experience for everybody that’s never been seen before. During our talk with Scott Bakovich, he really got our whole class inspired when it came to all of the different activities that could be possible at our school. This school year is going to be a true challenge for Ripon High’s leadership program. But I didn’t join leadership for it to be easy, I joined for the challenge. This is what leadership is all about, finding ways to keep our school connected and this time is when we will need connectivity the most.
Favorite Quotes
“Believe there is good in the world” I discovered this quote in 4th grade when it was our Student Council quote for the year. I still really love it because it has such a simple message. Believe there is good in the world but be the good in the world. This quote is just a simple reminder to me that you should become the change that you wish to see in the world.
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” –Wayne Gretzky This quote is a good reminder that you need to take risks sometimes. If you don’t take action in your life, you will have no control over what you do. This impacts me because sometimes I can get comfortable with just staying home and sitting in my room on my phone. Of course I love hanging with friends but I enjoy the time I spend with myself just cleaning my room. When I look at this quote I get reminded to get out of my comfort zone.
“The mind is everything. What you think you become.” -Buddha This is a really good quote if you’re looking for a good mental moment for a second. Your mindset really defines who you become. For example, if you’re a jealous thinker, you will become that jealous person because you have trained your mind to think those things. So by having a positive and open mind, you will become a positive thinker and an open-minded person. That is all that I strive to be.
Page 3- Quote Pt.2
“We cannot become what we want by remaining what we are.” -Max Depree This quote means that we cannot become the image in our mind that we want, without change. Change is a huge maturing moment for everyone. For me in leadership, I experienced a lot of change because I was a scared newbie and I didn’t know what to expect or if I was going to be doing my job correctly. If you want to change or mature or even just grow in general, you can’t remain the same as you are. You have to be the change that you want to see. Reflection is important because you think about what you’ve accomplished and how you can do better and just improve in the future. A simple statement or quote that you believe in can make the biggest impact for your future if you live by and continue to grow by believing in it. If you follow that path it can make a huge difference rather than if you don’t let the statement positively impact your life.
Goals
My first Leadership goal is that I execute my job as well as I can. No matter what assignment Morty gives me, I plan to stay on top of everything along with working with my partner, Dillan Saltsman to give Public Relations Coordinator a good name. My second Leadership goal is to inspire my student body to participate in any events we put on throughout this distance learning process. I want them to know that even though we aren’t all together, the Ripon High spirit is stronger than ever. One short term goal for my life is to keep above 3.6 GPA so that I know that I am confident in myself and in my grades. I need to stay on a level of concentration so that getting assignments and projects done in a timely manner. Another short term goal for me is to make this year a great school year even with all the uncertainty that lingers in the air. I don’t want to let Covid-19 ruin my entire sophomore year. As long as I stay happy and positive, nothing is going to break me down or make me lose hope for a good school year. One long term goal for my future is to romanticize my entire high school career. I don’t want to look back at high school and not think that it was the most fun thing I have ever experienced. Even though the Coronavirus has put a damper on my sophomore year so far, I will not let it dictate the rest of my entire high school career. Another long term goal for me is to get a job and save up enough money to buy myself a car. I am not going to get handed a car as soon as I turn 16. I know that I am going to have to work for what I want and my own car that I can call mine is definitely something that I have dreamed about since I was a little girl.
