She has drive, vision, and whole lot of Hawk pride – that sums up MARY JOHNSTON, the new principal of Walnut Hill Elementary. “I’ve only been here about a month, and already I love it. We’re on our way to becoming an exemplary school.” And if anyone has the know-how to lead the school there, it’s Johnston. She has literally spent her whole life in the education field. “My parents were educators, so I grew up in schools.” Johnston attended and taught at several local private schools, but she’s still an advocate for public education. “I speak from experience when I say Walnut Hill is just as good as any private school. I wish parents in this neighborhood would come tour our school and see firsthand what great things are being made possible with their tax dollars.” Among those “great things,” Johnston points to the bilingual program, which allows parents to put their English-speaking children in a bilingual class. “I’m fluent in Spanish, which makes me more effective as a principal here. By the same token, if a child becomes bilingual now, it will open so many doors for them later in life – especially if they stay in Texas. And that’s just one of the ways we’re preparing our kids for excellence in their futures.”