A kindergarten teacher at Jefferson County’s Brinnon School will help shape the professional development of teachers across the United States.

Lisa A. Johnston is among 12 teachers from around the country chosen to participate in the inaugural Teacher Fellows Cohort from children’s publishing, education, and media company Scholastic. The effort will help inform product development, design, professional title research, and various K-12 initiatives for Scholastic’s Education Solutions Division.

Johnston says she “did not expect to be chosen.”

“I live in a tiny, rural town. We live an hour from a larger town, so it’s kind of our own little world,” says Johnston, who has a personal YouTube channel called Apple Valley Farm Productions where she makes short nature and rural-living videos. “Most of my life, I’ve played it safe, but as I’ve gotten older, I feel the pull to branch out and get out of my comfort zone.”

Johnston’s capstone project will focus on developing an educational book series for teachers. The project will be showcased during a summit at Scholastic’s headquarters in New York City in July. Johnston and her cohorts will also receive a stipend of $2,000 and at least $500 worth of Scholastic products.