Danna Johnson
Welcome to SY 2023-24!
I am excited to welcome all Panther Cubs and families to what promises to be another #MWESExcellent school year! This is my sixth year serving as the principal of this awesome school and I can’t wait to get to know all of our new students and families!
My journey in education began 28 years ago in the Washington, D.C., public school system. I taught students in grades 1-5 in DC, NC, and VA for 20 years before I became an administrator in 2015. I began my career in Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) in 2006. I taught at Triangle, Fannie W. Fitzgerald, and Bel Air Elementary Schools. I served as an Administrative Intern for one year and an Assistant Principal for three years at Featherstone Elementary before coming to Mary Williams ES.
My many years of service to diverse elementary school students and their families has taught me much about the importance of differentiation and student engagement. I am a firm believer in educational equity and equal access for all children. I believe that schools must create opportunities for both students and their parents to be actively engaged in student learning, both digitally and face-to-face. Technology supports engagement and differentiation by allowing teachers to create more personalized instruction and assessment, and to create lessons that are engaging, interactive, collaborative, and designed for multiple learning styles. I also value the role of the teacher and the importance of relationship and embrace the words of Dr. James Comer, "No significant learning can occur without a significant relationship."
Personally, I am the mother of two children. I have a 25-year old son who graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and lives in Brooklyn, NY, and a 22-year old daughter, who is a 2nd grade teacher in Prince William County Public Schools! I also have a 35-year old bonus daughter and son-in-law, and five grand-girls, ages, 6, 5, and 3. My oldest granddaughter started first grade this year and she is loving every minute of it! My bonus daughter and her husband have two sets of twins, and live in FL.
Dr. Ridley, Assistant Principal; Ms. Ultsch, our new Administrative Intern; and I are here to respond to the needs of the entire MWES school community. We simply ask that whenever issues arise, you first seek assistance from your child's teacher, and that you always assume positive intent about our staff, as we do about you. Remember, we are all working together to make sure our MWES Panther Cubs succeed...and we can be "excellent together!" We are excited about the school year and here to serve you. Don't hesitate to reach out if we can be of any assistance.
Ms. Danna Johnson, Principal - [email protected]
Dr. N. Ridley, Assistant Principal - [email protected]
Ms. Heather Ultsch, Admin Intern - [email protected]
#MWESExcellentTogether.
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