Staff Spotlight: Glenda Johnston is Relating with Students and Supporting their Success

This post is part of the Lynden Schools Staff Spotlight series

Glenda Johnston touches nearly every area of Lynden High School, helping keep the school’s extracurricular activities up and running—thriving, really. She does so with a passion to see the students grow in their chosen area of pursuit. 

The Role

This is year 27 in Lynden Schools for Johnston. In her current position she serves as the ASB administrative assistant, along with assisting athletics in various student service needs. She also fills in the gaps as a substitute bus driver and works on the support staff of a variety of athletic events. 

Johnston navigates the needs of students in a mix of extracurricular activities, whether FFA, FBLA, band, sports, cheer and more. It is “the day-to-day variety of happenings along with the daily interactions with students and fellow colleagues” that keeps Johnston excited about her position. “I am a very relational person and love the variety of the different situations.” 

Encouraging and supporting students may not be written into the job description, but it’s a key part of Johnston’s daily interactions. “I love seeing them gain confidence in what they are passionate about,” she says. 

Getting to Know Glenda

Outside of Lynden High School, Johnston continues to help shape students, whether from Lynden or other local high schools, teaching young drivers through her position as a driving instructor. “Seeing them in various situations beyond the car, knowing I got to be a part of their lives in some role—as well as hearing their story—just fuels my soul,” she says. 

But the most rewarding spot outside of schools is the time Johnston spends with her grandchildren, Harper, Sayler, Dru and Preacher. She says they keep her young and wanting to do her best for the schools and community to build a better future for them. She’s also involved in The Resilient Project, a nonprofit started by her son-in-law and daughter. “Filling in the gap with the many projects they have going,” she says, “has been very rewarding.”