Twenty area teachers achieve National Board Certification

Twenty Rowan-Salisbury Schools’ teachers are among the 1,525 North Carolina teachers achieving National Board Certification in 2006.

Those now recognized as among the nation’s top educators include:

* Jeannie Baucom, generalist/middle childhood;

* Yvonne Bostian, English language arts/early adolescence;

* Elizabeth Crowell, school counseling/early childhood through young adulthood;

* Allison Dupree, physical education/early adolescence through young adulthood;

* Jessie Egolf, generalist/ middle childhood;

* Dawn Fox, library media/early childhood through young adulthood;

* Jennifer Griggs, school counseling/early childhood through young adulthood;

* Kenneth Hartman, generalist/middle childhood;

* Robert Linder, physical education/early adolescence through young adulthood;

* Robert Marchinko, physical education/early and middle childhood;

* Laura Marlow, English language arts/adolescence and young adulthood;

* Katherine Mauzy, literacy: reading-language arts/ early and middle childhood;

* Christopher Myers, social studies-history/adolescence and young adulthood;

* James Pittman, generalist/middle childhood;

* Mark Rockwell, generalist/middle childhood;

* Stacey Rogers, generalist/early childhood;

* Michael Shadroui, social studies-history/early adolescence;

* Michelle Shue, English language arts/adolescence and young adulthood;

* Susan Thompson Mobley, generalist/middle childhood; and

* Patsy Wilson, science/ early adolescence

North Carolina ranked first nationwide in the number of new National Board Certified Teachers. The state also ranked No. 1 in the total number of teachers, 11,325, who have achieved certification over time. Specifically, the number of National Board Certified Teachers in North Carolina has more than tripled in the past five years (3,660 in 2001 to 11,325 in 2006), and more than 12 percent of the state’s teachers have achieved National Board Certification.

Also, at the North Carolina NBCT Education Policy Summit in Greensboro in August 2005, approximately 600 of the state’s National Board Certified teachers worked with local education leaders and policymakers on creating ways to attract and retain more accomplished teachers for hard-to-staff and high-needs schools.

“National Board Certification strengthens and reaffirms quality teaching strategies, adds credibility to the teaching profession, represents the profession’s highest standards, and has a positive impact on student learning,” said former Georgia Gov. Roy E. Barnes, chair of the NBPTS Board of Directors. “The single most important school-related factor in raising student achievement is the quality of the teacher in the classroom.”

National Board Certification is the highest credential in the teaching profession. A teacher-driven, voluntary process established by NBPTS, certification is achieved through a rigorous, performance-based assessment that typically takes one to three years to complete and measures what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do. As part of the process, teachers build a portfolio that includes student work samples, assignments, videotapes and a thorough analysis of their classroom teaching. Additionally, teachers are assessed on their knowledge of the subjects they teach.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2007, NBPTS continues to be the most thoroughly grounded, in research terms, of any assessment program in the teaching profession.

For more information about NBPTS and National Board Certification, visit the NBPTS Web site at www.nbpts.org

Pensacola dean’s list

Megan Freeborn of Salisbury has been named to the fall semester dean’s list at Pensacola Christian College in Pensacola, Fla., for earning a B average or higher.

Lees-McRae list

Four Rowan County students have been named to the fall semester dean’s list at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk.

They are Charlena Herron, Mount Ulla; Heather Morrison, Cleveland; Brittany Roberson and Renee Roberson, both of Salisbury.

Academy spotlight

Salisbury Academy recently recognized Students in the Spotlight for November and December.

Those who exhibited the virtue of gratitude in November areMichael Childress, first grade; Samantha Pritchard and Ruth Clement, second grade; Jacob Crosby and Walker Latimer, third grade; Isabella Rusher and Jake Pritchard, fourth grade; River Lewis and Jordan DeJaco, fifth grade; Nigel Barrier, sixth grade; Mercedes Orlovich and Jonathan Hall, seventh grade; and Andrew McCollister, eighth grade.

Those who exhibited the virtues of compassion and empathy in December are Joey White and Adam Drye, first grade; Jenny Kribbs and Nicholas Edelman, second grade; Tink Brewer and Lora Withers, third grade; Alex Warren and Chris Distin, fourth grade; Eleanor Alcorn and Savannah Hipp, fifth grade; Savannah Taylor, sixth grade; Joy Loeblein and Alex Lee, seventh grade; and Seth Lewallen and Carley Drye, eighth grade.