On Monday, Baldwin felt the loss of a veteran teacher who came to school every day and loved to see her students.

Long time teacher Kathy Johansen was diagnosed in 2014 with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease), which forced her to retire. Johansen had taught for a total of 34 years and taught sixth grade Language Arts at Baldwin Junior High School since 2000. She passed away recently, leaving many to remember her many positive qualities.

Despite her passing, endless memories are still alive in the minds of students and her colleagues.

“I became close with Mrs. Johansen during sixth and seventh grade year because she helped me through rough times,” junior Aimee Schneider said. “She would love to talk if I needed anything and was always so kind and accepting. I have so many memories with her but my favorite memory of her is probably all of the J-Buck auctions along with the Holocaust project over the children.”

This year’s eighth grade class was the last class to have her before her retirement. However, students of various ages have everlasting memories of her. Katie Langrehr is a freshman at Emporia State University and still has vivid memories of Johansen and her small gestures that meant so much.

“Throughout junior high, she was always my favorite teacher,” Langrehr said. “I remember she made these scrabble piece necklaces and gave them to a few of my friends and we thought they were the coolest things. I couldn’t wait to see her every day and talk with her. Even if my papers or projects were not the best, she would encourage me all the way through and made me feel great about my work. Because of all these characteristics, she was a very positive influence in my life.”

Sixth grade is the first year of junior high in Baldwin and this is when kids start to learn how to really apply themselves. For some kids, this is more difficult than others and having a person by your side helping can help students tremendously.

“I really liked having her,” sophomore Ashley Jackson said. “She really took the time to make sure everyone understood the material and made the learning process fun. I remember writing the Christmas books and when we read them in front of the class, she would make it really fun and laughed with us during it.”

Students are not the only ones who remember Johansen so clearly. Eighth grade Language Arts teacher Deb Kalkman taught with Johansen for eight years after teaching at Gardner for eight years.

“It was so joyful working with her,” Kalkman said. “She was so joyful and hopeful every day about having a good day. She was always in charge of of the Secret Santa and other social things among the teacher so we could have a blast while working. It meant so much that she dedicated her life to all the kids in this town.”

BHS teacher Kit Harris was a colleague and neighbor of Johansen, and has fond memories of her.

“Kathy was a special person. She loved her job as a teacher and it showed,” Harris said. “Her students loved her. She was a lot of fun in the classroom and her students responded to that. As a neighbor for 20 years, she was such a great friend, always positive and smiling. And what amazes me, is that she was exactly that way all the way through her illness, always staying upbeat and happy with others. She didn’t allow people to feel sorry for her or be down. She did all she could to keep everyone smiling all the time. That’s the definition of an extraordinary individual. She’ll be missed.”

Johansen had an impact not only on the kids, but on the community of Baldwin as a whole. To lose such a well known person in a community is saddening but we will be forever thankful for all she did for our community and the kids in it.