 Redwood Day School's Expanding CommunityPublished: February, 2009  Diane Clark Johnson with Redwood Day School Diane Clark Johnson joined Redwood Day School as Admissions Director in 2004. Under her direction Redwood Day School enrollment has grown nearly 30 percent, from 288 to 363 children in just 4 years. “Diane has developed an entirely new model for independent school admissions,” said Head of School, Dr. Michael Riera. “Her focus is on building a learning community, which is much more than enrollment numbers.” Johnson brought with her a wealth of experience, as head of Admissions at another East Bay independent school, as a parent educator, and as the parent of two boys. “Diane bas built a program that allows her to accurately gauge the educational needs and goals of both the children and parents/guardians of each prospective family,” remarked Riera. “With this understanding, she and the admissions team she is able to create a unique learning community for each grade, assembling groups of students that thrive, that are strong independent learners, contributors in small groups, and confident participants in the context of an entire classroom, and in some cases, the entire school – students whose strengths compliment one another.” One key to Johnson’s success lies in her rather unconventional career path. She started out as an operating room nurse, then made a big career shift to chef and caterer, becoming a culinary expert. She settled finally in education and became a parent educator – taking many interesting turns along the way. The common thread among all of these professions is the necessity that one reacts well under pressure, can think on their feet, and can do so with ease and grace. It was Johnson’s role as mother, however, that influenced her decision to focus on early childhood education. “When my first son was very young my husband and I faced some great challenges. He was what was then called a ‘colicky’ baby. He was very difficult to soothe, did not sleep well, and fussed a lot,” said Johnson. “I read every book available at that time, spoke to many pediatricians, and got involved with moms groups that were dealing with similar parenting challenges. What I realized, over time, was that while my son was difficult, and exhausting, we were not alone. There were many, many parents that were learning how to manage an infant with a similar temperament.” This awareness fueled her curiosity, which eventually led to the publication of Johnson’s first book, Temperament Tools: Working With Your Child’s Inborn Traits, co-authored with Helen Neville. As Redwood Day School expands to a Kindergarten through 12th grade school, Johnson’s role has grown as well. In her new position as Director of Outreach, she continues to manage admissions and is now is also in charge of marketing, public-private partnerships, and even more. “Diane’s ability to see crisis as opportunity, to stay positive under extreme duress, and to enliven our community with her creative and humorous approach to life and work, all contributes to her role as an exceptional leader at Redwood Day,” Dr. Riera concluded. Redwood Day School (RDS) is an educational leader in the East Bay. Established in 1963, RDS is a diverse, non-denominational independent K-8 school, expanding to a K-12 in the fall of 2009. Located in the foothills of Oakland, the School combines rigorous academics, differentiated instruction, and attention to social and emotional development—allowing students to discover their strengths and passions as individual learners. RDS students develop into self-aware and confident young people who learn to advocate for themselves and others, throughout school and beyond. Redwood Day School is located at 3245 Sheffield Avenue, Oakland CA 94602 and can be reached at (510) 534-0800. See www.rdschool.org | ||
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