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Toyota and KOAA want to recognize students in our community who are going above and beyond at school to excel in their education.
Three students a month, from September through May, will be chosen to receive the award.
For October, three outstanding students from Coronado, Doherty, and Fountain-Fort Carson High Schools have been selected as Best and Brightest award winners.
Alexa Queen - Falcon Fort Carson High School
Alexa Queen's passion for helping others drives her future goals of attending college for psychology and ultimately becoming either a child psychologist or working for an organization such as Doctors Without Borders. She also plans to compete in track and field in college, aiming to reach national or world championship levels.
Alexa has worked as an aide in a preschool class at Conrad Early Learning Center for the past two years, finding joy and reward in helping children with their struggles and teaching them new things. Her athletic achievements are equally impressive as the 2025 Colorado State 300-meter hurdles champion and second-place finisher in the 100-meter hurdles.
"I find working with them to be so joyful and extremely rewarding whenever I am able to help them with things they struggle with or teach them something new," Queen said in her application.
Her academic excellence includes earning the Rotary Scholar Award Pikes Peak Region 2025, College Board Academic Scholar Award, and 1st Team Academic All State 2025. She maintains Academic High Honor Roll status and has received the Superintendent Award from 9th through 12th grade.
Alexa serves as vice-president of the Student2Student club and placed 10th at HOSA State competition, demonstrating her leadership in health sciences education.
John Michael Corbett - Coronado High School
John Michael Corbett is in his fourth year at Coronado High School, where he has accumulated a 4.0 unweighted GPA and 4.57 weighted GPA. He has taken 11 AP classes, including AP Physics and AP Calculus BC, and currently serves as valedictorian for the class of 2026.
Corbett has played four years of varsity soccer and served as soccer captain for two years. He was an assistant coach for the girls soccer team and coached during the Westside soccer camp. He also played three years of basketball, including two years on varsity.
His commitment to service includes three years in the National Honor Society, collecting 500 hours of volunteer work, along with participation in Cougars Care and Math Club. His academic achievements have earned him multiple awards recognizing his exceptional performance.
These three students exemplify the qualities Toyota and KOAA seek to celebrate through the Best and Brightest program. Their dedication to academics, athletics, and community service demonstrates the outstanding character found in Colorado Springs area schools.
Parents, fellow students, faculty, and administrators can continue submitting nominations to help recognize more exceptional students in our community throughout the school year.
Carter Kidd - Doherty High School
Carter Kidd continues to help grow the Unified Sports programs at Doherty High School as well as the inclusion classes. He strives to make sure that all students are included at Doherty regardless of disability.
As a team lead at a local clothing store in Colorado Springs, Carter balances work responsibilities with his commitment to Unified Basketball, Bowling and Wrestling. He also volunteers as a wrestling coach for Fox Meadows Middle School and serves as a Link Crew Leader and High Trails Counselor, demonstrating his dedication to mentoring younger students.
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