Meet the Director, Mrs. Shanda N. Walker

Greetings Wildcat Nation,

My name is Shanda N. Walker and it is with pride and a humble heart that I enter this journey in my career as the next Campus Director at Varnett East. I understand the rich history of excellence and the legacy that together we will continue to uphold as we maintain the Blue-Ribbon standard and A-Rated status this campus has achieved. With these accomplishments in mind, I know together we can continue to take Varnett East higher.
 
Varnett Public Schools has a proud history and rich tradition of student success in academics, with Varnett East specifically attaining 4 out of 6 academic distinctions through the Texas Education Agency Accountability system when last calculated in 2022. What is most notable about these accomplishments is that they were not given, they were earned. The establishment of this culture of high expectations and excellence has been the heart work of the Varnett collaboration led for the past decade by Dr. Gayle Voltz. My desire is to maintain the success that has already been achieved, while continuing to push Varnett forward.
 
Through a collaborative methodology and inquiry, I plan to collect the data from all stakeholders to provide what is currently needed and what we see are the enhancements we must add to prepare our scholars for their future communities and careers.

For the past 24 years I have served and dedicated my career to impacting the lives of scholars in high need communities. The first 14 years in education I served as a classroom teacher at the elementary level. In 2014 I transitioned to administration. I served 4 years as an Assistant Principal and for the past 5 years I championed the work in education as the campus principal at Kelso Elementary (HISD). I have committed myself to improving  tudent achievement, closing the achievement gap and changing the trajectory of the lives of the scholars in this South Park community. My mission and goal is to expose the scholars of Varnett to the world so that they can one day take it by storm.

On a personal level, I am a wife of 26 years. A mother of two daughters, Jahi (22) and Judah (16) who are my reasons why I am determined to ensure that all scholars learn the way they learn best. Together we will achieve and we will achieve greatly!
 
In Excellence,
 
Shanda N. Walker
Campus Director, Varnett East
“Wildcats Roar!”