Page 5 - Goals Pt.2
My first leadership goal that I was wanting to accomplish at the beginning of the year was to execute my job as well as I can. I feel that I did a pretty thorough job of being a public relations coordinator. I did say I wanted to stay on top of every assignment that Morty gave me which I did not complete. I did slack off so much on my journals because they were only a small portion of my grade. I always felt that they were way too time consuming to find time to do them. But that was probably just my mindset, not everyone else’s. My second leadership goal that I wanted to accomplish was to inspire the student body to participate in spirit days or any events that we put on. I feel that I did a really good job of trying to inspire the student body to participate. My friends always asked me what the spirit day was or what we would dress up as and I would really try to encourage them to dress up so that our grade could get spirit points. I definitely accomplished that goal this year. My first short term goal for myself was to keep above a 3.6 GPA. Right now I definitely don’t have a 3.6 GPA but I feel like after finals and after grades are complete and finalized I will definitely have a 3.6 GPA because all of my assignments will be turned in on time. Or, any missing late work that needs to be turned in, will be turned in before the end of the year which will ultimately bring my grade up so much. I am just banking on the fact that all of my finals will bring my grades in all periods up. My second short term goal was to make this school year a really great year no matter what happens throughout the year. I feel like I half completed this goal because half of the year I was extremely depressed and had no motivation to do my work. But the other half of the year I was definitely pretty pumped trying to keep my grades up. Most of the time we were quarantined, the lack of motivation was definitely visible in my work. I barely turned anything in, I would not do my homework and I wouldn’t even pay attention in Zoom class. But once we went back to school, things were so much better. I began to have motivation again and was just happier in general that I had an actual schedule for the day and not just a row of assignments for the day. My first long term goal is to romanticize my entire high school career. I feel like recently there has been so much drama surrounding me and it is completely suffocating me. I am just trying to get through school while having fun, keeping my grades up, and maintaining a good mental health. I try to have fun no matter what but sometimes school is extremely stressful. I have not been doing a great job of keeping my grades but I am really hoping that my finals will help bring my grades up. Lastly, maintaining a good mental health. I have not been doing a good job of that. Like I said, all of the drama that has been surrounding me recently has been really toxic. That has taken a toll on my mental health which is truly unhealthy. But I fixed the issues and cut off someone really toxic in my life and now I am doing a much better job of keeping my mental health in a good place. My second long term goal is to get a job and save up enough money for a car. Right now I have my license but I do not have a car. I am working on getting a job as I have applied at Emporium and I am going to apply at Ace. But I will have a paid internship for the summer and I will be reffing games in the summer which will guarantee me a hefty paycheck at the end of the summer. I am not going to be relying on that paycheck at the end of the summer though because I do want a job no matter what. It is not just to pay for a car. It is to just start having a lot of money but buying a car is my main goal.
Magazine Article
Natalie Johnson is a sophomore this year at Ripon High School. She is the Public Relations Coordinator for her 2020-2021 Leadership class. She has gone to school in Ripon all of her life and attended Park View Elementary for her middle school education. When asked her opinion on Ripon High School, Natalie replied, “This place has made me feel more like myself than anywhere else I have ever been in my life. All of the emotion that I feel on the daily on campus is crazy. Always a mixture of sadness, frustration, and happiness when it comes to not achieving what I wanted, getting in trouble for no reason, or those lunch breaks that seem three hours long when it’s only forty-five minutes. Ever since I got here in freshman year, this place has been my second home in so many different ways.” Natalie’s next step in her life is to get through high school so that she can focus on getting a degree as a fashion major. Since the beginning of her high school career, Natalie Johnson has always known that she had a passion for the fashion industry. When asked if she could go anywhere for her college education after high school, Natalie replied, “Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC for sure. That would be an absolute dream come true. Just the behavior and disposition of New York is really inspiring. What better place to have a fashion institute.” She explained that she would rather show her creativity through a clothing line rather than being an interior designer and displaying her creativity in someone else’s house. “Just having the opportunity to become a fashion designer and people wearing clothes that I worked so hard on is such a dream of mine,” Johnson said.
Page 8- FallFest Gallery
Page 9- The Role Model
Who is someone that you admire and has made an impact on your life? This can be both positive or negative so long as it has changed you for the better. Reflect on the souls around you and see the gift they have given you. You will need a picture and a 5-10 sentence paragraph write up on the person.
Someone that has made an impact on my life in a positive and negative way is my dad. When I was younger we were extremely close and always did everything together. He created the foundation of my childhood. My mom thinks it is because we are similar types of people. But as soon as I hit the teenage years everything changed. We immediately grew apart and we started arguing so much. I always felt like nothing I did was ever good enough for him. He would pick apart every little thing I would do and always find something bad to say. Things are that way now too and my mom just says that it is because we are still similar people. She also said it is because I am growing up to be a woman and my dad doesn’t know how to handle that. From all of the criticism I have received from him, it has made me a stronger person. I have overall learned the life lesson of not letting hurtful words get to me.
