Yevrah Johnson earned straight A’s throughout school and was named valedictorian, but upon enrolling at Wayne State failed a placement test for English Language Arts. Despite her strong academic CV, she did not know that a piece of writing required an introduction, body, and conclusion.
It was then that she vowed to make sure students know how to properly write. After years of teaching she became a dean at Great Oaks Academy and now helps teachers grow. Johnson recently won the Dean of Excellence award as part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) Excellence Awards – a program that honors educators, deans, and administrative teams across the NHA network. Each year, a select group is recognized by their leaders and peers for extraordinary performance.
Johnson always saw herself as a teacher, but giving feedback to other teachers as a dean so that they can in turn support the education of scholars has been just as rewarding.
“Just watching that light bulb go off in them the way I loved it when I saw the students’ light bulb go off, that's amazing to me,” she said. “I never thought that you could teach teachers.”
Johnson was left speechless when she found out she had won the Dean of Excellence award, a rare occasion for her but understandable given the work behind the scenes that went into keeping it a secret. During a standard Tuesday leadership meeting every, she was asked to have students stay after lunch is over for an assembly about students not being intrinsically motivated. At the assembly, Beyonce’s song “Love On Top,” which struck her because her son had recently asked her what song she would like to hear to get hyped up.
When she saw her nephew, brother, boyfriend, and mother, she became suspicious. But when the announcement was made and she was presented with flowers, she had no idea it was a gathering in her honor, even though it shouldn’t come as a surprise for those at Great Oaks, where she is known as “EV.”
“EV is a pillar of support for all stakeholders, always ready to lend a helping hand,” said Great Oaks Principal Damon Williams. “Her genuine care and dedication to her scholars, colleagues, and the Great Oaks community are truly unmatched. She empowers her teachers, inspiring them to give their best for their students and for her.”
Johnson has been with NHA for 20 years, helping open Warrendale Charter Academy in 2001. She is grateful to be part of a family-first atmosphere, which has allowed her to bring her now-teenage son with her on work trips and includes her colleagues over the years that become almost like kin.
“Whenever it was something that I had to do when it came to my family, it was a no-brainer to NHA. ‘Of course, go do that,’” she said. “I just feel like my personal family was never conflicted with being here. You hear of all these horror stories of ‘No, you can't do this, you can't do that, you can't grow.’ But here, it never felt that way. It’s never been a conflict when it came to my family.”
Keep up the excellent work, Ms. Johnson!
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About Great Oaks Academy
Great Oaks Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Warren, Michigan, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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