Meet the Superintendent
Hello, my name is Janelle Johnson. I joined the Parker School District in July of 2020, fresh out of Covid quarantine. My roles thus far in Parker have consisted of JH/HS principal, K-12 principal, elementary principal, and now superintendent and elementary principal.
When I am not working, I enjoy being outdoors with my family, whether it be riding a bike, walking, fishing (both summer and winter), reading, or mowing the lawn. Yes, I love to mow the lawn. 🙂
I am originally from East Grand Forks, MN, a somewhat small town in northwestern Minnesota, where most of my family still resides. After graduation, I attended North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton, ND, where I originally thought I wanted to pursue a career as a dental hygienist. During my third semester at NDSCS, I was asked to tutor struggling athletes in math and science. I found the opportunity to be rewarding and decided to switch majors, earning a Liberal Arts degree.
I immediately enrolled at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, where I graduated with a degree in middle-level education mid-year. I taught 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade math, directed math, science, and language arts for 17 years, and was an administrative intern for one year at Axtell Park Middle School (now George McGovern).
While working full-time, raising a family, and being an assistant volleyball coach with Embe, I worked hard to earn a Master's in Science and Educational Technology from Dakota State University, a Specialist in PreK-12 Administration from the University of South Dakota, and completed the course work for a Specialist in Mathematics through the South Dakota Counts program. My final degree is from the University of South Dakota and consists of a Specialist in Leadership with a concentration in Superintendent.