Brian Johnson is the president of the Shawano Athletic Booster Club, which will hold its spring jamboree April 11.
Johnson was born in Stevens Point, moving to Shawano when he was 6 years old. Following graduation from Shawano High School in 1986, he earned a degree in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Johnson moved to Atlanta, where he had various jobs, for a year, then moved back to Shawano in 1991 when he was hired at Shawano High School, where he teaches sociology.
Johnson and his wife, Kris, a physical education teacher at SCHS, have been married 15 years and live in the town of Belle Plaine. They have three daughters and spend a lot of their time with the kids’ sports and music events. Johnson is on the board of directors of the Shawano Youth League Softball program. The family enjoys camping and golf.
Q How long have you been a member of the booster club?
A “I joined the booster club in 1991 when I was hired in Shawano.”
Q What does the booster club do?
A “The booster club’s mission is to provide things to all the high school programs that are above and beyond the necessities for the sport. If an item is a necessity for the sport, we feel the school has that responsibility. Any coach is able to come to a meeting, present what they need, and then we vote on if we should purchase that item. We have purchased warm-ups for many of the teams, lockers for hockey, scoring booths for both softball and baseball, an underwater swim camera for both swimming programs, coach buses for teams going to state, to name a few things. The other big thing we do is provide three athletic banquets during the year. We provide the meal for all varsity athletes and the coaching staffs of that season to recognize their accomplishments. Finally, we provide scholarships for graduating seniors. Our goal is to help promote sports in Shawano.”
Q How do you earn funds for things you want to do?
A “We have two major fundraisers each year. Our fair stand and fair parking are major sources of income. We have a large number of volunteers who make this happen. Bill Krenger and Wendy Gueths head this up and do a tremendous job. Many of the workers have been helping us out for over 30 years. Jim Flaig and Wally Wollenzein come to mind, and Bob Bloomer and his boys have set up our fair parking lot for as long as I can remember. Our other major source of income is our jamboree, which is coming up on April 11. We started this 13 years ago, and it has been a huge success. We have a variety of raffles and games where prizes can be won. Sue Porath has been the major organizer of this and does a tremendous job. And a huge thank you goes out to all the businesses that make donations that enable us to put on this event. That sense of community is what makes Shawano such a special place.”
Q Why do you volunteer?
A “Growing up in Shawano, sports were a huge part of my life. I made some great friends through sports and I was able to create some great memories. I played for two coaches, Mike Wegner and Wally Hanson, who taught much more than the game. They taught the life lessons that go with it: you have to work hard every day, you have to experience failure to appreciate success, team takes you further than any individual can go on their own, and there are many more. I believe sports do so much in developing character, so I love being part of a great organization that promotes that message and hopefully helps our athletes have the same great experience I did.”
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