When it comes to education, newly-
appointed Rockwall ISD Superintendent
Dr. John Villarreal has a knack for fully
immersing himself in the lives of his fellow
teachers and students.
Prior to becoming superintendent for
Rockwall ISD in May 2016, Dr. Villarreal
served one of the highest performing school
districts in the state – Carroll ISD – as
the Assistant Superintendent of Student
Services beginning in Oct. 2011. Dr.
Villarreal planned, organized and facilitated
the district’s recent strategic plan. He has
also worked with the Temple ISD, serving
as Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum
and Instruction, high school principal and
International Baccalaureate head of school,
elementary principal, academic coordinator,
Teen Involvement teacher, high school
counselor and coach. He holds a Doctor of
Education in Educational Administration
from Tarleton State University, a Master of
Education in Educational Administration
from Tarleton State University, a Master
of Education in Counseling and Human
Development at Hardin-Simmons
University, along with a Bachelor of
Science from Hardin-Simmons University.
Blue Ribbon News Editor Austin Wells
caught up with Rockwall ISD’s new
superintendent to learn more about his
background and all the good things he plans
to bring to the fast-growing school district.
What does it mean to you to be the new
Superintendent for Rockwall ISD?
I think it’s a huge opportunity and a huge
honor to be a part of a successful family
like Rockwall ISD. There are a ton of
traditions here, an expectation of excellence
demonstrated by our students’ performance,
whether it’s athletics or academics. It’s
definitely awesome to be a part of that.
Talk about the support you’ve received
from the district – from parents/
teachers/school board members –
since becoming the Superintendent.
I think I had 100+ new followers on my
Twitter account, folks that were welcoming.
It’s been great! My first few months were
spent going out to different departments,
and folks were friendly. They have a lot of
pride in the district. They also recognized
that we are a growing district and are
doing all they can to meet the needs of that
student growth, and provide an experience
for kids that’s excellent. I appreciate our
School Board and how they’ve worked
with my family during our transition, and
they’ve been very supportive as we work
to move in to our new home.
You really immersed yourself in the
communities of Southlake and Temple,
getting involved in the Chamber of
Commerce, the Kiwanis Club and the
Rotary Club. How do you plan to get
involved in the Rockwall community?
I plan to be available. I want to shake as
many hands as possible. A good day’s a day
when I can shake a lot of hands. If I don’t
then I didn’t get out of the office enough.
More and more families continue to
relocate to the Rockwall community,
and one of the biggest reasons
they often give for moving here is
Rockwall’s reputation for having an
excellent school district. Of course,
more families coming in also means a
growing student population. How do
you as Superintendent plan to handle
that incoming growth?
I think the school district is in a great
position to handle the incoming growth.
The community was very gracious to
approve a large bond. We are already in
the phases of building our 14th elementary
school here. The College and Career
Academy will house students from our
high schools, and we’re working on those
processes as well. The bond itself puts the
district in a great position to prepare for
the growth of our student population.
What’s your idea of an effective
learning environment?
When learning occurs it’s two ways –
there’s the presenter of the information and
then you’ve got to hear the feedback. The
feedback helps the presenter understand the
gaps or the mastery of the learning that has
been taught. I love seeing the students do
rather than simply listen. The more they’re
engaged, the more we see their problem-
solving skills and hear actual feedback from
them. I think that adds the greatest value
and gives you an example of a
great learning environment.
What are some things the school
district is doing to help prepare
students for life post-high school?
Authentic learning is huge. When you have
experiences in multiple courses, I think
you’re better in terms of your depth of
knowledge and authentic learning. All of
that will be available at the new College
and Career Academy, along with dual-
credit courses. Certifications will also be
a part of that, so that way students can be
workforce-ready and can even work on
their associate’s degree or four-year degree
while at the same time working with a
certificate that they earned at the
College and Career Academy.
What are you most looking forward to
in your new position?
I thrive being at the campuses and seeing
kids learning. I enjoy seeing folks become
empowered, and seeing them think and
learn at a whole other level where they’re
doing that together, and adding value to
the system. I look forward to working with
people, the camaraderie that comes with
that, and being able to look back after a
year and see people adding greater value
to Rockwall ISD, rather that’s teachers
thinking about innovation, administrators
thinking about new processes, or a new
academic service we’re offering students.
All of that involves everyone becoming
better than who they were today, and
that’s also my goal: how can I be
better tomorrow?
You’re a father of three. What’s the
coolest thing about being a dad?
The coolest thing about being a dad is
preparing your kids for the world. They
won’t live with me forever, and I think my
responsibility as a dad is to prepare them
for the world. Building confidence in my
kiddos and teaching them how to treat
people – all of those are fun opportunities.
Having experiences with them that aren’t
business or school-related, from family
vacations to fishing to hunting, all of that is
really important to me. For me, my kids are
a gift, and it’s fun to be able to raise them
and teach them things they need to know.
Tell me something about yourself most
people would be surprised to learn.
If you want to see the Superintendent of
Rockwall ISD, you can report to The Harbor
at 5:30 in the morning or Rockwall High
School at 5:15 a.m. for a Camp Gladiator
workout. I love being around young
people who challenge me in my physical
fitness. One of my passions is to realize
as educators that we have to take care of
GOOD THINKING
8
Back to School Edition 2016
BlueRibbonNews.com
Q&A WITH ROCKWALL
ISD SUPERINTENDENT
Dr. John Villarreal