25 Lake Washington Teachers Achieve National Board Certification

Editor's Note: The following is a press release from the Lake Washington School District.

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Redmond, Wash. – Twenty-five Lake Washington School District 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.

Lake Washington School District 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

 Rosa Parks Elementary:

·         Ryan Scott, Mathematics/Early Adolescence; and

·         Melissa Scott, Mathematics/Early Adolescence

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

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.

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About Lake Washington: Lake Washington School District is a high-performing public school district serving Kirkland, Redmond, and Sammamish, Washington. It is the sixth largest district in the state of Washington, with over 25,000 students in 51 schools.