Sixty-one Lake Washington School District teachers achieved or renewed their National Board Certification®, as announced by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).

Forty-four teachers were certified for the first time and 17 teachers renewed their certification this year; certifications must be renewed every 10 years. Teachers from around the district completed the process and will be recognized at the Feb. 5 school board meeting.

According to NBPTS, 313 teachers working in Lake Washington Schools have earned their certification. National Board certification is considered the highest professional credential a teacher can obtain.

“We are pleased to have so many teachers accomplish and sustain this significant level of excellence,” Superintendent Dr. Traci Pierce said in a press release. “The National Board Certification process helps teachers ensure academic success for students by analyzing every area of their teaching practice.”

Certification is a one-to five-year process that includes taking an assessment and assembling three portfolios. According to the NBPTS, completing the certification shows that each teacher knows and practices “the definitive standards of accomplished teaching.”

Numbers released by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards show the state of Washington is third overall in the number of National Board Certified Teachers in the country at 10,135.

Each teacher achieves certification in a subject area and age range.

New Kirkland-based National Board certified teachers included:

• Emerson High School: William Gardner – Exceptional Needs Specialist, Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
• Finn Hill Middle School: Patricia Bergstrom – Science, Early Adolescence
• Franklin Elementary School: Shawna Sandstrom – Music, Early and Middle Childhood
• International Community School: Nadia Miranda Navas – World Languages, Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood
• Juanita Elementary School:
  • Kelly Kirkness – Exceptional Needs Specialist, Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
  • Andrea Peoples – Literacy: Reading-Language Arts, Early and Middle Childhood
• Juanita High School:
  • Eric Carlson – Mathematics, Adolescence and Young Adulthood
  • Peter Cheng – Mathematics, Adolescence and Young Adulthood
  • Patrick Monson – Exceptional Needs Specialist, Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
  • Alexandra Pike – Science, Adolescence and Young Adulthood
• Kamiakin Middle School:Kirkland Middle School: Sara Ward – English Language Arts, Early Adolescence
  • Julie Bergevin – Mathematics, Adolescence and Young Adulthood
  • Gretchen Oates – Library Media, Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
• Lake Washington High SchoolNorthstar Middle School: Lua Carlson – Science, Early Adolescence
  • Jessica Butterfield – English Language Arts, Adolescence and Young Adulthood
  • Amy Teal – Mathematics, Adolescence and Young Adulthood
  • Ashley Zydel – Science, Adolescence and Young Adulthood
• Rose Hill Elementary School: Soo Chin – School Counseling, Early Childhood through Young Adulthood

Kirkland-based teachers who renewed their contracts included:

• Futures School: Audrey Falkner – English Language Arts, Adolescence and Young Adulthood
• Kirkland Middle School: Rose Hill Elementary School: Suzanne Hanson – Music, Early and Middle Childhood
  • Stephen Hynden – School Counseling, Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
  • Marion Mays – Exceptional Needs Specialist, Early Childhood through Young Adulthood