Administrative Staff
Lynette Goss (she/her)
Head of School
Lynette Goss has been a part of the Walnut Farm community since 2004. She holds Montessori credentials to teach 3 to 6-year-olds and 6 to 12-year-olds. She taught in both environments but spent most of her teaching career as the lower elementary teacher. Her bachelor’s degree is in music and she also taught music part-time at our school for 15 years. Most recently, she was the curriculum specialist and holds a Master of Arts in Education. Lynette assisted with the school’s first accreditation process with American Montessori Society and led many aspects of our most recent reaccreditation in the fall of 2017. Lynette and her husband, Jason have lived in Bentonville for many years. Their twin boys, Grayson and Andy attended Walnut Farm for six years. Lynette has over 20 years of experience working with children.
Leslie Johnson (she/her)
Financial Administrator
Leslie Johnson, a native of Oklahoma, graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Leslie began volunteering in a Tulsa Montessori school when her children started their Montessori education. She eventually became a full time employee, subbing in the classrooms and working in the administration office. Leslie is excited to offer her accounting expertise and love for Montessori education to the WFMS staff and community. Leslie and her husband, Todd relocated to Arkansas for his work in 2013. Together they have four amazing children.
Azusa Crawford (she/her)
Education Administrator
Azusa has been a member of the Walnut Farm community since 2007, when her daughter Hannah joined Primary, and she has filled a number of roles — substitute, assistant, and teacher — prior to stepping into her position as the Education Administrator in 2021. Azusa was born and raised in Sapporo, Japan, where she attended a Montessori kindergarten (her favorite school experience), played piano, trained in Kendo, practiced calligraphy, and dreamt of working with children as an adult. Though she originally planning to stay in the U.S. for one year to learn English, she fell in love with American culture and diversity in 2001; she has since lived in 4 states (AZ, NJ, SC, and UT) before settling in Arkansas. After her time working as an assistant, Azusa earned the American Montessori Society’s Early Childhood credential at the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies in Boulder, CO. She currently enjoys reading, listening to music, cooking, and Sashiko (Japanese embroidery). Azusa continues to love fulfilling her dreams by employing the Montessori method to guide children both directly and through her support of Walnut Farm’s teaching staff.
Perla del Val
Enrollment/Marketing/Spanish Teacher
Born and raised in Mexico, Perla graduated from UIA in Mexico City with a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design and a specialty in Museum Exhibits Design. Upon graduation, she taught Graphic Design courses at her alma mater. She worked as a packaging designer for 10 years and enjoys freelancing for national and international clients since 1998. Perla and her husband Luis moved to Cincinnati in 2007 where they welcomed their two daughters. They moved to NWA in 2016 and, after enrolling her youngest in the Primary program, joined the Walnut Farm faculty staff. Perla is a wellness enthusiast, you can often find her running and volunteering for local running events since one of her passions is building a community that supports and promotes equality and diversity.
