Twenty-five Lake Washington School District (LWSD) teachers achieved National Board Certification, as announced by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. There are currently 204 National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) working full-time in the district’s schools.
“Lake Washington School District prides itself on the caliber of its teaching staff and we’re grateful to have so many teachers commit themselves to excellence,” said Superintendent Traci Pierce. “The National Board Certification process directly benefits our students because teachers increase their capacity to evaluate the best classroom strategies for academic success.”
The National Board certification takes teachers through a demanding process to help further their instructional skills and typically takes more than a year to complete. It requires these teachers to demonstrate how their work improves student achievement. As part of the process, teachers build a portfolio that includes student work samples, assignments, videotapes and a thorough analysis of their classroom teaching. Teachers also are assessed on their knowledge of the subjects they teach. National Board certification is considered the highest professional credential a teacher can obtain.
LWSD ranks 21st in the country for the number of new National Board certified teachers.
Numbers released by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards show that the state of Washington is fourth overall in the total number of NBCTs (6,740).
Each teacher achieves certification in a subject area and age range. The new National Board certified teachers, along with their field, are:
Kirkland
Emerson High School: Stephanie Monaghan, Social Studies/Adolescence through Young Adulthood; and
Emerson K-12: Laura Pratt, English Language Arts/Adolescence through Young Adulthood
Finn Hill Middle School: Kyla Thompson, English Language Arts/Early Adolescence
Franklin Elementary: Robin R. Miller, Generalist/Middle Childhood
International Community School:
· Timothy McFaul, Science/Adolescence and Young Adulthood;
· Mark Kennedy Rayder, Art/Adolescence and Young Adulthood; and
· John Heil, Science/Adolescence and Young Adulthood *
Lake Washington High School: Cathy L. McCreary, Exceptional Needs Specialist/Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
Twain Elementary: Julie Thomas, Literacy: Reading-Language Arts/Early and Middle Childhood
Redmond
Alcott Elementary: Janet Lee Griffin, Library Media/Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
Audobon Elementary: Erin Christensen, Literacy: Reading-Language Arts/Early and Middle Childhood
Einstein Elementary: Michelle Brennan, Generalist/Middle Childhood
Redmond High School:
· Erica Gilliland, Social Studies – History/Adolescence to Young Adulthood;
· Maria Gutierrez, World Languages Other than English/Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood;
· Linda Harris Shadley, World Languages/Adolescence and Young Adulthood;
· Ashley Raji, World Languages/Adolescence and Young Adulthood; and
· Stephen Drew Thornsberry, Mathematics/Early Adolescence
Rosa Parks Elementary:
· Ryan Scott, Mathematics/Early Adolescence; and
· Melissa Scott, Mathematics/Early Adolescence
Sammamish
Blackwell Elementary: Kathleen Pazaski, Library Media/Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
Eastlake High School:
· Sandra Don Chokr, World Languages/Adolescence through Young Adulthood; and
· Rob Jones, English Language Arts/Adolescence and Young Adulthood
Inglewood Middle School: Sharon Leinweber, Science/Early Adolescence
Renaissance School: Jyoti Bawa, Science/Early Adolescence
Smith Elementary: Kristen Orth-Dunseth, Generalist/Middle Childhood
*Left the school district in 2012. National Board credits the district at which the teacher was working when they submitted their materials.
