Sixty-Nine W. Va. Educators Earned the Highest Teaching Certification

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - As 2015 gets underway, nearly 70 additional West Virginia teachers will go back to work with the nation's highest teaching certification. The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) announced that 69 teachers in West Virginia achieved National Board Certification this year, demonstrating that they have attained the knowledge and skills necessary to prepare students for success in college and career.

"We're thrilled to celebrate the achievement of our new National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT)," said West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Mike Martirano. "Their achievement is not only a testament to their hard work, determination and impact on their students' learning, it is a reflection of the state's strong commitment to supporting all teachers in their pursuit of National Board Certification."

For 2014, West Virginia ranks 15 in the number of teachers who certified this year. The total number of NBCT in the state is 825, making it 25th in the nation.

Berkeley County leads this year's list of newly certified teachers with 14 new NBCTs, bringing their total to 72 and landing them in second place for counties with the most NBCTs. Wood County has six new certified teachers and remains in the top spot in the state with a total number of 92 NBCTs. The top five counties are: Wood, 92; Berkeley, 72; Cabell, 61; Monongalia, 53; and Putnam, 42.

West Virginia's 69 teachers receiving national certification in 2014 are:

• Berkeley - Craig Arch, Stefinie Aversa, Erin Butler, Rebecha Catlett, Debra Glover, Natalie Kaminski, Jodi Lynn Kissner, Rachel Knotts, Wendy Lee, Lauren Mongada, Brianna Niewodowski, Kelly Robbins, Mary Twigg and Karen Weigle.
• Boone - Caitlin Pcholinsky
• Cabell - Meghan Salter, Kirstin Sobotka and Joyce Webb
• Doddridge - Rhonda Travis
• Hancock - Heidi Markish, Dominique Smith and Breanne Underwood
• Harrison - Jennifer Oliverio
• Jackson - Tarah Clark, Deanna Cunningham, Sunny Enoch, Kathleen Johnson, Daphne LeMasters and Christina Shinn
• Jefferson - Kristin Friend and Carolyn Thomas
• Kanawha - Tiffany Hastings and Brianne Vandal
• Marion - Angela Betonte
• Mercer - Racine Stefancic and Angela Wilson
• Mineral - Douglas Clark, Alexandrea Kellermeyer, Stacey McClintock, Daric Piraino and Tada Ware
• Monongalia - Christie Dawson, Meghan Keith, Jennifer Kwiatkowski, Elaine Schwing, Elvira Stanescu and Danielle Uglik
• Ohio - Jessica Broski-Birch, Caroline Dillon, Patricia Henderson, Susan Hvizdos, Amy Krieger and Rachel Miller
• Putnam - Philip Addis, Whitney Cox, Tiffany Fellure, Valerie Helmstetter and Leah Minshall
• Raleigh - Michelle Bowles and Valerie Pereira
• Randolph - Vanessa Licwov-Channell
• Summers - Rebecca McLaughlin
• Upshur - Candice Phipps
• Wood - Mona Chapman, Kevin Mace, Joseph Nesselroad, Catherine Shuman, Kristin Walker and Jean Wilson

Founded in 1987, the NBPTS is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental organization. Its mission is to establish high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do. National Board Certification is a voluntary assessment program designed to recognize and reward great teachers - and make them better.

For more information about NBPTS and National Board Certification, contact Liza Cordeiro in the WVDE Communication Office at 304-558-2699. Information also is available on the NBPTS website at www.nbpts.org.

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