Page 10- The Inner Animal
What animal describes your personality best? Veterans, look at today the present moment rather than the past. Is your animal the same? Please provide a picture and a 10-20 sentence paragraph discussing why this animal represents you. I took a personality test that tells me what animal I am and I got a panda. The description of the panda is respectable and very optimistic. I wouldn’t say I am very optimistic but I am always remotely happy with life. My friends around me have said before that I am a respectable person because I care for others so much. The test said, “Besides love and feelings, personal relationships are also very important to you.” This one line pretty much sums up me as a person. I care so much about the relationships I have with people whether it be a friendship or a real relationship. I make sure that I form these connections with people because I care about them. I wouldn’t say that I’m not impulsive because I can be but the second half of the description for the panda says I move calmly and decisively to achieve my goals. I think compared to the people around I do think of what the next step would be like before taking the actual step. My friends think that I move too slowly for life and don’t take that many risks which kind of makes sense from the line above. The final line of the description states that my personality is in the state of living away from stress that comfort must be provided to me. I think that in order to stay away from stressing I need to get distracted so that I won’t think about stress. In all honesty, I think a panda represents me accurately.
Semester 1 Final
1. For my Final, I decided to take a tag from a Giving Tree at Ace. I got a nine year-old boy that I got to buy Legos for. I think that the gifts my family bought for this little boy will be greatly appreciated and enjoyed and that is what I am most excited for. I really wish that we got to see their reactions when the kids open the gifts that were bought for them because that would be something fun to experience. 2. I looked on Target.com and I found some fun Legos that this nine year old boy would love. I got him two race cars to build which got me really excited to give it to him. I waited for it to come in from shipping and then I brought it to Ace. 3. The emotional impact this had on me was a really sentimental impact. I always think about how fortunate I am to get so many gifts every year and how many kids don’t get those privileges. It made me really happy to be able to help a kid in need and make him happy on Christmas when he opens up his presents. Just knowing that I did that one good thing that impacts this little boy makes me feel like a good person. 4. This assignment is valuable because it is a great holiday-themed final and it helps people in the process. Getting to help kids and seeing how many tags are on the trees is a great reminder that we shouldn’t take things for granted. It lets us all be a gift-giver during this holiday season which is a great feeling knowing that we helped kids get a wonderful Christmas gift.
The Best Things About Me
Family: My family means probably the most to me. Even though I don’t get to see my family as often as I would like to, I really cherish the moments that I do have with them. They have such an impact on my life because of how much we were together when we were little. I look up to my older cousins and hope that I am a role model for my younger cousins. There are never any awkward times or dull moments with my cousins; they are like my best friends. I hope we stay close when we are older because I could not imagine living life without being as close to them as I am. Friends: My friends most of the time mean more to me than my family some of the time. They are always there for me and are there to have a good time. I cherish all of the memories that I have created with them. Emma, Gabbi, and Jaydin are the most caring people that you will ever meet. They can always make me laugh and know how to cheer me up if I am down. Jenae, Omar, Evan, Jacob, and Joseph are probably the most fun-loving people that you could ever know. They are always down to have a good time which is why I love being friends with them. It is never a dull moment and we are always doing something fun together. Soccer: Soccer has always been a huge part of my life. I have played soccer since I was three years old and I have loved every minute of it. From playing recreational soccer to playing for high school has been the best for my mental and physical health. I always use soccer as an outlet from the world. I use it to get away from home and anything that is bothering me at the moment. Soccer helps me stay motivated to complete things and to just have something to work towards.
What I Like About Being in Leadership- (even during a pandemic)
From the start when I first got the email that I had made it into leadership, I was immediately excited to be in the program. Then, the pandemic hit the world with full force and put a huge damper on our program and all of the events that would normally go on. Since I didn’t make it last year, I was pretty bummed because I knew that events would be so different from any regular year. But I had hope. I had hope because I knew that I would go through this with a whole family with me. Since no one had ever been through something like this, I thought it would pretty much seem like a whole new type of Leadership year for everyone. I was just glad I wasn’t alone through all of this. But I would have to say that my favorite part about being in Leadership is just the connection with everyone. All of the students and Morty are so close which just makes us seem like a big family. I have also learned so much about myself in the eight months I have been in this class. I feel like I understand the world around me so much better now and it kind of was a self-help class in a way. I see more in people and I can read them so much better. I just have a better understanding of myself and my values. Though the pandemic for sure threw this year off, I still learned so much and have gained valuable experiences that are truly important to me.
What I Love to Do...
What I love to do is play soccer. I have played soccer since I was three years old. That means in total I have been playing soccer for thirteen years which is insane. I was thrown into it as a kid because my brother played soccer before me. I remember trying ballet lessons as a little kid and I hated it. I was somewhat a tomboy when I was younger so I really enjoyed playing soccer more than being a ballerina. But I am so glad my parents ended up having me play soccer. There is not another sport that I would rather play in the world. With all of my years of experience, I have grown into such a strong player. This makes me so happy to have it as my hobby because it is something I am really passionate about.
