Heather Johnson walks through the halls of Tanana Middle, dressed as what she calls a “dictionfairy.” She’s glammed out in green wings, a long white flowy dress, and antlers covered with various English terms. She’s rocking her costume, along with other staff members around the school, as part of an early Halloween celebration.
Excited students swarm around Johnson at the Halloween social event after school. Many yell out hi to her, commenting on her costume. She says these events are one of the opportunities students have to learn how to socialize.
“It's so fun watching these kids. They don't know how to do it right,” says Johnson. “And like they didn't know how to dance. The last one we had was a Country day, so we had line dancing, and we taught the line dances to the kids in PE. It was so much fun, I was so sore the next day, oh my god, three hours of line dancing. But it's just fun.”
Johnson was recently named the Alaska Principal of the Year by the Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals (AASSP). It's her fifth year at the middle school, but she’s been part of the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District for almost 30 years. Johnson says the announcement left her in shock.
“Like I thought, oh my gosh, this is the, you know, pinnacle of my career, holy cow,” says Johnson. “And I just, it was really humbling, and it was like, there are so many really great educators here. Like how in the world?”
Johnson knew since kindergarten that she wanted to be a teacher. Her first job was working with teen moms in the Options Teen Parenting Program. From that experience, she knew she wanted to teach at the secondary level. She taught high school for 17 years.
Later on, after completing graduate school, Johnson became assistant principal of West Valley High School in Fairbanks. She stayed in that role for six years. Then came the principal job at Tanana Middle.
“If you really step back and look at it, I've been in education for 28 years,” says Johnson. “And I've given my life and heart and soul for this profession. And it really feels good to be recognized by other professionals as somebody who's given their life to the profession.”
The social event is full of students running between the gym and other classrooms, where a variety of activities are being run by staff throughout the school. Other school leaders and teachers are there, too, like Dr. Neville Boone. He’s Tanana Middle’s assistant principal. Boone says he finds it a privilege to work with the 2026 Principal of the Year.
“She's a great visionary, a person who wants to have everybody grow and achieve, and bring great things to this environment,” says Dr.Boone. "I'm really honored to work with a leader who is a great model, and just love it. It's a fun school, as you can tell here.”
Boone’s not alone. Teachers and staff praise Johnson, too, saying she’s deserving of the award. Here’s Beth Grambell.
“She's the reason I became a teacher,” says Grambell. “I think she's amazing. She's great. She's informative. She knows her stuff. She loves the kids. She is their biggest cheerleader. And she is just a really great boss. She is the best person I can think of for this award.”
Johnson does work that extends beyond the office and school. At West Valley and Tanana Middle, she started closets for students who need clothes and other necessities. Currently, she’s working with the school district and borough to put in a crosswalk and light across Trainor Gate Road to help make it safer.
Johnson says, even after three decades in education, the motivation is there.
“It motivates me more to be out there with our kids and to make sure that I'm making the connections with them, that our teachers are making connections with them, says Johnson.” “And making sure that they are growing and learning every single day.”
Johnson believes strong leaders shape staff to be independent. She says, when she’s retired, she hopes her influence helps staff and young teachers lead with dignity and continue to shape students to become productive, amazing people.