Mayor talks leadership at middle school

Mayor Travis Ransom spoke to a classroom of students on Tuesday on the premise of leadership.

Ransom covered an array of topics such as federal and state government, its structure and representation, his own military experience, and how to effect change.

Tyler Johnson teaches Leadership in addition to United States History at Atlanta Middle School and invited Ransom to speak as part of an effort to introduce his students to successful individuals in the community

“I really wanted my kids to be able to interact with someone in our town that has gone off and done great things, but also loves the town enough to come back and invest in our small corner of Texas.”, Johnson said.

Johnson contacted Ransom in preparation for the spring semester which is dedicated to researching four-year colleges, technical and trade schools, military, and other options after high school.

“The kids loved having Travis on campus. They were intrigued by his life experiences. The kids gave feedback on the presentation from Travis and the number one thing I kept reading were the traits of good leadership that he shared including honesty and loyalty. They also gave some hypothetical lists of things they would change if they ever became mayor:’

He said, laughingly, “Bringing Chik-fil-a and Starbucks to our town made the list a few times.” Other areas of focus in Johnson’s class involve money management such as practical budgeting for real-life situations.

Having a degree in business, Johnson says, “I feel we can be very effective in setting our kids up for more success.”

Miranda Johnson, his wife and President of Atlanta Area Chamber of Commerce, is slated to be his next guest speaker before the end of the semester.

Johnson added, “I am extremely proud of all of her work here in the community and success she has had making our town a better place to raise a family”

Johnson previously hosted Texas State Game Warden Jason Jones in his Leadership class. Jones, who graduated from Linden-Kildare High School, currently works in Austin and has been featured in episodes of Lone Star Law on Animal Planet.