Letter to Parents
Dear Mom and Dad,
I just wanted to say thank you for everything you have done for me. You have given me endless support in everything I strive to achieve. Between the two of you, you are the best parents a sixteen year old could ask for. Mom, you are my absolute best friend in the entire world. I know that if there is anything that is ever bugging me I can talk to you. You will give me the best advice and I really look forward to that. I’m so glad that we are so close and I really hope we never grow apart. I actually think we are so close because I tell you absolutely everything that goes on in my life and you always know just what to say to make me feel better. You are such a selfless person and I tell you that all the time anyways but I really want you to know that I love and appreciate you for everything you do for me. Dad, when I was younger I was attached to you at the hip. Of course as I grow older, we are going to have a disconnect because I am a teenager and you are the father of a 16 year old girl. But I know that when we argue, it is because I was born so similar to you. When you are hard on me, I also know that it is just because you want to see me succeed. I think that’s why you and mom work so well. Because, she is the one that is lenient and pretty much lets me do anything but you are harder on me to make me stronger. I just wanted you to know that even though I rarely show it, I love you so much. You are the best dad that I could ask for.
The Letter
Your job as a Public Relations Coordinator is going to be pretty easy. Maybe it was because we had a Covid year of leadership but it was really fun. I didn’t think I would have much of a job to do in general because reading the job description it doesn’t seem like that much. But me and Dillan actually had a lot of fun working together as PRs. You get to do student body based emails for different groups of students. I think that next year you will have a better time in your position than I did because your year will be packed with more in-person events than mine did. I don’t know if you are going to have a co-coordinator with you but if you do you are gonna be really lucky. Working with someone like Dillan Saltsman was probably the one of the best things in leadership this year. He is the sweetest person ever. I know that you won’t have Dillan as your partner but overall I hope you enjoy your job. I know that I really did.
Do's and Don'ts of Leadership
For the Don’ts -Don’t turn JOURNALS in late -Stay on top of everything Morty assigns -Make sure to pay attention when Morty is speaking -Don’t slack off with your work -Make sure you include everyone For the Do’s - Stay positive even when things are rough - Stay focused and work hard - Be outgoing and become friends with everyone - Be really involved - Work with your class team to get things done
The Professional
One of the main professional learning skills that I feel are extremely important is public speaking. Public speaking to me is something that I feel I have really grown into. I knew that it was going to be an important part of leadership going into this program. I was pretty scared because I hated public speaking. But I had no issue presenting in class when we would have to do ASB formal meetings. My time talking with friends and just growing closer with the class really helped my speaking skills. I was ultimately way more confident and comfortable talking in front of all of the leadership family. Another main professional skill that is really important is meeting deadlines. I actually had a really hard time doing this during the year. It was majorly with journals because I just felt like I never had enough time to complete them. But I know it was mostly because of my procrastination. But this is an important skill to learn for the real world because it shows you the consequences if you don’t meet deadlines. My grade went down because I didn’t do my journals and then they went in as zeros in the gradebook. These are important skills to learn and master because they help prepare you for the real world.
Change
For myself as a leader, I feel like I did a pretty decent job in this class. I did a really great job fulfilling my job description. I think that connecting with the class over zoom was extremely hard. But once we all got in person it was so much fun and everyone was connecting so well. I think that was the biggest change for me because it was just so frustrating not being able to be in person working on events. We would normally be completing these events during a normal year. But of course I have to be in leadership during the Covid year where all events are shut down. It was a huge struggle for me because I felt like my entire year was just taken away from me. That is when my lack of motivation really hit me because I was just fed up that I couldn’t have the perfect year that I have seen in previous years.
The Ideal Leader
The ideal leader in my eyes would probably just be someone who is extremely passionate. They have to love what they do in order to be a strong leader. They need to be inclusive to everyone because that makes them a role model and a likeable leader. The leader needs to be organized and on top of their work and their duties. But they also need to be a somewhat blunt leader and give everyone tasks to keep up on.
You
One word to describe my whole being is generous. I always give my all to everyone around me. I put all of my work into everything around me. I care about people way more than my own health and that is not good at all but it's okay. But I feel that is the quality that really just truly describes me. I always make sure everyone is okay before myself. That normally depletes my mental health but I think that it is a good quality in a friend. Everyone else also thinks that it is a good quality in me. I always just have something to give to others.