After 3 decades of service to Gravette High School, Bob Johnson is retiring from the classroom. Known for his wealth of knowledge on business and for being an early adopter of new technology, Mr. Johnson has taught everything from marketing and management to web design and spreadsheets. He’s led students to national DECA competitions, secured tens of thousands in grant funding, and built courses around the very things people always say they wish they’d learned in high school: budgeting, credit, career planning, and real-world problem solving. Mr. Johnson worked to instill in his students the same practical, can-do mindset that defined his career, one that left as much of a mark on the district itself as it did on the students who passed through his classroom.
Students working on projects in Mr. Johnson's class, photo from his perspective.
Bob Johnson is far more than a teacher, he has been an integral part of the Gravette school community for decades. He personally wired the district's first computer network in the ’90s. At the time, there was no technology department, so he had to do it himself; throwing blue cables down crawl space above the ceiling, one tile at a time. When he learned that lightly used, recent models of Macintosh computers from the Walmart Home Office were being resold through Bud Walton salvage stores across Arkansas, Bob Johnson got the go-ahead from his principal and hit the road. He drove to Hot Springs, Little Rock, Russellville, and even into Missouri, picking up fifteen iMacs one by one and hauling them back to Gravette himself. There was no setup team waiting, no instructions. Just a teacher single-handedly building one of the district’s first tech labs with a shoestring budget and a lot of resourcefulness. It goes to show that Mr. Johnson never waited around for someone else to solve a problem. If something needed doing, he figured out how to do it and got to work.
Mr. Johnson and his DECA students on their club float at the 2024 Homecoming Parade.
That same mindset carried into how he supported students. For kids who showed up and put in the effort, Bob Johnson matched it with time, support, and even his own money. He led DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) for more than 20 years, helping students explore careers in marketing, finance, and entrepreneurship. In his very first year as a DECA advisor, he was told it could take several years to reach national-level competition… Yet he qualified five students that same year and was one of only six new advisors in the country invited to the national marketing conclave. He’s twice been named Arkansas DECA Marketing Teacher of the Year, in 2011 and again in 2025. In 2025, eight of his students placed in the top 10 at the Arkansas DECA State Leadership Conference across multiple competitive events.
Mr. Johnson holding his 2025 Arkansas Marketing Teacher of the Year Award at the DECA State Leadership Conference.
He also co-sponsored FTA (Future Teachers of America) in the early 2000s and led FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) for over two decades. Each year, he personally funds a $500 scholarship for students pursuing trade school or nontraditional post-secondary paths. Mr. Johnson doesn't just talk, he delivers. He leads by example showing how preparation matters, effort is rewarded, and hard work pays off. His approach has always been steady, practical, and rooted in the idea that respect is earned by doing the work alongside those you lead.
Bob Johnson and students in costumes serving food at a fundraising event in 2021.
Over the course of his career, Mr. Johnson watched Gravette High School grow from a small rural school with around 400 students to a thriving 5A campus of over 700. But he didn’t just observe that growth, he actively helped shape it. In 2007–2008, he served on the building committee for the new high school, visiting schools across Arkansas and even into Kansas to inform the design. He takes pride not only in the improvements in facilities, academics, and athletics, but also in the way Gravette has retained its character and community spirit through change.
Eight DECA students placed in the top 10 at the 2025 Arkansas DECA State Leadership Conference
In the last 30 years, Mr. Johnson has taught marketing, management, accounting, personal finance, digital marketing, web design, programming (C++), multimedia, desktop publishing, and spreadsheets. He also created a business math course for seniors needing a fourth math credit, using algebra in real-world applications like budgeting, taxes, and financial planning. As he prepares to retire, Bob Johnson is looking forward to a slower pace. He plans to focus on his health, spend more time with his family, and complete a master’s degree. Which will be something he’s pursuing for himself after years of putting others first. He’s not sure what will follow, but if the past is any indicator, he’ll be making the most of whatever comes next. After 30 years in Gravette, Bob Johnson has earned the chance to rest… but it’s clear he won’t be standing still for long.
Mr. Johnson presenting at the 2025 Scholarship Awards Ceremony
We thank Mr. Johnson for the knowledge he shared, the systems he built, and the steady presence he brought to Gravette Schools. His contributions have shaped classrooms, programs, and pathways that will continue to serve students for years to come. We are grateful for his service and proud to have had him as part of our district.